Thank you all for suggestions, especially the hint for superfluous
spouse. I returned the new Little Giant *de-icer* and ordered a 100
watt *Thermo-heater*. Now I have to replace the other Little Giant that
I have had in the smaller pond for a few years. I never even looked at
the wattage until this second one blew. No wonder I have such happy
goldfish in the little pond. And no wonder a second one was too much.
No extension cords except the 2 sockets (one double for each pond) is
located about twenty feet from the switch and that's just a few feet
from the house. Nothing else plugged in except one pump in each.

Ruth Kazez


John Hines wrote:
rtk wrote:


They're both called de-icers. The Little Giant, at 1250 watts, blew the
fuse, but it definitely does not say heater on the box; it says de-icer.
I've ordered a different one from PetSolutions which is 100 and also
called a de-icer. I don't get it. How can there be such a variation?


It depends on what you need to de-ice, a bird bath, or a stock tank for
cattle and horses?

If your a rancher in Minnesota, a 24 watt unit isn't gonna help with the
livestock.

Be careful with a de-icer, I have one of those stock tank heaters, and
if too much area is open, the fish come to the surface, and are food for
birds.

Heaters are resistance units, you can put them on a really big dimmer
switch, to control the heat, as needed.

Thank you all for suggestions, especially the hint for superfluous
spouse. I returned the new Little Giant *de-icer* and ordered a 100
watt *Thermo-heater*. Now I have to replace the other Little Giant that
I have had in the smaller pond for a few years. I never even looked at
the wattage until this second one blew. No wonder I have such happy
goldfish in the little pond. And no wonder a second one was too much.
No extension cords except the 2 sockets (one double for each pond) is
located about twenty feet from the switch and that's just a few feet
from the house. Nothing else plugged in except one pump in each.

Ruth Kazez


John Hines wrote:
rtk wrote:


They're both called de-icers. The Little Giant, at 1250 watts, blew the
fuse, but it definitely does not say heater on the box; it says de-icer.
I've ordered a different one from PetSolutions which is 100 and also
called a de-icer. I don't get it. How can there be such a variation?


It depends on what you need to de-ice, a bird bath, or a stock tank for
cattle and horses?

If your a rancher in Minnesota, a 24 watt unit isn't gonna help with the
livestock.

Be careful with a de-icer, I have one of those stock tank heaters, and
if too much area is open, the fish come to the surface, and are food for
birds.

Heaters are resistance units, you can put them on a really big dimmer
switch, to control the heat, as needed.

Derek Broughton wrote:
Yeah, but the pond's probably a long way from the nearest outlet on a
too-small extension cord. 1250/15 = 83V, which is one heck of a voltage
drop, but perhaps not impossible if the house is on the end of a long rural
run - where voltages tend to fluctuate quite a bit anyway.

C'mon Derek, that dog don't hunt. We ain't dealing with a motor here -- this
is just a big honkin' resistor (11.5 ohms, more-or-less), which isn't going to
change resistance significantly, no matter what the line voltage. 15 amps
through a 12.5 ohm resistor is nearly 2600 watts (which also implies 188 volts
across the resistor). Nope.

Either the breaker / fuse is weak, or there's another 500+ watts of other load
on the circuit.

Derek Broughton wrote:
Yeah, but the pond's probably a long way from the nearest outlet on a
too-small extension cord. 1250/15 = 83V, which is one heck of a voltage
drop, but perhaps not impossible if the house is on the end of a long rural
run - where voltages tend to fluctuate quite a bit anyway.

C'mon Derek, that dog don't hunt. We ain't dealing with a motor here -- this
is just a big honkin' resistor (11.5 ohms, more-or-less), which isn't going to
change resistance significantly, no matter what the line voltage. 15 amps
through a 12.5 ohm resistor is nearly 2600 watts (which also implies 188 volts
across the resistor). Nope.

Either the breaker / fuse is weak, or there's another 500+ watts of other load
on the circuit.

Derek Broughton wrote:
Yeah, but the pond's probably a long way from the nearest outlet on a
too-small extension cord. 1250/15 = 83V, which is one heck of a voltage
drop, but perhaps not impossible if the house is on the end of a long rural
run - where voltages tend to fluctuate quite a bit anyway.

C'mon Derek, that dog don't hunt. We ain't dealing with a motor here -- this
is just a big honkin' resistor (11.5 ohms, more-or-less), which isn't going to
change resistance significantly, no matter what the line voltage. 15 amps
through a 12.5 ohm resistor is nearly 2600 watts (which also implies 188 volts
across the resistor). Nope.

Either the breaker / fuse is weak, or there's another 500+ watts of other load
on the circuit.

, that dog don't hunt.

LOL! Someone is either from TX, or a Dr. Phil fan. To be on topic shouldn't
it be: that fish won't swim? ;o) ~ jan


~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~


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, that dog don't hunt.

LOL! Someone is either from TX, or a Dr. Phil fan. To be on topic shouldn't
it be: that fish won't swim? ;o) ~ jan


~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~


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Andy Hill wrote:

Derek Broughton wrote:
Yeah, but the pond's probably a long way from the nearest outlet on a
too-small extension cord. 1250/15 = 83V, which is one heck of a voltage
drop, but perhaps not impossible if the house is on the end of a long
rural run - where voltages tend to fluctuate quite a bit anyway.

