how to build your own chiller

[chris57]

get a powerhead not to powerfull or it won't work, put tubing over out flow end of power head, drill a hole the size of the tubing and another on the other side of the mini refridgerator run tub through put a sealent on the out side around the tubing for an air tight refridgerator, put the open end in the aquarium, and watch it cool it when the aquarium gets to the desired temp turn off powerhead. this would cost about 70-90 dollars but its cheaper then regular chillers alot.

 

[scsinet]

This argument goes around and around on this board. The one person who I know of that actually tried it regardless of the all the reasoning behind it ended up with a freezer full of melted food and a fish tank that was no cooler. It was a pretty recent thread... search around for it and you'll probably find it.
The idea MAY work for a degree or two on a 29 gallon tank, but I seriously doubt it. I kept posting the same diatribe on the forums so I put an article on it on my web site.
www.davestanks.com > Articles and Help > Why Dorm Fridge Chillers are a BAD idea

 

[bojik]

It might work better if you salvage an innercooler/heater core off a car that is seriously cleaned AND the materials its contructed of are fish safe. (preferably aluminum) That would improve heat exchange. But like mentioned above the mini freezer etc needs to probably dedicated to the puprose.

 

[scsinet]

No go on that one... seawater corrodes all metals except titanium and high grade stainless steel. What corrodes ends up in the water... and in a closed environment those levels will build up....
Conceivably, you could pump some sort of chemical through that would coat the inside of the heat exchanger, like an epoxy resin or something.. :thinking:

 

[chunks]

just buy a stainless steel intercooler, brand new, for turbo-charged cars. It would cost you $200 or so, but i dont think it would cool the tank any more than the ambient temperature, and only if you had a relatively powerful fan running air through it. Not worth the hassle IMO

 

[hummel]

stainless corrodes unlike popular belief. I've thought of this for a couple of min at work. Then I had to replace a stainless exhaust system that was driven mostly in upper Nj where there they load the roads with salt. Around here there not to bad but you'd be running saltwater through it. I've even looked around for a titanium rad or intercooler but there was none to be found. Unless you had one custom made but it would be cheaper to buy a chiller. Even plastic or pvc with vains will not add to temp lost due to its insulating qualitys. Only thing to help with heat would be fans or a chiller. Just remember anything that corrodes is unacceptable in an aquarium. I've been thinking of the same thing for a while but I always come to the same conclusions. Stick with what works.
If you can find a titanium heatsink out af a broken large chiller for cheap an use a fan that may be good for a degree or two but probaly not worth the cost.
Sorry if I sound neg.
Mark

 

[hot883]

Would it work better if you had like 15 feet of tubing coiled up in the frig? The longer or more it stayed in there the better off you would be. If you just went straight though one side to the other it would not work. :thinking:

 

[sebae09]

i think its cheaper to just buy a chiller. but thats just my personal openion.

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by sebae09
i think its cheaper to just buy a chiller. but thats just my personal openion.

And mine. You'll spend more time, energy and money trying to make it work. Even if you do manage to get any demonstrable cooling effect can can be indisputably attributed to such a contraption (which is unlikely), you'll end up with something that's never going to be efficient, good looking, or reliable.
The fact of the matter is that a fridge's cooling plant is simply not of sufficent capacity to remove the heat from the water faster than heat is being added by the lights, pumps, room, etc.

It will cool the tank, it will just cool it so little that the cooling effect is negligable.
stainless corrodes unlike popular belief.
This is true, but there are different grades of stainless steel. There is no metal that will never corrode in saltwater, but the higher grade stainless will have a corrosion rate that should be acceptable in seawater. I'd wager that the stuff used in automotive applications wouldn't be the best grade, there would be no reason... I agree though that titanium is the best choice, especially since the cost of the better stainless usually is along the lines of titanium.

