What size chiller should I be looking at??

bigpapa

Member
I have a 150 with a 55 sump. I am running 3 250w mh's. The tank is in the basement so the summer room temp stays mid 70's but since the mhs if I run all 3 the tank will go as high as 84
I am not sure what size chiller I should get to make this temp change. I do have exit holes on the canopy and have a fan blowing room air into it as well.
 
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tizzo

Guest
So it gets as high as 84 degrees and your desired temp is, what?
This is important to know which size chiller you need.
 
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dennis210

Guest
So probably 180 - 200 gallons that need to be cooled down 4 or 5 degrees.
I would go with a 1/4 to 1/3 HP chiller and you will be fine.
 
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tizzo

Guest
I was thinking a 1/5 or a 1/4...
So I guess a compromise would be the 1/4.
 

spiderwoman

Active Member
Depending on the manufacturer...
I have a similar setup than you Bigpapa but I'm running 400W MH's and just got a Teco 1/3hp chiller. It's rated for 300g so it should be enough for our tank and still not run 24/7.
 

bigpapa

Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2716487
Depending on the manufacturer...
I have a similar setup than you Bigpapa but I'm running 400W MH's and just got a Teco 1/3hp chiller. It's rated for 300g so it should be enough for our tank and still not run 24/7.

K so1/4---1/3 looks to b the way to go
 
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tizzo

Guest
Chillers aren't so much rated by gallons, like heaters are, but rather how many degrees down you want to bring the water...
If you want to bring 200 gallons down 10 degrees, a 1/5 will do that, but that is it's max capacity. If you want to bring it down by 15 degrees then you'd need a 1/4, but again, that's it's max capacity.
If "YOU" wanna bring 200 gallons of water down by 2 or 3 degrees then a 1/5 would be fine.
If your looking to bring it down 8 or 9 degrees, then for less stress on the chiller, you'd want a 1/4.
You cannot go wrong by having a unit that's to big, however it's redundant and needlessly expensive.
I myself have a 1 hp on 150 gallons, and it turns on and off through out the day, Mine came with the system, but if I were to buy my own, I'd prolly only get a 1/4, cause I keep my tank at a steady 83 degrees.
 

bigpapa

Member
Thanks for all the great info. I am looking to get at that 80 mark so in the heat of summer it looks about 4 deg change.
 

aquaguy24

Active Member
have u tried fans yets..try that first before u get a chiller...i recently got 2x250w mh with T5's on my 90g and i had trouble with temp going up 1 degrees every hour when lights are on....since i added a fan my temp stays the same from lights on to lights off...i was going to get a chiller also but now i just saved $400..
..
1/4 should work perfectly...
 

bigpapa

Member
Originally Posted by aquaguy24
http:///forum/post/2716935
have u tried fans yets..try that first before u get a chiller...i recently got 2x250w mh with T5's on my 90g and i had trouble with temp going up 1 degrees every hour when lights are on....since i added a fan my temp stays the same from lights on to lights off...i was going to get a chiller also but now i just saved $400..
..
1/4 should work perfectly...
right now I just have a small 5" fan built into the canopy with 2 outlet holes. I am going to butcher a 10" turbo house fan and install that baby in there and make some waves. See if that doesnt do the trick or else out goes the 4 bills..
 
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