# is my heater done for ?



## alesserfate (Mar 28, 2011)

hi all, 

i recently bought a new visi-therm heater, one of these things, probably about a month ago

PICTURE IS JUST A REFERENCE, I HAVE THE 150W VERSION (suitable for 37G)









and i've noticed it won't hold the damn temperature.. thank god i don't have any fish yet but i'm sure its damn bad enough for my live rock..

problem is the thermostat in it - it either won't shut off when it reaches set temperature or won't turn on if it drops below set temperature until its like like 7F over or under! so if I set it at 78 it keeps boiling until 85 and then turns off until its 64..

i dont think i can refund it any more since its been past 30 days.. am i SOL ? is there any way I can fix it and if not what is a good trustworthy brand/model to buy ? I have a 37G saltwater

thanks in advance!


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Should be under warranty by Marineland. The store may still take it back.


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## alesserfate (Mar 28, 2011)

are these normally reliable units ?


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

If you call Marineland, they will probably help you out, especially if you have the receipt. But even if you don't, it is worth giving them a call. In the past, Marineland has sent me replacement parts for free. 

The store might take it back, too. It's worth asking. 

I have the same heater in one of my tanks and it's been very reliable. So, there is something wrong with that unit. Maybe Marineland will tell you that there's a reset button or something.


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## jasonj (Nov 30, 2010)

I just returned mine today same brand as yours 300watts model . Still had the receipt. JL took it back no problem. Got an eheim jager in return and paid the extra $2.69. I bought mine probably more than 2 months ago. 
Oh ya mine didn't keep the right temp. Had it on 81F. But my temp was a chilly 75F. Maybe it wasn't working at all? Red light was on though.


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

I'm pretty sure these heaters are supposed to have a lifetime warranty.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

I'd call the company. I've had bad luck with Marineland heaters, so my recommendation if you don't want to keep it is to go with an Eheim Ebo-Jager. They're really good.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

Clown Lover said:


> I'm pretty sure these heaters are supposed to have a lifetime warranty.


if so i'll feel a bit stupid, i spend the extra cash on the fluval E series cuz of its 5 year warranty most have 3


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## shaobo (Apr 21, 2010)

Sorry, I am a little confused at your situation, as you mentioned your SW tank is a 37gallons, so a single 50 watts heater is not going to be sufficient for that volume of water.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

30 days for a heater is nothing. Any store should take it back if it does not hold temperature, no problem. There has been issues with ML heaters, truthfully there are issues with a lot of brands lately, any manufacturer will stand behind their heaters if they do not maintain temperature.


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## `GhostDogg´ (Apr 22, 2010)

My fave is my eheim jager.
I have a bunch of hagen/elites all sizes no problems @ all.


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## alesserfate (Mar 28, 2011)

Just a note that pic is a reference I found online, I have same style just 150W version suitable for 27G

So we went to the store to exchange it in Richmond, they say that they don't have any more and they make us drive all the to their New West/Burnaby area store, we grab the replacement there and it looks like it was opened (apparently it was the only unit they had at that store) - the guy tells me that its new and that its fine (it looked scratched up at the tip where it normally gets scratched when u mount/unmount it a few times). We bring it home and pop it in the tank. This one the thermostat works but the heating element doesnt. Wow! Such bullshit! I would avoid dealing with these shitty heaters!


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## alesserfate (Mar 28, 2011)

Bought a tetra 200w heater for 24$ from walmart, worked instantly.


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