Holding a tank of water at 37 degrees

[hairykrishna]

I'm doing an experiment in my lab where I need to hold a perspex tank (~15 liters) full of water at 37 degrees celcius for a few hours at a time. The 'scientific equipment' soloution is a circulating water bath but it's eye wateringly expensive. Anyone have any better ideas?

My initial thought was an aquarium heater but I can't seem to find any that'll go above 32 degrees. How water tank immersion heaters seem to all have a 'factory set thermostat' - does that mean they're callibrated to some, probably far too hot, temperature at the factory?

Any plumbers/aquarium keepers/others got any insight?

[King Herald]

hairykrishna said:

I'm doing an experiment in my lab where I need to hold a perspex tank (~15 liters) full of water at 37 degrees celcius for a few hours at a time. The 'scientific equipment' soloution is a circulating water bath but it's eye wateringly expensive. Anyone have any better ideas?

My initial thought was an aquarium heater but I can't seem to find any that'll go above 32 degrees. How water tank immersion heaters seem to all have a 'factory set thermostat' - does that mean they're callibrated to some, probably far too hot, temperature at the factory?

Any plumbers/aquarium keepers/others got any insight?

Electric kettle element inside, and a household thermostat attached to the outside of the vessel?

[Munter]

Whats wrong with a house hot water system. Hot water tanks in houses get to 37 deg C I'm sure. Jobs a goon un.

[locomotivefan1]

Work experience boy to light a Bunsen burner whenever the temperature drops?

[R39S1]

It depends how accurately you need to hold the temp? Our requirement is 37 +/- 0.5 So eye watering expensive is the only answer. but a normal mixer water bath should be good for +/- 1 degree.

[Mattygooner]

I hope you have strong arms, good gloves and not a lot to do.

[Smart roadster]

How accurate does the temperature have to be maintained to? With so little water you are going to struggle using something like an imersion heater with it not over shooting all the time.

[Neil_H]

Borrow the local swimming pool?

[paulmurr]

Body temprature is 37 degrees...

[hairykrishna]

+/- a degree or two will be fine. The thermostat/element idea's not bad.


Heating a perspex container with a bunsen might be less successful. It's also going to be in a radiation controlled area so the 'boy' might have to be replaced on a regular basis...

[mercemployee]

paulmurr said:

Body temprature is 37 degrees...

maybe he's making one of those flotation tanks, but for a hamster?

[aclivity]

ask these guys:

http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3097

they keep 150,000 gallons warm all the time. Mind you, the heater is in a building the size of my house.

[yourang youtang]

Fill it with PHers all reading the daily mail.

[hairykrishna]

mercemployee said:

paulmurr said:

Body temprature is 37 degrees...

maybe he's making one of those flotation tanks, but for a hamster?

Well, you're both semi correct. It's an irradiation phantom in which I will be irradiating cells, in this case V79's, which come from a hamster originally.

[GreenV8S]

The obvious cheap and easy solution is to use a mains voltage otter switch to turn an electric heating element on and off. This would have hysteresis of at least a few degrees, you'd also need some sort of pump to keep the temperature even throughout the tank if that was important to you. If you need it to be mega accurate then you'd be looking at some sort of thermister based feedback system which would take a lot more time and money to set up.

[Sixpackpert]

yourang youtang said:

Fill it with PHers all reading the daily mail.

Take the thermostat out, wait 'til it's boiling and have poached yourang youtang for dinner.

[993AL]

This is adjustable 30-60 degrees C. if you can build it into your tank. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THERMOSTATIC-TOWEL-RAIL-HEAT...

[Smart roadster]

For that sort of accuracy eye wateringly expensive is probably your only option. I don't think you'd get such a low hysterisis on a domestic thermostat. So you would be looking at a proper temperature controller and then a relay to switch the heater element. By the time you've built that you could probably buy something for less and not have to mess about setting it all up. Also as it is in a radiation area I hope your safety systems are pretty good and most safety officers don't like electricity/ water interfaces which our home made.

[hairykrishna]

993AL said:

This is adjustable 30-60 degrees C. if you can build it into your tank. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THERMOSTATIC-TOWEL-RAIL-HEAT...

That looks promising. Nicely compact and self contained, I'll drop the seller an email for some proper specs.

[Munter]

hairykrishna said:

mercemployee said:

paulmurr said:

Body temprature is 37 degrees...

maybe he's making one of those flotation tanks, but for a hamster?

Well, you're both semi correct. It's an irradiation phantom in which I will be irradiating cells, in this case V79's, which come from a hamster originally.

PET MURDERER.

Wheres the pitchfork smiley when you need it.....