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'on demand' inline water heater for

6K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  AbbeysDad 
#1 ·
water changes. Would be cold water straight from tap (probably vary from 60 degrees on up, I live on Long Island, NY.
Does anyone here own one? Heard of one?
Thanks.
 
#2 ·
My dad's house has on demand hot water, for the whole house. I'm pretty sure it's not the same thing though. Good luck though.
 
#3 ·
Thanks Texas, but no, that would not work.
It would have to work with either a water python type of water hose, or an RV quality hose, and be able to be 'dialed in' to output 78 degree water. An 'on demand' but a different type.
I have a very cranky Moen faucet (it really needs to be replaced) that is difficult to regulate, this is the main reason it has crossed my mind.
For anyone who is an inventor, I think this would be a 'hot' item. I think a lot of aquarists would love to hook up a hose to a cold water faucet, have it go through a heater like this, and have the proper temp water go into a tank (with appropriate water conditioners of course, I use API tap water conditioner, works like a charm.).
Thanks for the input.
For the record though, the on demand water heaters are a very nice concept. They only seem to work with gas, something which we do not have.
 
#4 ·
Commonly referred to as tank-less water heaters they come in both gas and electric, the smaller versions for just a sink are typically electric for ease of installation. Problem with trying to dial in a temp for a water heater is they tend not to be very accurate, there's probably at least a 5 degree variance and more likely close to 10 degrees since they dont hold the water until it gets hot enough.

Go for the new faucet, cheaper and more accurate.
 
#5 ·
What is being suggested here is not a tankless hot water heater. These heaters require that the hot water is turned on full blast and it will deliver approximately 120 deg. F water!

I just recently hooked a garden hose adapter to my bathroom faucet. I ran the hot water (conventional hot water heater) until the water was hot (takes a few minutes because of the basement to second floor run). Then I backed off the hot water some and turned on the cold water until I got a consistent temperature of 75-78. Then I used a permanent pen to put tiny reference marks/lines on each faucet. You'd never know they were there unless you knew they were there. Works every time ;-)
 
#7 ·
I just recently hooked a garden hose adapter to my bathroom faucet. I ran the hot water (conventional hot water heater) until the water was hot (takes a few minutes because of the basement to second floor run). Then I backed off the hot water some and turned on the cold water until I got a consistent temperature of 75-78. Then I used a permanent pen to put tiny reference marks/lines on each faucet. You'd never know they were there unless you knew they were there. Works every time ;-)
What a great idea. I'm going to use that same method. Thanks for the tip!
 
#6 ·
Another option would be to run the water from the faucet to a 5G bucket and allow it to fill half way then run a pump out to the tank. That way you have a buffering area to treat the water and at least get it close to temp before going to the tank. Unless you have a huge tank, in which case if you're in the ballpark, it should affect anything.
 
#9 ·
There is no such thing - what was suggested is an in-line heater to heat cold tap water to 75-80 deg F for water changes. I offered a much simpler approach by 'indexing' the hot and cold faucet positions to consistently deliver a desired temperature. It costs nothing and works perfectly :)
 
#10 ·
Another thing I might do is buy a Rubbermaid 55 gallon brute with a lid (lid is important!! kitty cats..). Fill it with water, put a 300 watt heater in it and let it sit for the week. Use a small pump to refill the tanks. I am not too likely to do this as I fear accidentaly drowning a cat. That I will not allow, so I will just stick with the water python.
 
#11 ·
Marking the faucet wouldn't work for me because my hot water tank is a 30g and as I change several fish tanks the hot water in the tank is used quickly and new water is being heated. That means the "hot" water will be hotter. Also, as the hot water leaves the tank, the new cold water coming in is lowering the temp of the water in the tank, so as it comes out it is cooling. I live alone so no need for a larger tank, and for normal activities like a shower this is not even noticeable. But if I turn on the hot water tap after the laundry, or the fish water changes, the hot water considerably hotter than if I run it before. And even during filling half the 90g, the water temp entering the tank will noticeably cool; if i am working in the tank during the filling I can easily detect the water stream cooling down.

To the question of the temp for a water change, for most fish it does not need to be exact. The water temperature in the tropics varies a great deal each day/night, and during rain, etc. A water change is to the fish a rainstorm, and they "expect" cooler water. This is what induces them to spawn following a water change. Interestingly, I just did the weekly change on half my tanks, and within 15 minutes of filling the 90g my beckfordi pencils were scattering eggs by the dozens. We also happen to have quite a low pressure system overhead today, and steady rain, so that affects them too, but it is the water temp drop that triggers spawning.

Anyway, the temp in the tank can fluctuate by a few degrees due to the water change with no harmful effect for most fish. Cooler rather than warmer is better.

Byron.
 
#12 ·
I think the faucet marking would work fine, you'd just need a 15 minute or so recovery time between tanks for the water to reheat in the hot water tank. Yes, as you refill the tank and the hot water is replaced it will cool slightly, but as you point out, that's okay and simulates a cool rain.
 
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