Recommend a chiller please
- Thread starter rnk9394
- Start date
cubuffs
Member
You can try a JBJ Artica chiller (about a 1/5 hp). This is a very good chiller, but it will cost you about $550 + pump. Thus, you are looking at almost 700 for everything. But I would go bigger rather than smaller because the worst thing that you could do is to buy a chiller that is too small.
rnk9394
Member
Inline or drop chiller? I guess I'm not sure which one I would want. I'm open to anything that makes sense and is efffective. My big picture(as of today anyway) is to have a 125gal tank with a 30-50 sump/fuge combo. I'll probably have 3 250watt MH retro units plus some supplement lighting. Like I said I'm in the research process and just trying to put all the costs and needs together.
Thanks for any info you can provide to a newbie
Rick
Thanks for any info you can provide to a newbie
Rick
L
lungfish
Guest
An inline chiller needs to be plumbed "in-line" with the tank/sump with a pump. A drop in chiller is a cooling coil that can be dropped into your sump.
Aqualogic is a good quality company that makes both types:
Cyclone (a drop in chiller) and Delta (an inline chiller). Both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you don't have the space to plumb in your chiller, the drop in chiller can be placed in close proximity to the sump and you just drop it in an area with good water circulation. The inline gives you the ability to put the chiller away from the main tank (since it will make noise and heat) but you need a properly rated pump so that the flow is adequate through the cooling coil.
I have a Delta 1/3 hp for my 90g tank/30g sump setup and it works great. I have 2-250w MH lamps and 2-110w VHO and it keeps the temperature without a problem.
Definitely get a chiller rated at least 1 step higher for what it's gallon rating is. That way it will run less frequently, and hopefully more efficiently.
Good luck.
Aqualogic is a good quality company that makes both types:
Cyclone (a drop in chiller) and Delta (an inline chiller). Both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you don't have the space to plumb in your chiller, the drop in chiller can be placed in close proximity to the sump and you just drop it in an area with good water circulation. The inline gives you the ability to put the chiller away from the main tank (since it will make noise and heat) but you need a properly rated pump so that the flow is adequate through the cooling coil.
I have a Delta 1/3 hp for my 90g tank/30g sump setup and it works great. I have 2-250w MH lamps and 2-110w VHO and it keeps the temperature without a problem.
Definitely get a chiller rated at least 1 step higher for what it's gallon rating is. That way it will run less frequently, and hopefully more efficiently.
Good luck.
golfish
Active Member
I've used a 1/3 hp Aqua logic inline chiller (Delta star) on my tanks for about 4-5 years. Its a very good chiller. If you can I would try to plumb it so the chiller is outside. Chillers are nothing but heat exchchanger, they remove the heat from your water and release it back into the air. This is why drop in chillers are not very effecient.
daveb
Member
Of course this depends on your setup, but, I have my sump in an enclosure. I was looking at chillers, since I live in Southern Utah where it stays nice and cool in the summer, like 110 to 115. LOL Anyway, I was getting really upset that chillers were so expensive and was getting ready to spend $1000 when I happened on this 5000 btu window air conditioner. It was on sale at Lowes for , $26.00, yes that is not a typo, TWENTY SIX dollars. I bought it and took it home. I set it up next to the sump enclosure and had the cold air exhaust into the sump enclosure. The unit is actually no bigger than a 1/3 hp chiller... so size is certainly not an issue. My Tank now maintains a very stable temp between 80.5 and 82 degrees 24-7.. The only drawback I have found is that the AC unit does exhaust warm air at the evaporator coil. However, the room has a ceiling fan that keeps the air circulation in the room well enough that it is not a problem. The unit is also very quiet, not very much more noise than a 1/3 hp chiller makes. This has worked great for me and is a very inexpensive solution to a chiller. Belive me, if the choice is NO CHILLER because of cost, or this setup, you will be much happier with this setup....
