200W heater set to 26°C but reads 24.8°C

[larkea]

My 200W heater is set to 26°C but the thermometer reads 24.8°C. It's a brand new heater, and the tank is 120 liters. Anyone else had this issue?

[angler_lee]

Yep, that's a common problem with some heaters. What brand is it? Cheap ones tend to be off by a degree or two. Also, where's the thermometer placed? If it's near the filter outflow, it might read lower.

[elenalife]

I had the same thing happen with my old heater. It was sketchy as heck. Ended up replacing it with a more reliable one. You might wanna check if the heater's thermostat is calibrated right.

[Sailor]

Is the heater fully submerged? Sometimes if it's not, it can give weird readings. Also, how long has it been running? It might take a while to stabilize.

[larkea]

Yep, that's a common problem with some heaters. What brand is it? Cheap ones tend to be off by a degree or two. Also, where's the thermometer placed? If it's near the filter outflow, it might read lower.

It's a Fluval heater, and the thermometer is on the opposite side of the tank from the filter. I'll check the calibration.

[angler_lee]

Fluval's usually pretty reliable, so that's odd. Maybe give it a day or two to see if it settles. If not, you might need to adjust the thermostat manually. Some models have a tiny screw for that.

[elenalife]

Yeah, I'd give it some time. My new heater took like 48 hours to get stable. Also, make sure there's no draft near the tank. That can mess with the temp too.

[Sailor]

If it's still off after a couple days, you might wanna contact Fluval. Their customer service is usually pretty good about replacements if it's defective.

[angler_lee]

Yeah, I'd give it some time. My new heater took like 48 hours to get stable. Also, make sure there's no draft near the tank. That can mess with the temp too.

True, drafts are sneaky like that. I've seen tanks near windows or AC vents have temp swings.