I had the traditional floating water heaters.... first time I used then, I realized my mistake. My stallion had the cord in his mouth and was swinging it like he was in a burlesque show. Promptly switched to these submersibles, and I never have a frozen tank....

The manufacturer just keeps making these cheaper and cheaper, and I do not mean less expensive. The first ones we bought, were great! The part that fit through the drain hole actually FIT the drain hole. It wasn't this skinny thing you see here. The fittings worked perfectly, was easy and quick to install, and there were no leaks. There were support screws attached to the element which kept the element from bending and breaking off in the tank. When the first ones wore out I looked for them again. They still had the support screws, but the part that fit through the drain plug was not as big as the hole. It was VERY difficult to get to where there were no leaks. The fittings were not complete circles, because the plug was larger than the hole in the middle so they had to make it open so you could slip it around the cord. It would pop off the threads and I could not get it tight enough to not leak. Now the ones shown here don't even have the support screws. If there were a way to repair the first ones I got, and yes, I still have them, I would fix them, but they are not repairable. Very disappointed, but since they don't make them like those I bought years ago, I'll probably get one or two of these, cursing the whole time I'm trying to put it in.