A
Anonymous
Guest
I just got this idea, no idea if it will work or not. You guys have all been looking for the smallest heater available, and it got me to thinking about how to create one with enough wattage and also with a thermostat.
My idea is to make a poor man's heat exchanger: Create a "sump"-- it could be a 2 liter soda bottle with the top cut off, if you like--with a return pump that pumps water through airline tubing. The tubing will not actually flow into your tank, but just right back to the "sump". There is no circulation between the "sump" and tank, so you could fill it with tap water, or kerosene if you feel like it. The liquid simply serves as a medium to transmit heat energy.
Loop the airline tubing around to create a bunch of surface area, and dip the loops in your main tank or refugium. This would be ideal if you have a small refugium, because you could loop the airline around rocks and plants without sacrificing any space. The water could be pumped by a microjet pump with an adapter placed at the bottom of the "sump". Place a heater in your "sump", and set it to whatever temp you feel is best. Ideally, the "sump" water and the tank salt water should eventually equal the same temperature. I have no idea if this will work or not, but if it does it would be great. I can't imagine it working on a tank much bigger than 1-2 gallons. It could be remotely located, in a closet or cabinet underneath the tank. The actual space taken up in the main tank would be very small. It could be used to heat several small tanks near each other, all at the same temperature. It could use any heater on the market. It wouldn't cost much more than the heater itself.
I was thinking the high tech way to do it would be to fit it all in a 1-2' section of 2" PVC, with caps at both ends. Stand this cylinder on its end, and fit the heater and pump inside. Drill holes through the endcap for the wires and airline tubing, and use grommets. There would be very little evaporation.
My idea is to make a poor man's heat exchanger: Create a "sump"-- it could be a 2 liter soda bottle with the top cut off, if you like--with a return pump that pumps water through airline tubing. The tubing will not actually flow into your tank, but just right back to the "sump". There is no circulation between the "sump" and tank, so you could fill it with tap water, or kerosene if you feel like it. The liquid simply serves as a medium to transmit heat energy.
Loop the airline tubing around to create a bunch of surface area, and dip the loops in your main tank or refugium. This would be ideal if you have a small refugium, because you could loop the airline around rocks and plants without sacrificing any space. The water could be pumped by a microjet pump with an adapter placed at the bottom of the "sump". Place a heater in your "sump", and set it to whatever temp you feel is best. Ideally, the "sump" water and the tank salt water should eventually equal the same temperature. I have no idea if this will work or not, but if it does it would be great. I can't imagine it working on a tank much bigger than 1-2 gallons. It could be remotely located, in a closet or cabinet underneath the tank. The actual space taken up in the main tank would be very small. It could be used to heat several small tanks near each other, all at the same temperature. It could use any heater on the market. It wouldn't cost much more than the heater itself.
I was thinking the high tech way to do it would be to fit it all in a 1-2' section of 2" PVC, with caps at both ends. Stand this cylinder on its end, and fit the heater and pump inside. Drill holes through the endcap for the wires and airline tubing, and use grommets. There would be very little evaporation.