Question on proper performance of chiller

[Anonymous]

I have a 1/5 hp AquaLogic drop in chiller for my 100 gal. My question is this: Is the entire chiller coil supposed to get cold to the touch? Only the last loop or so of my chiller's coils get cold to the touch - I was wondering if this is normal or do I have a defective chiller?
Thanks!
Erin

 

[Anonymous]

I use the 1/4 hp version of the same chiller in my 120g. I've never touched the coils, but in my tank (which has a 900gph sump return) the chiller stays on about 30 to 40 minutes before it brings the temp down 2 degrees and shuts off. You're chiller is a bit smaller, so it should take a bit longer in your tank - but if you're in that time frame (give or take 10 to 20 minutes) its probably working fine.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply, robbinson. I wish my chiller was only running 30-40 minutes! To drop my tank 2 degrees, my chiller kicks on each day around noon and stays on constantly until around 8:00-9:00 pm -- yes, 8 or 9 HOURS. I called AquaLogic last week, they said the entire coil doesn't necessarily get cold to the touch (?) They suggested I upgrade to a 1/4 hp.

I just find it hard to believe that my chiller is working correctly if it has that hard of time dropping just a couple of degrees....

 

[Anonymous]

Erin, curious as to what your room temp gets to, I know Phoenix gets some HOT days, like over 100 right?

I have a 29g with a 1/6 HP and it kicks on about 5/6 times a day for 30-40 minutes to pull the tank down 1 degree and that's with the AC running. My set point is at 83.


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If you ever dreamed of being a chemist, try salt water aquariums it's close enough #

 

[Anonymous]

Ravenstar-
Yep, Phoenix is quite hot, anywhere from 100-115+ in the summer, today it was only around 105 because of the cloud cover...

I keep the A/C down low in hopes that it would help the chiller out, usually around 75-76 degrees. Of course, when the chiller kicks on, it puts out alot of heat in the room, so the rest of my house is ice cold and the livingroom where my tank is is much warmer, about 79-80. Between the A/C and the chiller I'm being killed by the electric bills!

 

[Anonymous]

What is your set point Erin on the chiller, what temp you have it set to kick on?

And if this sounds dumb please feel free to smack me one, but why not a floor or ceiling fan in the livingroom to exhaust some of the heat from the chiller and spread it out over the cooler rooms?

 

[Anonymous]

Ravenstar-
I've got the chiller set at 82 with a 1 degree variance, so it will come on when it hits 84. AquaLogic said their chillers work better set at a lower temp, but if it is taking 8-9 hours to drop my temp from 84 to 82, I can't imagine how long it would run to keep it at a lower temp -- it probably would never turn off!
As for a fan, my living room has no ceiling fixtures (odd, yes!) so a ceiling fan is not possible, I've got an oscillating fan circulating the air, but it doesn't seem to help much...

 

[Anonymous]

I would put fans blowing over the tank and/or sump and set the chiller so that it only kicks in if the temperature gets extreme.

Sufficient cooling fans really do work. I live in a humid climate and never lower my AC below 83 degrees. I also have a deep acrylic tank with 400 MH bulbs and no chiller -- a worst-case scenario for overheating. But I have two fans aimed at the top of the tank and one fan on each of two sumps. My tank temperature stays between 81 and 85, and everything does fine (except my green chromis -- I think the heat was hard on them).

BTW: I use Lasko 6" clip-on fans from Wal-Mart. Cheap ($9), quiet, and low power consumption (especially compared to a chiller!).

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 1/6 chiller for my 55g, It takes 4-6 hours ( depends on the room temperatur, day/night) to cool my tank from 84-82 degrees. However, I do find that adding a cooling fan is a good idea. I have cut a large hole on my chiller and put a fan on it to make air circulation much faster and the top of the chiller is much cooler.

Anyway I do e-mail to a chiller company(TECO) and they said that chiller can run continously for a long time......Don't Worry!

 

[Anonymous]

I use a small desk fan under my tank stand (24/7) to dissapate heat generated from the chiller. I use a 2 degree set point and keep my chiller at 77 (i.e. chiller comes on at 79 and gets it down to 77) - I guess the difference between 1/4 hp ahd 1/5 hp is dramatic. My room temp is about 77 - 80. My chiller comes on about every 3 hours for that 30/40 minute time frame. I keep my tank covered because I have jumpers (scissortail gobies) and to reduce evaporation - but ejloomis is correct, generally you can dramatically reduce heat be encouraging evaporative cooling (tank top open with fans across the tank). Of course, i your room temp is 105 degrees, you won't get much out of that approach. But since you said you AC the room to the 70s, maybe you should try that.

[This message has been edited by robbinson (edited 12 July 2000).]

 

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I don't know much about chillers but perhaps my experience working at local LFS would help. The 275 gallon reef tank at work didn't have a chiller. The store only relies the air conditioning for controlling the temperature for all marine and freshwater aquariums. So, one day, the temperature rose to around 86 in the 275 gallon reef tank, and what we did do? We opened the doors of the stand for the tank and we used a fan to circulate the air underneath the tank. Over time, it dropped the temperature of the tank down 10 degrees.

bobek

 

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone and thanks for your help and advise on this. I do currently have one clip on fan blowing across the top of the tank, but I think I will add another one on the top and maybe one on the sump.