C'mon Derek, that dog don't hunt. We ain't dealing with a motor here --
this is just a big honkin' resistor (11.5 ohms, more-or-less), which isn't
going to
change resistance significantly, no matter what the line voltage. 15
amps through a 12.5 ohm resistor is nearly 2600 watts (which also implies
188 volts
across the resistor). Nope.

Doesn't work that way. Line voltage drops. Line voltage _always_ drops, we
just try to keep it minimal based on sizing the wire. Line voltage drops
_a lot_ when you run it through an 18Ga extension cord. Your "volts across
the resistor" is not across the heater, it's across the heater and all the
cable leading to it - which is why it's a fire hazard. All I showed there
is that the voltage would have to be down to around 83V to blow a 15A
breaker, which (I agree) even on an extension cord seemed too much.

Either the breaker / fuse is weak, or there's another 500+ watts of other
load on the circuit.

Yeah, like the _other_ pond heater. Ruth - just because you have two pairs
of outlets doesn't mean you have two circuits. Did both heaters stop
working when the breaker blew?
--
derek

Andy Hill wrote:

Derek Broughton wrote:
Yeah, but the pond's probably a long way from the nearest outlet on a
too-small extension cord. 1250/15 = 83V, which is one heck of a voltage
drop, but perhaps not impossible if the house is on the end of a long
rural run - where voltages tend to fluctuate quite a bit anyway.

C'mon Derek, that dog don't hunt. We ain't dealing with a motor here --
this is just a big honkin' resistor (11.5 ohms, more-or-less), which isn't
going to
change resistance significantly, no matter what the line voltage. 15
amps through a 12.5 ohm resistor is nearly 2600 watts (which also implies
188 volts
across the resistor). Nope.

Doesn't work that way. Line voltage drops. Line voltage _always_ drops, we
just try to keep it minimal based on sizing the wire. Line voltage drops
_a lot_ when you run it through an 18Ga extension cord. Your "volts across
the resistor" is not across the heater, it's across the heater and all the
cable leading to it - which is why it's a fire hazard. All I showed there
is that the voltage would have to be down to around 83V to blow a 15A
breaker, which (I agree) even on an extension cord seemed too much.

Either the breaker / fuse is weak, or there's another 500+ watts of other
load on the circuit.

Yeah, like the _other_ pond heater. Ruth - just because you have two pairs
of outlets doesn't mean you have two circuits. Did both heaters stop
working when the breaker blew?
--
derek

Derek Broughton wrote:


Either the breaker / fuse is weak, or there's another 500+ watts of other
load on the circuit.


Yeah, like the _other_ pond heater. Ruth - just because you have two pairs
of outlets doesn't mean you have two circuits. Did both heaters stop
working when the breaker blew?

Both heaters and both pumps from both ponds stopped. When the one new
heater was unplugged and the reset button pushed, all worked again: the
other heater and both pumps. I realize two outlets doesn't equal two
circuits. They are both connected to the switch and that goes 12 feet
into the house and another 12 feet to its very own little hardwired box.

Ruth K

Derek Broughton wrote:


Either the breaker / fuse is weak, or there's another 500+ watts of other
load on the circuit.


Yeah, like the _other_ pond heater. Ruth - just because you have two pairs
of outlets doesn't mean you have two circuits. Did both heaters stop
working when the breaker blew?

Both heaters and both pumps from both ponds stopped. When the one new
heater was unplugged and the reset button pushed, all worked again: the
other heater and both pumps. I realize two outlets doesn't equal two
circuits. They are both connected to the switch and that goes 12 feet
into the house and another 12 feet to its very own little hardwired box.

Ruth K

Never watched Dr. Phil, but I think "that dog don't hunt" is definitely
suth-ren! (I don't recall hearing it before Bill Clinton, though -- but,
hey, I'm one of the Yankees who invaded North Carolina for the weather! Too
bad we brought winter weather with us, sigh....)

And, yeah, I do have to wave that little checkered flag that says "Don't
mess with electricity!" (Anyone else remember the saying "There is never
enough time to do it right, but there is always time to fix it."? Replace
"time" with "money" and.................. you see what I mean!)

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


, that dog don't hunt.

LOL! Someone is either from TX, or a Dr. Phil fan. To be on topic
shouldn't
it be: that fish won't swim? ;o) ~ jan

Never watched Dr. Phil, but I think "that dog don't hunt" is definitely
suth-ren! (I don't recall hearing it before Bill Clinton, though -- but,
hey, I'm one of the Yankees who invaded North Carolina for the weather! Too
bad we brought winter weather with us, sigh....)

And, yeah, I do have to wave that little checkered flag that says "Don't
mess with electricity!" (Anyone else remember the saying "There is never
enough time to do it right, but there is always time to fix it."? Replace
"time" with "money" and.................. you see what I mean!)

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


, that dog don't hunt.

LOL! Someone is either from TX, or a Dr. Phil fan. To be on topic
shouldn't
it be: that fish won't swim? ;o) ~ jan

In , on 11/30/04
at 04:36 PM, Crashj said:


Your complaint is with the Little Giant Marketing department, I guess?
1250 watts will cost a fortune to run over the Winter. All you need is a
little hole to let gasses escape, not a 70*F pond!

I keep mine on an outdoor timer, so it's on only a few hours a day.


Alan

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In , on 11/30/04
at 04:36 PM, Crashj said:


Your complaint is with the Little Giant Marketing department, I guess?
1250 watts will cost a fortune to run over the Winter. All you need is a
little hole to let gasses escape, not a 70*F pond!

I keep mine on an outdoor timer, so it's on only a few hours a day.


Alan

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