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It is by all means correct that the JBL ProTemp S heating element only emits what is perceived to be pleasant warmth by the hand. The surrounding water causes the heat to be conducted away very quickly and passed on to the water. Therefore, the heating element is functioning properly. If it is taken out of the water, the glass immediately becomes very hot. The safety shut off is activated immediately. Nevertheless, the resulting heat must escape outside the water after the heating is switched off, which may cause the heater guard to become deformed, as there is no water to cool it. The safety thermoswitch in JBL ProTemp S heaters is by no means intended as an automatic control device which makes it unnecessary to pull the plug before a water change and, instead, is merely an additional safety precaution against accidents involving electricity. Due to its design, the heater may become very hot before the thermoswitch turns it off.

According to technical specifications, our heaters have a control accuracy of +/- 05 °C. Taking measuring errors in temperature measurement for aquarium operation into account, the switching accuracy should be approx. 1 to max. 1.5 °C. If a heater has deviations of 5-7 °C, there is usually only one possible cause.

The heater is not adjusted properly, which can be determined by checking whether the heater has or has not a push button for readjusting (JBL has several different series). Otherwise it is defective. The heater is mounted in a spot that does not have sufficient flow of water.

The thermostatic switch in the JBL ProTemp S heater does not mean that it is no longer necessary to disconnect the mains by pulling out the mains plug before a water change. It is just an additional safety precaution against accidents with electricity. Due to its construction the heater can get very hot before the security switch switches off. This may cause a deformation of the protective basket.

The protective baskets protect the ornamental fish against burns from the heating element’s surface.

When the heater is in operation it gives off heat to the surrounding water. With calcareous water, scale (precipitation of calcium carbonate) can form where the glass meets the water and this reduces the thermal dissipation. An excessive formation of scale may cause heat accumulation which can lead to overheating and a deformation of the protective baskets.

With hard starting water a regular decalcification of the heating elements e.g. with JBL Clean A or JBL pH Minus is recommended.

The protective baskets are available as individual parts. You need the following to fully replace the basket, e.g. for the ProTemp S 200 W:

1 x 6043100 - End part
1 x 6043200 - Short middle part
1 x 6043300 - Long middle part with a suction cup
1 x 6043400 - Upper part with 2 suction cups

Any one of our retailers should be able to order these in case they do not have them in stock.