Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise)

Urizen · 10-26-2006, 02:22 PM

Ok, i want to convert a refridgerator into a chiller. anyone have any DIY plans for that or any other DIY Chiller?

Warnberg · 10-26-2006, 02:32 PM

You can find some on that other site "RC" but they don't work very well.

Urizen · 10-26-2006, 02:46 PM

Hmm.. think I have an idead for my own design but its never been tried (atleaset that I can find) and its so easy that well.. it would almost be too good to be true. Maybe I should just buy one.. lol

boozeman · 10-26-2006, 03:26 PM

I've seen threads on all types of DIY chillers...from using small refrigerators to burrying yards of pex tubing underground(geothermal)..and all those using them share one thing in common...they report only marginal results.

boozeman · 10-26-2006, 08:16 PM

I can't understand why someone gave me negative karma over the above post

I appologize to whomever found it offensive.

Woodstock · 10-26-2006, 08:21 PM

Boozeman, I think your post was informative. Thanks

Urizen, please do try your idea. It may work great!

reefjitsu · 10-26-2006, 08:39 PM

IME, DIY chillers are so inefficient, that it is cheaper in the long run to just buy one. Sorry, but I don't have any other helpful info or links. Good luck!

I gave you some good karma to balance the neg. there Booze. I personally don't do negative karma, I consider it bad Karma to give negative karma. Also, good or bad-- sign your karma so people know where it came from. Several other sites I am a member of have changed their setup to where you can't give karma anonomously. On alot of sites, bad karma requires an explanation too.

JaxReef · 10-26-2006, 09:52 PM

best thing to do is shop around. I got my 1/4 hp chiller for 125.00 used from a lfs that was upgrading. works like a champ.

Check out the club forums on RC they always have cheap chillers. What size tank do you have?

JaxReef · 10-26-2006, 10:13 PM

this is the only DIY chiller that got my attention
http://saltyzoo.com/PhotoAlbum/page....ipment/chiller

sasquatch · 10-26-2006, 11:32 PM

Jaxreef, looked at your link, do you fill the keg with water or antifreeze?

JaxReef · 10-27-2006, 09:09 AM

not sure, I think he filled it with water

Urizen · 10-27-2006, 11:12 AM

Well the idea is very simple, I was thinking of placing a pump in the sump to put water oout and into a small refrigerator door. Inside the fridge would be a closed sump roughly about 30 gallons in size and then a gravity return that leads back into the sump. Then All I have to do is adjust the refrigerator setting to make it cooler. The trick is leaving the water in the sump in the fridge long enough to be cooled down sufficiently. Its either that or put a large amount of coiled tubing in the fridge in place of a sump. What does everyone think? remember, this tank is in my basement so I have room for the fridge.
Thanks!
P.S. - some positive karma for ya boozeman!

Woodstock · 10-27-2006, 11:30 AM

Sounds doable. I don't know that the coiled tubing placed in your sump would work unless you could control the coolant in the coil.... You would need a temperature controller to turn the coil/water pump on/off as needed otherwise the tank's temp could fall too low.

lcstorc · 10-29-2006, 05:48 PM

I have heard of though never attempted a similar concept. It involved coiled tubing in the fridge with water circulating through the tubing. I always got a mental block on woodstock's point. Controling the temp. Too cool is just as bad as too hot so there would have to be something to turn it off and or on based on tank temp.
I believe I can get more info on the set-up I described. Someone who works with my husband did it and he loves it for whatever that is worth. Send me a pm if you want more info since I am way behind on threads.
LOL

Jorgens · 10-29-2006, 08:16 PM

Well I have learned something in my beer brewing years that may apply. Altough we use copper (gasp) tubing to cool boiling beer to room temp in 15 min. at a 5 gallon volume. In this concept there are 2 basic ways. a 50' coil in your hot beer with cold tap water running thru it. Or siphon your beer thru the coil while it's sumberged in ice water. Either works well and her'es the ticket.....

The diameter of the tube must be small as to allow max surface aera for being cooled. So in your fridge concept the longer and skinnier the better. HOWEVER and this is the trick metal disperes temp. alot better than plastic. So to find something that will work with seawater and not pollute your tank is the issue in my belief. I think your idea is fine depending on the % amount of volue in your fridge as to not over chill. And to find a material that can be used with seawater and still efficently cool. As for that I have no ideas....

Just my 2 cents....hope it helps!

10-26-2006, 02:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
Urizen Tunicate Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 8 View Gallery Karma Komment	Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) Ok, i want to convert a refridgerator into a chiller. anyone have any DIY plans for that or any other DIY Chiller? __________________ Mutant ninja monkeys are meeting as we speak, plotting my demise. :meeting:

10-26-2006, 02:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
Warnberg Acropora Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 1,911 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) You can find some on that other site "RC" but they don't work very well. __________________ Dave 240 Gallon Tall Tencor (96"L x 30"T x 18"W) 4 250 Watt MH XM10K bulbs 2-54 Watt T5 Actinic Euro-Reef CS8-2-RC Jetstream 1 Calcium Reactor 4 Tunze Turbelle stream 6000 power heads 7095 Tunze controller

10-26-2006, 02:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
Urizen Tunicate Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 8 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) Hmm.. think I have an idead for my own design but its never been tried (atleaset that I can find) and its so easy that well.. it would almost be too good to be true. Maybe I should just buy one.. lol __________________ Mutant ninja monkeys are meeting as we speak, plotting my demise. :meeting:

