Innovative Marine Helio Aquarium Heating Systems - Redundant Temperature Control

Did you know your aquarium heater is the #1 most likely piece of equipment to fail on your aquarium? 

Heaters are constantly being switched on and off throughout the day, 365 days per year. With such heavy switching and constant operation, the mechanical and electronic components experience severe wear and tear. There really is no way to maintain your heater and all you can do is prepare for the day the heater ultimately stops working. Yes, some heaters are better built and more reliable than others. Still, regardless of heater quality, you can't circumnavigate the risk and the one right way to help protect your tank against heater-related catastrophe is through redundancy. 

Innovative Marine's Helio PTC Smart Heating Systems embrace redundancy by allowing you to create multiple levels of protection against heater failure. There are two ways to take advantage of the Helio Heating System, one of which takes this redundancy and protection to a whole new level by using PTC - Positive Temperature Coefficient technology. 

Helio Universal Aquarium Heater Controller

The Helio Universal Heater Controller works just like most other external heater controllers and allows you to connect up to two separate heating elements for a combined total heating power of up to 1000 watts. The controller itself contains a digital circuit board that constantly communicates with a titanium temperature probe to monitor the water's temperature. When variances in temperature are detected between the set point and real-time readings, the controller switches off the power to the attached heaters.

Furthermore, the ability to attach two separate heating elements helps protect you against a failure where if one heater fails to turn ON and heat the water sufficiently, the second heating element is there to ensure the water temperature does not plummet. 

While the universal controller works with almost any heating element, including the BRS Titanium Heating elements, you can set up an extra layer of protection by choosing heaters that feature their own onboard temperature control. Something like the Eheim Jager, AquaEL, or Finnex brand heaters can be set using their own control system which acts as your primary mode for switching the heaters on/off throughout the day.  The Helio Universal Smart Heater can then be set 1-2 degrees above so that in the event that your water temperatures begin to rise because of a malfunctioning heater, the Helio controller will cut power and notify you with an audible alarm.

One of the big advantages of the Helio Controller is everything is preset at typical reef tank temperatures, including the alarms so you probably won't have to mess with any of the programs. That said, you can completely customize the setpoints and alarms to suit your particular situation. It's super easy to use and the audible alarm can be switched off using the small switch on the side of the controller. 

Helio PTC Smart Heater System

The PTC Smart Heater System combines a modified Helio Heater Controller and Innovative Marine PTC Smart Heating Elements which creates a whole new level of protection thanks to positive temperature coefficient technology. The PTC Smart Heaters contain a solid-state ceramic chip that is programmed to reach a predetermined temperature and communicate with the controller directly to prevent the titanium elements from getting too hot. The heating element itself cannot overheat and when combined with the Helio temperature controller constantly monitoring the water's temperature directly, you get two layers of protection. 

The PTC Smart Heater System utilizes special quick disconnects to attach the elements to the heater controller which is specific to the PTC Heaters. The Helio PTC controller comes pre-set, just like the universal controller, and you can customize those settings to suit your particular needs. The titanium temperature sensor is wired directly to the Helio Controller and is held in place using the included magnetic mount. 

While the titanium elements appear very similar to any standard heating element, they are in fact much different, not only in function but also form. The PTC elements are very small, with a thin profile and much shorter lengths compared to traditional heaters. Combined with the included magnetic mounts, the PTC heating elements take up less space and are easier to mount compared to competing heaters.

The PTC Smart Heating System is available as a kit that comes complete with the controller and heating elements. You can then purchase replacement elements separately to increase your heating power should you need to. The kits are available in eight different sizes ranging from a single 100-watt element to dual 500-watt elements to accommodate small and large tanks alike.