DIY Heater & Probe Holders

[acbaldwin]

Finally got my sump up and running, but I sure don't want my 1000w heater sitting on the tank floor... Not sure if it'll burn, but I don't wanna find out!

Decided to make some holders for everything.

Materials/Tools:
Small amount of thick acrylic
Acrylic glue (I used WeldOn #16)
Saw (jig, hack, etc.)
Drill
Large 1"+ drill bit

Acrylic is from the scrap bin at Ridout. $2.99/lb.
Weld On #16 is also from Ridout, small tube costs $3.

Total cost: $5

Materials:
http://imgur.com/pEN4Fl.jpg (http://imgur.com/pEN4F.jpg)

Acrylic Glue:
http://imgur.com/Ev3m7l.jpg (http://imgur.com/Ev3m7.jpg)

Trusty Jigsaw:
http://imgur.com/eGVJzl.jpg (http://imgur.com/eGVJz.jpg)

Good Ol' Drill:
http://imgur.com/K0HCdl.jpg (http://imgur.com/K0HCd.jpg)

Bit (I don't remember what kind of bit this is...). A small hole saw would have been easier and cleaner.
http://imgur.com/f2fSAl.jpg (http://imgur.com/f2fSA.jpg)

Heater holders cut and ready to be drilled. I laid the pieces over each other to ensure the holes were in the right spot.
http://imgur.com/JDnuBl.jpg (http://imgur.com/JDnuB.jpg)

Halfway through, the pieces started to get shavings built up between them. I cleaned them up and added small C clamps to the tops to prevent this.
http://imgur.com/GuhCdl.jpg (http://imgur.com/GuhCd.jpg)

Clamps added. As you can see, the bit I used wasn't particularly clean in the cut. A hole saw would have been faster and cleaner.
http://imgur.com/dcaqol.jpg (http://imgur.com/dcaqo.jpg)

Wear safety glasses! Hot acrylic is not something you want in your eyes.
http://imgur.com/YwU6Ol.jpg (http://imgur.com/YwU6O.jpg)

[acbaldwin]

Anticipate the space the cutting edge of the drill will occupy... I went to high on the first hole.
http://imgur.com/DPND5l.jpg (http://imgur.com/DPND5.jpg)

Both holes drilled.
http://imgur.com/JZtAil.jpg (http://imgur.com/JZtAi.jpg)

Strip the paper backing off and apply glue. Rub the pieces together lightly to "warm up" the acrylic softening and then press firmly for about 5 minutes. I didn't need to clamp them. Here they are drying.
http://imgur.com/iLpkhl.jpg (http://imgur.com/iLpkh.jpg)

I used the same process for my probe holders (at this point my brother would chime in... "your mom's a probe holder").
Don't put too much pressure when you're almost through the acrylic.
http://imgur.com/REkI5l.jpg (http://imgur.com/REkI5.jpg)

Everything cut and drilled.
http://imgur.com/10Naql.jpg (http://imgur.com/10Naq.jpg)

The heater's current resting place.
http://imgur.com/A4h54l.jpg (http://imgur.com/A4h54.jpg)

I cleaned the crap outta the sump before gluing the probe holders. Calcium build up is easily removed with vinegar. I placed the holders as low as possible, where I was 1000000% positive that they would never be exposed to air. Last thing I need is my heater thinking that the water temp is 65!
I also made sure they were placed in a moderate flow area near the return pump intake to give accurate readings.
Gluing was easy. Rubbed in, then held for about three minutes. I waited about an hour before bringing the water level up and putting the probes in.
The long cut in the probe holder is for cable management. Placed that way, the cables place enough pressure on the probes to ensure that they will not slip out into open air.


I drilled extra holes in the probe holder for expansion... I plan on adding an RKL sometime in the near future and want to measure pH and conductivity once it's available.
http://imgur.com/ayCMdl.jpg (http://imgur.com/ayCMd.jpg)

Hope ya digged it!

[luv4qt1004]

that looks awesome! where did u find cheap acrylic??? i need to organize my sump and was looking into getting an acrylic holder as well!

[smirkis]

very cool. if my tank wasn't glass i'd do the same. but im lazy! on the floor they go lol

[acbaldwin]

that looks awesome! where did u find cheap acrylic??? i need to organize my sump and was looking into getting an acrylic holder as well!

Thanks. If I actually took my time and drilled carefully and sanded the edges it would really pop.
Acrylic is from the scrap bin at Ridout. $2.99/lb. Ridout is located in Clairemont on Ruffin Road.

[acbaldwin]

very cool. if my tank wasn't glass i'd do the same. but im lazy! on the floor they go lol

I actually didn't glue the heater holder in since the location of the heaters doesn't really work for that.
The holders have a base of flat acrylic that sits freely in the sump.

I think I will redo the holder to be one large piece with shields on each side to prevent the heater ends from touching the edges of the tank.

[smirkis]

some people have used pvc just big enough to your heater inside and cut slits in the sides. i used to do that when i kept freshwater stingrays cuz they burn easily. not quite a holder, but a shield to prevent what your trying to prevent

[ajn81]

Nice DIY, a good cheap solution. Of course there are a lot of things you could have done to make these look nicer, but who cares they are just holders :).

[SoCalBoo]

That bit is called a forstner bit. Great for wood. Probably tough to use on acrylic. Maybe at the lowest possible speed to keep the bit from heating up.

[acbaldwin]

Ah - thanks. Yeah, it really sucked. I just got a Craftsman scroll saw for early Christmas so I think I'll do Round Two using that instead!
Next on the list is a drill press - from what I can tell the forstner bits are much more effective when you're not doing it be hand.

[DaveMorris]

If your heater is a Finnex heater it should have rubber ends that lift the element off the bottom a little bit. I have two 800w Finnex heaters and I would want them to be as cloase to the bottom as I could get them.

[acbaldwin]

I don't remember what they are off the top of my head, but they now sit about 1/4" from the bottom right before the return intake.