Spike Conical Heater fails again--second in 3 years--ideas?

[mongoose33]

Bought a Spike CF10 in 2017, brewed a lot of great beer with it.

BUT...in November 2022 the heater that wraps around the bottom cone of the fermenter died. I contacted Spike and they said that they don't last forever, and I needed a new one. So I bought a new one.

Fast forward to Sunday. I have a batch in the fermenter, wanted to bump up the temp for the yeast to clean up, and...nothing. Connected the heater directly to an extension cord instead of the controller and...nothing.

Again. This time after less than 3 years. In that time I've done just 18 brews with this equipment. Contacted Spike and got the same response as I had 3 years ago: "Electric parts like the heater and cooling pump do wear out over time and tend to have a lifespan of a few years."

I can understand a pump going out, as it's a moving part, but there are no moving parts with a heater. It's tucked inside the neoprene cover on the fermenter and it's never moved.

So--anyone else had this happen, and is there a fix? I can't remove it yet--I still have beer in the fermenter and have to take off the neoprene sleeve to do that. Maybe there's a broken trace or some other connection prone to breaking?

TIA--a new one, with shipping and taxes, will run me about $130, which seems awfully high for a product only good for 18 brews (that's over $7/brew!).

PS: In 2023 I got involved with a local brewery, did a bit of brewing for them, ended up with a fair amount of their beer in my keezer, which helps to account for the decline in my personal brewing tempo. But now I'm back to brewing.

 

[SonomaBrewer]

Same fermenter, same issue with cone heater, and same unhelpful response from Spike sadly (not sure what happened to them, their customer service used to have a fantastic reputation be very helpful). Unholy expensive to replace so frequently.

I ended up buying these hydroponic mats, which work fantastically at a fraction of the cost:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NB4PX9Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[shoengine]

Can you measure the resistance on the heater leads?

 

[mongoose33]

Can you measure the resistance on the heater leads?

I'm not sure if you mean from the plug or bypassing the power cord...I tried it with the prongs of the power cord, no reading. Tried continuity, no reading.

BUT...I was looking at the bottom of the cone where the cord comes out, and guess what? It appears one of the wires has broken. I can't do anything with it until I get it off the fermenter, but it appears there may be a good chance it can be repaired.

If that's the case, I'll take a couple pics and document it and post it in this thread.

 

[shoengine]

I'm not sure if you mean from the plug or bypassing the power cord...I tried it with the prongs of the power cord, no reading. Tried continuity, no reading.

BUT...I was looking at the bottom of the cone where the cord comes out, and guess what? It appears one of the wires has broken. I can't do anything with it until I get it off the fermenter, but it appears there may be a good chance it can be repaired.

If that's the case, I'll take a couple pics and document it and post it in this thread.

That's basically what I was wondering. Hopefully a quick fix.

 

[Deadalus]

I had my 80W Brewbuilt heater fail recently (for an X2, 7 gal), just under a year. But now their smallest heater is 240W and it's triple the price I paid, selling for $150! When it failed, I stuck a seedling heating pad in the neoprene. It's only $20 for those but 20W. They do fail after a few years, but I use those more frequently for seedlings and they get wet sometimes. I picked up a 60W conical heater from SS Brewtech on sale as a replacement. It was a legacy model. I think theirs all run on 12V. I confirmed with them for mine specifically. I just need a barrel connector with plug/adapter since I don't use their temp controller. I haven't picked out the plug yet. I had a couple of possibilities at home but struck out. No idea why Brewbuilt went to 240W, seems overpowered. All I ever used for my carboys was a seedling mat, no problem at 20W with some insulation in the winter in the basement or at most my double mat at 40W. If using a coil to cool with, I don't see much issue using the seedling mat around the cylinder section. Maybe not in a ferm chamber but I never used them inside my ferm chambers. Against a jacketed conical it would seem to be in direct conflict.

I should investigate my broken one but I did have to peel it off so potentially made it worse.

 

[Deadalus]

The seedling mats remind me of Christmas lights. I have about 6 mats and typically one breaks every year, perhaps 2. They are a little cheaper when buying sets and sometimes on sale. I don't roll them up either anymore!