Chillers???

[Clint24]

I have never used a chiller before so I had a few questions & was hoping I could get some advice.
What brand of chiller would some of you all recommend?
What size would it take to maintain a 220 gal DT with a 40 gal sump ?
How hard are they to install? Do they run by a separate pump or do u plumb them into a return line or something like that?

Any help and suggestions would be helpful. My wife likes her heat in the winter time!! I'm hoping to have one up & running before this up coming winter. Thanks!!


CD

 

[goma]

Hi Clint - out of curiosity, why do you feel you need a chiller with such a large tank and sump?

 

[PSU4ME]

I haven't ever ran a chiller but I'll tell you what I know. Two kinds out there, a drop in style which work my cooling a metal rod to achieve the result and the other kind is one where you pump the water through it. First kind is easy but the second one offers more ways to install. You can add a dedicated pump or do a manifold type setup. The key is you want to control the gph through it (it has a recommended rate)

The size of the chiller depends on how much "work" it has to do. If you need to drop 250g of water 4 degrees that's a big job etc etc.

Like Greg asked, what's your need? High temps, want really cool water?? That might help with the sizing. Have you tried running fans around it to cool it?

 

[Clint24]

Thank you for the replies. In the summer my tank stays pretty constant around 77 degrees but i have an air conditioner vent in that room. I'm worried about the winter mainly because of the wood burning stove in the other room. When we get a fire goin & my 3-250 watt halide fixture is on I am worried about temp getting to high. I'm ok with a little fluctuation but not a lot. It was just something that I was thinking might be a good upgrade.


CD

 

[DianaKay]

I have a JBJ 1/10th hp Chiller hooked up to my 65 gal DT w/an added 30 gal. sump/refugium.
It sits behind my tank cabinet & is plumbed into my return pump. It was very easy to install.
I keep my temp set at 78° and it pretty well stays there without running a lot.
It's "peace of mind" for me because where I live is HOT & HUMID. I would lose everything in my tank if my home AC unit went out. If my chiller ever quit, I'd replace it ASAP.
I have AC....why shouldn't my fish

 

[Clint24]

Lol. Good way to look at it Diana!! Thanks for the insight. I'm gonna do some more research & probly talk to some people at macna this year & hopefully find one that will work for me. I like the idea of stability, even with my temp. I think it would be better for my system & livestock.


CD

 

[reefer gladness]

Evaporative cooling is able to drop a tank temp 3-4 degrees F, especially in the low humidity environment you described with a wood burning stove.

FWIW, I would forget about a chiller and just mount a 6 inch fan over the sump area. You can use an aquarium controller to turn it off/on at desired temps for better stability.

A closed environment with a wood burning stove has potential to starve the tank of oxygen and cause pH issues anyway so you would probably need to crack a window open if the room temps get too hot for evaporative cooling to handle.

If you really want a chiller then consider the flow rate, different brands allow for varying flow rates. Some have better thermostat controls than others too. If I had to buy a chiller again I'd probably go with the JBJ Arctica but for large tanks it's often more economical to control the room temp.

Tank that size I'd say you need a chiller between 1/3 and 1/2hp. And keep in mind a chiller is a heat-exchanger just like an air-conditioning unit. The cold water in the aquarium comes at the expense of hot air in the room where the chiller is located. If the room isn't well ventilated this turns into a spiral as the chiller makes the room warmer, the tank gets warm faster which makes the chiller run longer and the cycle continues.

 

[Clint24]

That was some good info reefer gladness. Thank you. That was the other option I was considering, was to run a vent from my crawl space with an inline fan to bring cool fresh air into my sump area. Between the ph issue & heat exchange I think that my be better for me than a chiller. Any thoughts???


CD

 

[Clint24]

Thank you also to Diana & psu4me. It's not a necessity yet but just tryin to plan ahead. Gonna do some more research on chillers but like I mentioned above, I might just bring in some cool fresh air from my crawl space with a controller to cool my sump area. I'm not to sure yet , I just know I don't wanna bake my system come winter....


CD

 

[DianaKay]

PEACE of MIND...

I love that my tank stays below 80° all the time.
and....Just in case of a power outage: