Are all chillers need a separate pump

[something'sfishy]

I'm planning to get a chiller for my 55 gal. tank. My question is are all chiller need a separate pump or it's a stand alone equipment? What's the best brand with the best pricethat you woud recommend? Thanks

 

[yosemite sam]

In-line chillers need pumps. There are a few brands that make drop in chillers, which have a cooling coil that you put in your sump. I've been told that they're not as efficient as in-line chillers.

 

[golfish]

The drop in chillers don't need a pump, then need a sump. The inline chillers need a pump. You can use your sump return pump or a CL pump.

 

[something'sfishy]

Do you have any brand in mind? Would appreciate your help..thanks,guys

 

[tony detroit]

I like the JBJ's and the Aqua Medic's so far.
This is a purchase I'm making for myself soon as well.
It seems to me that with price, warranty, built in controller, sound dB, and electrical issues considered, that these two are the brands to beat.
Not that others aren't better, just these two seem to be good performers in most/all categories.
tony

 

[msd2]

I ran an AquaMed for years, it was a great chiller and they are easily rated for the tank size they state. Only reason I say ran is when I moved last my friend got to the top of the landing w/it and dropped it somehow, and to my horror I watched it tumble, roll, and finally smash into pieces after 1.5 flights of stairs.

 

[mpls man]

I've looked at the very same chiller , another one i looked at was the Pacific Coast chillers , they both use freon for cooling the water, , make sure to do lots of ckecking around before you buy, i've found some places are cheeper then others, if you need some sud let me know and i'll give you a list of the places i've checked. hummer1011@netzero.com From what i've found out be sure to compansate for the distance from the chiller to the tank for the loss of water pressure to make sure you have enough water through the chiller. so you have a big enough pump.

 

[golfish]

I'd stay away from the pretty Asian made chillers. The Aqua Medic's are by far the worst of the bunch. I have two close friends that have tried em out. One buddy had to upgrade from a 1/2 hp too a 1 hp for his 220, and he went for years without running a chiller on that tank. The 1/2 hp did nothing to it, the 1 hp works ok but its nothing special. I have a few buds that have the JBJs and seem to like em but they run pretty much 8 hrs a day..
My Aqua Logics chiller has been acting up since I installed it on this new tank. I just figured the compressor was going bad. Turns out it just wasn't getting the air flow it needed. After talking to a few experts at work (refrigeration mechanics) and looking at all the various chillers I came up with the TradeWinds (old CSL) chillers being the best out there. They use Copeland compressors and seem to have the biggest heat exchangers and coils.
Here's another one to look at...The 1/2 hp JBJ uses 2 amp less then their 1/3 hp chiller, go figure I know a guy who's going to be setting one of these up soon. If this chiller works good it might be worth looking at.

 

[yosemite sam]

I have a 1/5 Aqualogic chiller on my 75 gallon. When it's working, it works really well. I recently had a problem with it losing refrigerant, though.

 

[tony detroit]

Thanks for the heads up Golfish.
You goin to IMAC?

 

[golfish]

Originally Posted by tony detroit
You goin to IMAC?

Naw, that kind of stuff isn't for me.

 

[msd2]

I need to correct my original post, It was wrong on the name. After reading goldfish's view I thought I better dbl check the name since my experience was polar opposite. In anycase I had the 1/5 drop in and it had no problem keepin up with my tank. Im fairly certain it was an aqualogic trimline drop in.

 

[michael7979]

I know Pacific Coast Imports has great customer service and they are located on the left coast so if you need anything they are close. They will get my bussiness when I'm ready for my new chiller.