I have Chiller questions

[flower]

Hi,

I have a 1/10 Arctica titanium chiller on my 90g tank. It is keeping the temp exactly where it needs to be...but it seems to me like it's running all the time.

That's my concern. The only time the compressor gets a rest, is if I put a couple of bottles of RO water that I have frozen, to float in the tank....then the temp drops to just below the 66 degrees I have it set at, and it goes off for maybe half an hour, to an hour before it allows the temp to go to 67.1 and then it comes back on.

Is that normal.... and if not, how often should the chiller compressor be running? I have a habit of obsessing over little things, I looked up the chiller on-line, and a 1/10 chiller is for up to a 130g tank...so it should be good to chill my 90g with 2 HOB filters...there are no extra gallons of water to calculate since I removed the sump....I assumed with the sump creating 140g of water, that the chiller was working hard because of that...

Should I be concerned?

I am not concerned about the seahorses and fluctuating temps because the water is always within a single digit difference. I'm just concerned that the compressor is running too much.

 

[2quills]

Its probably a tad small but if it keeps the temp where it needs to be I wouldn't stress it too much.
You have equipment in there that is constantly adding heat, plus this time of year can be tough so you're always working against the heat. Even a larger chiller is just going to kick on and off fairly continuously.
I would prefer a little less on/off switching because that puts more stress on the compressors motor IMO.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/397804/i-have-chiller-questions#post_3547182
Its probably a tad small but if it keeps the temp where it needs to be I wouldn't stress it too much.
You have equipment in there that is constantly adding heat, plus this time of year can be tough so you're always working against the heat. Even a larger chiller is just going to kick on and off fairly continuously.
I would prefer a little less on/off switching because that puts more stress on the compressors motor IMO.

Hi,

Are you saying to let it go on and run, because it's easier on the compressor to just run them the on/off constantly?

 

[2quills]

Yes, basically just let it run.
A bigger chiller will be turning on and off a lot more often. I guess a good analogy would be like stop and go driving is harder on a vehicle than just driving highway miles a longer distance.
Only, in the case of a compressor its the electrical components that take the beating.
I say no worries. Just let it run. A bigger chiller compressor will use more electricity when it is on so power usage is kind of a wash IMO vs a smaller one that runs longer.

 

[2quills]

It may be time to clean the coils. They get dirty with time and this causes the unit to cool less efficiently as well.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/397804/i-have-chiller-questions#post_3547188
It may be time to clean the coils. They get dirty with time and this causes the unit to cool less efficiently as well.

Hi,

Coils? I see some kind of soft metal venting material in the front (I have to be careful to not use any pressure so as not to bend them over...like what is on an air conditioner) that gets vacuumed once a week...the rest of the unit is sealed. The book says to flush it with clear water once in blue moon....I don't think it needs that because it flows quite well.

 

[2quills]

Hi,
Coils? I see some kind of soft metal venting material in the front (I have to be careful to not use any pressure so as not to bend them over...like what is on an air conditioner) that gets vacuumed once a week...the rest of the unit is sealed. The book says to flush it with clear water once in blue moon....I don't think it needs that because it flows quite well.
Yep, the metal vents are what they call heatsinks for the coils. If you are vacuming them and keeping them clean then you are ahead of the curve.
Most never give it a second thought. Like the coils on a refrigerator or a A/C system.
Just checkin on ya.

 

[flower]

Hi...I see a cleaning of the heat exchanger. It says to do that every 6 months...I have never done it and the unit is at least 2 years old.

The instructions say:
The elimination of deposits of impurities, bacteria, or metabolic waste not captured by the pre-filter (which I don't even have on it) are vital for the performance of this chiller. Circulate clean water in the opposite direction through heat exchange chamber for 30 minutes.

I'm not sure what the heck that means... the instructions says to do it, but no instructions as to HOW to do it or what a heat exchange chamber is. I THINK if I took it off line, took the unit to the sink and put the water pump on the output instead of the intake that would create a backwards flow... but if I fill the thing with tap water won't that mean that the tap water would be trapped inside the unit? If I use RO... won't that dump freshwater into my tank when I return the unit to chill the tank? Maybe I could use my already mixed saltwater in the tub that I use for water changes????? There is no way that tub will hold enough saltwater to run 30 minutes.... any suggestions?

I'm thinking tap water, and end it with saltwater so it's filled with new mixed SW when I reattach it to the tank. LOL....Did mention I stress obsessively over stuff like this?

If I have it right, so please correct me if I'm wrong, I just need to swap the pump from intake to output....The thing has gone this long...I'm going to wait for the 1st of the month...LOL...that way if something goes wrong I will have the money to fix it. I have learned over the years to not do stuff to the tank after the fish stores close, or when the money in the bank is earmarked for bills. I also may hit Silverado up to come help.

 

[2quills]

Yep, pump it through backwards. I'd actually consider finding or coming up with an adapter that I could just use a garden hose to flush it out with.
Once its been flushed real good pump a little fresh saltwater through it before putting it back in action and you should be fine.
But yeah, its similar to what I see on a/c evaporator pans. They ultimately get covered in a thick bacterial sludge and need to be cleaned out or it chokes off the drain and causes water back ups.
In your cases it chokes off the performance of the units ability to chill the water efficiently.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/397804/i-have-chiller-questions#post_3547229
Yep, pump it through backwards. I'd actually consider finding or coming up with an adapter that I could just use a garden hose to flush it out with.
Once its been flushed real good pump a little fresh saltwater through it before putting it back in action and you should be fine.
But yeah, its similar to what I see on a/c evaporator pans. They ultimately get covered in a thick bacterial sludge and need to be cleaned out or it chokes off the drain and causes water back ups.
In your cases it chokes off the performance of the units ability to chill the water efficiently.

Thank you so much... so 1st of the month I have some work to do...neither of my two chillers have ever been flushed.

 

[flower]

Hi,

I did it! The grandchildren helped to hold hoses while I got the chiller to the sink. I couldn't wait for the 1st... the chiller couldn't cool below 68.9, and above 67 is the danger zone for potbelly seahorses. It's staying at a cool 65.3 and running like it's brand new. I also created a pre-filter using mesh and the two toned filter media. Then I added a vertical spray bar to the output hose to distribute the cold water going into the tank more evenly.

Every fiber of my body aches but it had to be done....I took a pain pill, it's nap time.

 

[silverado61]

Good deal lady! Sleep tight. Don't let the fish bugs bite.