 

[hummel]

[/QUOTE]: This is true, but there are different grades of stainless steel. There is no metal that will never corrode in saltwater, but the higher grade stainless will have a corrosion rate that should be acceptable in seawater. I'd wager that the stuff used in automotive applications wouldn't be the best grade, there would be no reason... I agree though that titanium is the best choice, especially since the cost of the better stainless usually is along the lines of titanium.
I doubt you will find a radiator or intercooler that is steel. Applications for these are usually for performance applications and weight is a factor therefore aluminium is used. AS far as stainless goes, no matter what the quality there is still the greater risk of corrosion over titanium. Things such as welding and bending can greatly effect the structure of the material.
However if you could find a titanium unit out of a chiller and place that in the dorm fridge or compact freezer, ran your supply pump at a slow enough speed MAYBE you will drop a few degrees. Still I don't think that would be worth the effort unless you have the green for such a try me project. Also what would you use to stablize your temp if it did work?

 

[saltfan]

Easiest way to make your own chiller is to go out and buy a titanium or a very high grade stainless oil cooler or small radiator type with fins. Run tubing to the unit and out through a Mag drive small pump. With a fan blowing consatantly on the fins this will cool the water. And you can get more technical with it, and not touch the $700 range, add a temp shut off from the water to the electrical on the mag. And there you have it. There is no reason to run it through a fridge, the air will take the temp down some. prob not to where a actual chiller will, but it will drop the water temp for ya.

 

[sleasia]

I'm glad I'm a girl and can't do any of this...I blew the money on a chiller, and have been a happy camper ever since....never missed the money, once the tedium of running back and forth to the freezer for ice had ended once and for all. whenever it decides to break, if I can't fix it , I'll buy another.....and another., and another, until the day I die.

 

[adamc1303]

Why don't you try running CPU fans? I have 4 blowing across the surface of my water. The way it works is the fans blow across the water causing evaporation which causes the temp to drop. 4 fans drop my temp at least 5 degrees and 10 if my AC is on all day! I was lazy and purchased mine all wired up on the auction site, they cost me about $40.00 for 8 fans. You can probably get them for half that price if you do the wiring on you own. I then undid a wire hanger and looped it through the holes in the corner of the fans that are meant for mounting it on a CPU, and then hung it from my canopy, although there are many mounting options. Here's a pic.

 

[saltfan]

Originally Posted by sleasia
I'm glad I'm a girl and can't do any of this...I blew the money on a chiller, and have been a happy camper ever since....never missed the money, once the tedium of running back and forth to the freezer for ice had ended once and for all. whenever it decides to break, if I can't fix it , I'll buy another.....and another., and another, until the day I die.

 

[acrylic51]

How big of a tank are you talking about and what are you trying to pull down???? Honestly it won't be a huge pulldown if any like stated, and by the time you gather all your parts and your time and labor, you could have just bought a chiller, that you know will work.......Not against trying, but like mentioned earlier this has been tried and attempted many times with relatively very poor results......

 

[number1gsxxr]

I know this is an old thread but I thought I would bump it for some of the people who think they can chill their tank with a mini fridge.
I know we can't post links but do a google search for 'bean animal dorm fridge chiller' and you will see it proven with numbers how a fridge is neither meant nor capable of chilling an aquarium.

 

[mech-a-nic]

lol I just keep the house between 68 and 70

The House is the chiller. I put a fan in the hood but I have never had to turn it on

 

[novahobbies]

Originally Posted by Mech-a-nic
http:///forum/post/3246042
lol I just keep the house between 68 and 70

The House is the chiller. I put a fan in the hood but I have never had to turn it on

Heheheh, yeah. Kinda hard to do that in South Florida, my friend.

The money I'd spend on cooling costs would equal 3 or 4 chillers a year if I did that! House stays at 74 during the fall and spring seasons, 76-77 during the summer, and I turn off the AC for all 3 weeks of winter.

 

[mech-a-nic]

Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/3246506
Heheheh, yeah. Kinda hard to do that in South Florida, my friend.

The money I'd spend on cooling costs would equal 3 or 4 chillers a year if I did that! House stays at 74 during the fall and spring seasons, 76-77 during the summer, and I turn off the AC for all 3 weeks of winter.
I hear ya on that its bad enuff here in NC in the summer 300.00 electric bills

But my big but likes the cold so I ran it like that befor the fish

 

[number1gsxxr]

I don't have any form of A/C at all in my house. The room my tank is in is open to the rest of the house so a window A/C wouldn't be strong enough to cool the air down. Plus I don't have any windows near the tank. Usually it's not too bad but those few days it gets 90+ can be a problem. I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and get a chiller for this summer I think. If I ever save any money up I'd like to get A/C installed throughout the house.