how do you make a chiller?

[reefmate75]

dose anyone know a way to make a chiller?
ive heard that you can buy a little fridge drill 2 holes in the side put bulk heads in the holes and run air line hoses inside of the fridge (alot of it) and plump it to your sump and you can use that as a chiller?
has anyone dose this befor and have info on what you can and cannot do?

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by reefmate75
http:///forum/post/2521292
dose anyone know a way to make a chiller?
ive heard that you can buy a little fridge drill 2 holes in the side put bulk heads in the holes and run air line hoses inside of the fridge (alot of it) and plump it to your sump and you can use that as a chiller?
has anyone dose this befor and have info on what you can and cannot do?
I've never done it either, but I have read about it. I don't know that you even need the bulk heads. If you drill two holes the same size as your rubber tubing you shouldn't need them. The number of coils and temperature inside the fridge will determine how cool the water will get. Unfortunately, from all I've read, it's a trial and error thing to determine the right amount of coils, and then you have to leave extra hose, because if the ambient temperature of the house goes up, you have to either have room to turn the fridge temp down or add more coils. While the fridge will maintain a constant temp, the temp of the water coming in will change the amount of time it needs to stay in the fridge. If you decide to try it, let me know how it works.

 

[reefmate75]

im thinking about adding 2 400 watt MH to my 135 gallon but i dont want to buy a chiller they cost so dang much all becuase of the titanium coils i think i woul dhave to be able to cool it off by about 10 degrees
and on the temp part i woul just turn the fridge as cold as it would go and have a TON of tubeing inside of it.
have extra heaters in the tank and set them to the right temp im really thinking about doing it, i just dont want to invest 100 bucks into something im not sure about

 

[dpeter51]

Sounds like it would work with enough patience (trial/error) but could be risky if your heaters can't keep up under certain conditions. You're also spending more on electricity because they're fighting each other--but maybe not too bad if you tune it right.
I should look into this myself, I'm worried about my tank overheating because we normally don't keep the A/C below 76 in summer--too expensive.

 

[scsinet]

To make a chiller, you first earn enough money to purchase a commercially built unit.
Then, you purchase a commerically built unit.
A chiller made from a dorm fridge won't work. I'll be glad to rag on about it for a page and a half if someone wants to argue the point or wishes to have more information, otherwise, I'll spare you the lecture. Just trust me, it won't work... at least not for anything larger than a nano tank. Even then, you are talking about building a piece of equipment that the lives of your livestock come to depend on. Fools errand, bad idea, whatever you want to call it.

 

[dpeter51]

Not enough flow, or the water won't cool off enough as it goes through? What if you used tubing with some cooling fins, like a "radiator" from something? As I think about it you might need to use glass tubing to get enough heat transfer, plastic would be too low and of course metal is no good.
It sounds like you have personal experience with this, or know someone who does.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/2521595
To make a chiller, you first earn enough money to purchase a commercially built unit.
Then, you purchase a commerically built unit.

dpeter51 Not enough flow, or the water won't cool off enough as it goes through? What if you used tubing with some cooling fins, like a "radiator" from something? As I think about it you might need to use glass tubing to get enough heat transfer, plastic would be too low and of course metal is no good.
It sounds like you have personal experience with this, or know someone who does.

AHHH crap, now here we go....

 

[t316]

I have done extensive research on this, and I can 100% give you this college educated advice...it won't work. You can chill beer, create a kegorator fridge, but you will not make a chiller for your aquarium. Yes, you can google it and find a couple of successful examples (but I bet those have since failed). There are just too many variables that stand in the way. I agree with SCSI on this one

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by dpeter51
http:///forum/post/2522853
Not enough flow, or the water won't cool off enough as it goes through? What if you used tubing with some cooling fins, like a "radiator" from something? As I think about it you might need to use glass tubing to get enough heat transfer, plastic would be too low and of course metal is no good.
It sounds like you have personal experience with this, or know someone who does.
You can improve the efficiency of heat transfer within the fridge all you want by adding fins, coils, pumps, superconducting magnetic thermotranferactionators, whatever, but you are still limited by the capacity of the refrigeration circuit in the fridge. Even if you managed to get 100% efficient transfer from the aquarium's water to the fridge's evaporator, you still have the capacity to contend with.
BTW... your user title... UHF quotes = good quotes.