Dave
Dave
dominican
Member
Geez, what a great idea. I looked around and 5000btu ac units are running $80-$90 at the places I saw, but that still beats the $&#* out of >$600 for a new 1/3hp chiller for my 150g.
I only need to bring my temp down about 4 degrees, and the unit I found has a thermostat. I'd just have to find the internal cabinet temp that would correspond to a tank water temp of 78 degrees. If left alone my tank runs at about 82 because my cab is completely enclosed...
Do you think that it would work for a 4 degree drop?
I only need to bring my temp down about 4 degrees, and the unit I found has a thermostat. I'd just have to find the internal cabinet temp that would correspond to a tank water temp of 78 degrees. If left alone my tank runs at about 82 because my cab is completely enclosed...
Do you think that it would work for a 4 degree drop?
daveb
Member
It sure would work, also you can buy a temperature controller that works with a temp probe that can turn the AC unit on and off, and heaters on and off, for less than 150 bucks, the same type of controller that comes with most chillers.... either dual or single. and then it is perfect...
dominican
Member
DaveB:
Is that how you have it set up?
Cool.. I actually have an octopus controller that I don't currently use, but the temp probe hasn't worked since I bought it used. I'd just need to buy one and figure out how to hook it all up to the ac unit.
How efficient would you say your system is? More specifically, how much of the time do you find your unit is running?
Sorry for all the Q's, but I'm seriously considering doing this.. thanks..
Is that how you have it set up?
Cool.. I actually have an octopus controller that I don't currently use, but the temp probe hasn't worked since I bought it used. I'd just need to buy one and figure out how to hook it all up to the ac unit.
How efficient would you say your system is? More specifically, how much of the time do you find your unit is running?
Sorry for all the Q's, but I'm seriously considering doing this.. thanks..
daveb
Member
After I got my MH lighting, I had all kinds of temp problems. The MH lights could only be on for about three hours, and the tank TEMP was at 84... Then it would drop back down to 80 at night. The swings in TEMP were awful, and I could not run the MH lights long enough for them to do any real good.
After I hooked up the AC unit, which blows directly into the sump cabinet, the MH lights could stay on 24 hours a day if I wanted them to. Before I got the controller, the thermostat on the AC unit itself was good enough that I finally found a setting that would cycle the AC compressor on and off periodically. But the fan on the AC unit runs constantly when power is on, and I had it on the same timer as the MH lights. SO when the MH lights cam on, the AC unit came on also. But, the compressor did cycle on and off and probably ran about 50% of the time the unit was turned on, but was constantly moving air because of the fan. Even with that setup, the TEMP stayed between 80.5 and 82.5, which was very acceptable. With the TEMP controller turning the AC on and off, and heaters on and off, the temp actually stays withing 1/2 degree of 81 degrees 99 % of the time. Once in a while it will drop another half or heat up another half degree, but 99% of the time it is within 1/2 degree of my set TEMP.
Your Octopus Controller would work very well. And it cost no more to run this, than it would any 1/2 HP chiller.
Dave
After I hooked up the AC unit, which blows directly into the sump cabinet, the MH lights could stay on 24 hours a day if I wanted them to. Before I got the controller, the thermostat on the AC unit itself was good enough that I finally found a setting that would cycle the AC compressor on and off periodically. But the fan on the AC unit runs constantly when power is on, and I had it on the same timer as the MH lights. SO when the MH lights cam on, the AC unit came on also. But, the compressor did cycle on and off and probably ran about 50% of the time the unit was turned on, but was constantly moving air because of the fan. Even with that setup, the TEMP stayed between 80.5 and 82.5, which was very acceptable. With the TEMP controller turning the AC on and off, and heaters on and off, the temp actually stays withing 1/2 degree of 81 degrees 99 % of the time. Once in a while it will drop another half or heat up another half degree, but 99% of the time it is within 1/2 degree of my set TEMP.
Your Octopus Controller would work very well. And it cost no more to run this, than it would any 1/2 HP chiller.
Dave