Zinc plating heaters?

[JOEPRO]

My kit arrived this morning, ill open it later when I get home. https://ebay.us/m/GnEl5n

I think I will have the folllowing:

Degreaser tank (heated?)
Prep tank - citric acid (heated)
Rinse tank (unheated)
Plating tank (heated + air pump for agitation)
Passivate tanks (heated)

I think the above covers it and is my interpitation on heated tanks OK? Would a 50w heater be OK in each one or go larger for quicker warmup?

 

[JOEPRO]

AIs take on it says I need 7 tanks and suggests temps -

 

[tigdlo]

What size tank and what starting and end temperature? There are plenty of online calculators for the time it will take to heat it up water, 5 litres 10 degreesC temp rise would be at at least 70 minutes depending on heat loses. The different solutions will be different than water but should get you close.

I doubt 50w would be enough to maintain 60c for an open 5 litre container, a lid with a cut out and some insulation it might but will take hours to heat up. The hotter the tank the faster the heat loss so twice the temperature will need more than twice the power.

I haven't set my Gateros 5l kit up yet but was planning based on the time it takes to heat water. 5 x 50w heaters, 2 for the degreaser @ 50c and 1 each for the plating, passivate and sealer @25c.

 

[Kram]

One watt heats 1cc by one degree per second, ignoring losses from the container..

For the citric and degrease tanks, if you are able to use a steel one, or a steel plate in the bottom, you may find an induction hob to be a useful purchase, mine has had a lot of use.