 

[reefmate75]

Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/2521595
To make a chiller, you first earn enough money to purchase a commercially built unit.
Then, you purchase a commerically built unit.
A chiller made from a dorm fridge won't work. I'll be glad to rag on about it for a page and a half if someone wants to argue the point or wishes to have more information, otherwise, I'll spare you the lecture. Just trust me, it won't work... at least not for anything larger than a nano tank. Even then, you are talking about building a piece of equipment that the lives of your livestock come to depend on. Fools errand, bad idea, whatever you want to call it.
first i make good money, but i have other responsibilities to my family than to drop 600 bucks on a chiller, like saving for my retirement and my wife's, i currently put away 600 a month for our retirement and another 250 a month for all 4 of my kids collage if they so happen to want to go, if it comes between me paying my

[hr]
and paying collage/retirement funds then im going with the saving plans hands down,... all these sayings come out automatically and yet my

[hr]
dose not for if i get in a sticky spot the

[hr]
is 3rd on my have to pay not first like a lot of people would believe it should be, i have a very good teacher when it comes to money and i wouldn't want anyone to argue with me on the best way to save a buck or 2 as Ive been saving for around 9 years for my retirement and find that saving is the only way to spend your money wisely as i can get my money to double for me every 7 years and if you add it up its a sizeable figure after 30 years i will retire and have more money then i made in my life at that point
and thank you a lot for saving me some money, you sound like you've built a few things in your time, and i have read a few of your VERY long posts very intresting stuff hahaha
thanks all that showed intrests but now i belive buing a used chiller might be my best bet and bang for my buck

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by reefmate75
http:///forum/post/2531220
first i make good money, but i have other responsibilities to my family than to drop 600 bucks on a chiller, like saving for my retirement and my wife's, i currently put away 600 a month for our retirement and another 250 a month for all 4 of my kids collage if they so happen to want to go, if it comes between me paying my

[hr]
and paying collage/retirement funds then im going with the saving plans hands down,... all these sayings come out automatically and yet my

[hr]
dose not for if i get in a sticky spot the

[hr]
is 3rd on my have to pay not first like a lot of people would believe it should be, i have a very good teacher when it comes to money and i wouldn't want anyone to argue with me on the best way to save a buck or 2 as Ive been saving for around 9 years for my retirement and find that saving is the only way to spend your money wisely as i can get my money to double for me every 7 years and if you add it up its a sizeable figure after 30 years i will retire and have more money then i made in my life at that point

It was a joke dude. Yeesh.

 

[florida joe]

Talked to a friend who is an AC/Hvack installer and in his opinion it is just not cost efficient to build your own

 

[veni vidi vici]

Ive seen a DIY chiller on -- .Its done via evaporation though a drip plate in an external tank...
Check out the DIY on --.

 

[reefmate75]

that is a cool way of doing it! i mean i keep my home at 72 degres that should add some cooling power, but tis going to make more water evaporte right? ill have to hook up a drip line or something to the tank
talked to a coral farmer friend of mine today and he said he knows a lady that wants 250 dollars for her chiller sence with the last big ice storm we had in oklahoma killed her 400 gallon in her garage, ( odd he lost a 800 gallon system that was in his garage also) killed every thing in the tnk and she didnt have enough power with her genirators to keep all her tanks going and with that one being out side was eating up to much so she had to shut it down and save the ones inside the house, and she dosent want to restart it now after loseing all her large corals, its rated for 600 gallons and is a steal so i think ill drop 250 on that chiller instead
let this be a lession people! just becuase a gagrage can hold a bigger tank it isnt wise to put one in there that has TONS of money stored in it, they never thought that they would lose their tanks but when ice blows power for over a week in your home and all you have is a genarator that isnt enough to power your hole house then its going to bite you in the but one day, SO DONT DO IT

 

[reefmate75]

Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/2531754
It was a joke dude. Yeesh.

its ok man i just wanted you and every one to know where my money gose, its hard to see sarcasem when its typed, other then spoken
im a saver and my credit was ZERO when i bought my home, and i wish it still was but with the houseing boom american came accross a few years back i bought a home and took a debt

BTW when your credit is zero they dont hound you to take loans becuase its to much work to get you approved even if you have money, but on a house its worth their time as the pay off is a bit more then a persanol loan
AND THIS IS OFF OF TOPIC AND IM TAKEING IT TO A DIFFRENT FORAM< THE AQUAIRUM

 

[dpeter51]

You sound like a fellow Dave Ramsey fan....

And SCSI, nice job--you got the quote correct. I named my first fish after Uncle Nutsy's unsuspecting assistant.

 

[scsinet]

I'm hungry. I think I'm gonna go grab some Yappy's Dog Treats. That hint of cheese really gives them a kick.

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by Veni Vidi Vici
http:///forum/post/2531762
Ive seen a DIY chiller on -- .Its done via evaporation though a drip plate in an external tank...
Check out the DIY on --.
I brought that issue up a couple weeks ago and everyone seemed to look, but couldn't get any response from anyone.......Alot more effective than trying to build IMO.....I do agree 100% with SCSInet......we've talked this issue many, many times......by the time you sit and do the calculations, and the materials to actually start the build.....all in all you save nothing, and would be cheaper to buy a chiller.....There might be other ways around actually needing a chiller.....What is the temp drop your trying to achieve?