10-26-2006, 03:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
boozeman The CodFather ~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new york Posts: 8,802 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) I've seen threads on all types of DIY chillers...from using small refrigerators to burrying yards of pex tubing underground(geothermal)..and all those using them share one thing in common...they report only marginal results. __________________ ...and when I'm old and wise little things mean little to me like autumn winds they'll blow right through me and someday, in the mist of time when they ask you if you knew me remember that you were a friend of mine

10-26-2006, 08:16 PM	#5 (permalink)
boozeman The CodFather ~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new york Posts: 8,802 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) I can't understand why someone gave me negative karma over the above post I appologize to whomever found it offensive. __________________ ...and when I'm old and wise little things mean little to me like autumn winds they'll blow right through me and someday, in the mist of time when they ask you if you knew me remember that you were a friend of mine

10-26-2006, 08:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 25,502 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) Boozeman, I think your post was informative. Thanks Urizen, please do try your idea. It may work great! __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* *My Victorious Battle with ICH* 120 Reef Chronicle ~ *Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* *Massive 300 gal growout~* *My Anemone & Picasso Tank ~* *Picasso & Snowcasso for sale~* "Energy and persistance conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

10-26-2006, 08:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
reefjitsu Plate Coral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: The Magic City Posts: 758 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) IME, DIY chillers are so inefficient, that it is cheaper in the long run to just buy one. Sorry, but I don't have any other helpful info or links. Good luck! I gave you some good karma to balance the neg. there Booze. I personally don't do negative karma, I consider it bad Karma to give negative karma. Also, good or bad-- sign your karma so people know where it came from. Several other sites I am a member of have changed their setup to where you can't give karma anonomously. On alot of sites, bad karma requires an explanation too. __________________ You can't give up hope just because it's hopeless. You got to keep on hoping and cover your ears and go "blah blah blah blah"- Futurama

10-26-2006, 09:52 PM	#8 (permalink)
JaxReef Pistol Shrimp Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 249 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) best thing to do is shop around. I got my 1/4 hp chiller for 125.00 used from a lfs that was upgrading. works like a champ. Check out the club forums on RC they always have cheap chillers. What size tank do you have?

10-26-2006, 10:13 PM	#9 (permalink)
JaxReef Pistol Shrimp Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 249 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) this is the only DIY chiller that got my attention http://saltyzoo.com/PhotoAlbum/page....ipment/chiller

10-26-2006, 11:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
sasquatch Brunt of all Jokes~ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: the very farthest west coast of canada Posts: 8,981 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) Jaxreef, looked at your link, do you fill the keg with water or antifreeze?

10-27-2006, 09:09 AM	#11 (permalink)
JaxReef Pistol Shrimp Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 249 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) not sure, I think he filled it with water

10-27-2006, 11:12 AM	#12 (permalink)
Urizen Tunicate Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 8 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) Well the idea is very simple, I was thinking of placing a pump in the sump to put water oout and into a small refrigerator door. Inside the fridge would be a closed sump roughly about 30 gallons in size and then a gravity return that leads back into the sump. Then All I have to do is adjust the refrigerator setting to make it cooler. The trick is leaving the water in the sump in the fridge long enough to be cooled down sufficiently. Its either that or put a large amount of coiled tubing in the fridge in place of a sump. What does everyone think? remember, this tank is in my basement so I have room for the fridge. Thanks! P.S. - some positive karma for ya boozeman! __________________ Mutant ninja monkeys are meeting as we speak, plotting my demise. :meeting:

10-27-2006, 11:30 AM	#13 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 25,502 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) Sounds doable. I don't know that the coiled tubing placed in your sump would work unless you could control the coolant in the coil.... You would need a temperature controller to turn the coil/water pump on/off as needed otherwise the tank's temp could fall too low. __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* *My Victorious Battle with ICH* 120 Reef Chronicle ~ *Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* *Massive 300 gal growout~* *My Anemone & Picasso Tank ~* *Picasso & Snowcasso for sale~* "Energy and persistance conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

10-29-2006, 05:48 PM	#14 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) I have heard of though never attempted a similar concept. It involved coiled tubing in the fridge with water circulating through the tubing. I always got a mental block on woodstock's point. Controling the temp. Too cool is just as bad as too hot so there would have to be something to turn it off and or on based on tank temp. I believe I can get more info on the set-up I described. Someone who works with my husband did it and he loves it for whatever that is worth. Send me a pm if you want more info since I am way behind on threads. LOL __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

10-29-2006, 08:16 PM	#15 (permalink)
Jorgens Scopas Tang Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 434 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Chillers give me the chills! (price-wise) Well I have learned something in my beer brewing years that may apply. Altough we use copper (gasp) tubing to cool boiling beer to room temp in 15 min. at a 5 gallon volume. In this concept there are 2 basic ways. a 50' coil in your hot beer with cold tap water running thru it. Or siphon your beer thru the coil while it's sumberged in ice water. Either works well and her'es the ticket..... The diameter of the tube must be small as to allow max surface aera for being cooled. So in your fridge concept the longer and skinnier the better. HOWEVER and this is the trick metal disperes temp. alot better than plastic. So to find something that will work with seawater and not pollute your tank is the issue in my belief. I think your idea is fine depending on the % amount of volue in your fridge as to not over chill. And to find a material that can be used with seawater and still efficently cool. As for that I have no ideas.... Just my 2 cents....hope it helps! __________________ Proud member of the 200+ Club! http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...gens/Aquarium/ I have no fear of falling. Hitting the ground SUX tho....

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