Should I still use this heater?

[That1FishKeeper]

Ok this sounds pretty dumb but hear me out. I was doing a rescape on one of my tanks. I decided that I wanted to take out the aquarium heater so it wouldn’t be in the way. I unplugged it before taking it out, but immediately after I unplugged it, I brought the heater out of the water and it started smoking and was hot to the touch. I don’t think it was smoke though because it it didn’t smell. It was probably water vapor or something. The heater was hot to the touch so I put it back in the tank to cool it down before bringing it back out. It sounds really stupid but am I safe still using this heater. I’ve yet to see any visible cracks but I would really like a second opinion on it.

 

[The_fishy]

It should be okay if you didn’t see any cracks or discoloration, I did the same thing myself once. The smoking was just steam as the water touching it evaporated. I would just keep an eye on it and in the future, leave the heater in the water for a few minutes before taking it out.

 

[kallililly1973]

Keep a very close eye on your water temp. If a heater goes bad it can sometimes cool a tank and sometimes cook a tank. I would say next time unplug it and leave it in the tank just take it out of the suction cup holders and move it around.