chiller question

[reefnut]

how many watts does a 1/4 hp chiller pull

thks Rob

[Raf]

Depends on the brand but most take about 400-600 watts

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...t_ID=ch-pc014i

[billyr98]

that weird... since 1 HP is = 796w...
but the specs of that 1/4 hp does say 5.8amps which is like 700w..

[prow]

my artica 1/4hp is rated at 6.0 amps. so it might look like is uses 700watts but its not. its its efficiency rating is 200watts. here is a little quote

You often see inverters rated in volt-amps (VA or va) instead of watts. For a perfect resistance, such as a heating element, watts and VA are essentially the same. However, many appliances, especially motors, are not a "perfect" load. Thus, the watts actually used may be less than the VA - but the inverter sees the VA. The motor or appliance may be using only 100 watts, but the inverter sees an "apparent" power of 150 VA.
The difference is due to the fact that in a perfect resistance, the voltage and current are perfectly in sync, but in a load with capacitance or inductance, the current may lag (or lead) the voltage waveform. This results in a higher apparent load to the inverter. In the first few milliseconds of a motor starting, the two may be nearly 90 degrees out of phase - this is the reason for the very heavy startup currents for AC motors. It is also the reason why inverters must be oversized if using large AC motors (but not DC motors).

so its only at the beginning of the start up of the motor when it pulls those kind of VA. its like shocking someone whos heart has stopped, you just need the initial shock to get it started, you dont keep shocking. pretty much any motor needs to pull more power(so to speak) at start up but run normally at different VA. its just they need the capacity to handle those amps/watts at startup it doesnt mean they always use that much power. the amp rating is kinda missleading.

[reefnut]

thks guys, so Prow your saying at start up it will use 600 to 700 watts once running 200 to300 watts correct?

[prow]

kinda sorta but not really, i will try to explain. i might not be so good at it but i will give it a go.

the calculation for converting amps to watts is; amps x volts=watts. but this only works if the volts are fixed. amps are just the measurement of how many electrons go past a certain point. volts measures the "pressure" or force the electron is under.

ok wait compare the watts thing to GPH on a pump. amps=GPH, volts=head pressure; if you change the flare nozzle on the tubing to a bigger one or smaller one it changes the pressure(volts) but not the GPH(amps) thus the equation changes. hope you get it. just think of amps as flow and volts as the amount of pressure in the line.

at a chiller start up the resistance(ohms) is increased which inturn increases the pressure/force(volts) in the line. basically while the motor is off it causes a resistance(measured in ohms) which builds up the force within the line and increases the volts within the line. the amps remain the same but the force or pressure(volts) builds within the line, which means the watts are increased with in the line aswell. the volts(pressure) builds untill the motor starts and the resistance(ohms) is released. the specs you see just means the lines, relays ect.. can handle the load needed to kick/push over/through the motor. for my chiller with a effiency of 200watts means during normal operations if my chiller is running at 6.0amps would only have a force of 33 volts. but at start up the volts(pressure), because of the added resistance(ohms) from the turnned off motor, can go up to 115v=690watts. its not really using all this power/watts the volts are only elevated in the line while the motor is off. the line only contains that power untill the chiller starts. once the motor starts the force is decreased and the line returns to a lowered voltage. the power/watts used does not change just the conditions under which its delivered. the chiller is rated at 115v only so it doesnt blow the line during start up when the pressure is increased.

also remember the chiller only uses power while its on. for me my chiller only comes on maybe 2-3 times a day for a few weeks out of the summer, not 24/7 all year.

i hope i said it so you get it. i just reread this it might make you more confused

FYI the measurement of the resistance is the ohms. the pressure created by that resistance is measured as volts. the flow rate going into the line is the amps.

[reefnut]

well i kinda sorta see what u are saying lol, any advice on a good qualty 1/4 hp chiller i got a 65 gal now, but want to upgrade to a 110 or 120. thks Rob

[lcstorc]

I have a 1/4 hp Pacific coast chiller and I love it. It works great on my 125.

[reefnut]

Hi Lynn,how many degrees can you pull down on a 125, and what model do you have?

[lcstorc]

Tank was running 81 or so. Now it is set to 77. It varies 1 degree either way but I figure a 3 degree range is pretty good. It is the 1/4 hp cl-600. I got it from Premium Aquatics. One of our sponsors. It is actually chilling more than my 125. I have the 125 plus a 24 plus a 29g fuge and 29g sump. Not sure what the volume is with the displacement etc. The only problems we had with the chiller was when we had it tucked behind a couch. It really needs open space around it and it does put off quite a bit of heat. It's not bad now that it is in the open, but when it was behind the couch you could feel the hot air venting and it actually heated the room while cooling the tank.

[prow]

Originally Posted by reefnut

well i kinda sorta see what u are saying lol, any advice on a good qualty 1/4 hp chiller i got a 65 gal now, but want to upgrade to a 110 or 120. thks Rob

yeah that was kind interesting tring to explain.
for good chillers pacific coast chillers are nice chillers. i have a JBJ artica 1/4hp chiller on my 150gal system myself, i love it. extremely quiet, very efficient and looks cool too. IMO pacific and artica are the two best chillers out there. there in class of there own. i just think the artica looks nicer.

[reefnut]

yep thats my biggest worry that it will heat the living room to point it would be uncomfortable, so do they put out alot of heat?

[mswafford17]

they put out a good deal of heat. if you are worried about that you can place a small fan behind the chiller to disperse the heat of the unit. Your chiller should not run all the time, if it is then you may need to vent your canopy and run a fan or two in it. I am running a chiller and it only cycles three or four times a day, for about 20 minutes during the cycle. I think that a chiller is better than running the AC at 70...

[lcstorc]

This summer we are going to try to vent the chiller to the outside. Living in Fl heat is always an issue.