Chiller for extreme temperatures

[charlie1225]

I just helped a friend set up a tank in his office. Problem is, when the offices are closed for the weekend, there is no AC. Temperatures can reach close to three-digits. This is a 75 gallon tank, what size chiller is necessary to keep it between 78-80 degrees.

 

[bigsink]

I would go 1/4 hp. I used this on my 75g and my fishroom reached 88 in July and August.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Other issue is the ambient temp in the office so I would get a fan to blow away the hot air coming from the Chiller.Yes,you also have to keep the chiller cool.

 

[charlie1225]

Other issue is the ambient temp in the office so I would get a fan to blow away the hot air coming from the Chiller.Yes,you also have to keep the chiller cool.

Thanks for the reply bigsink. We currently have a 1/6 Oceanic and the chiller decided not to turn on over the weekend, I'm guessing because it was overheating? The tank temperature reached 98 degrees!

 

[KathyC]

1/6th hp will chill up to 80 g by 30 degrees
1/4 hp will chill up to 100g by 30 degrees

I'd go with the 1/4.
Zany makes a good point. Is there anyway you can plumb the chiller so it isn't in the same room as the tank?

 

[charlie1225]

Kathy, is there a possibility the chiller is defective. It's only five months old, an Oceanic. The temperature of the tnak reached 98 degrees and the chiller didn't even kick on this morning.

1/6th hp will chill up to 80 g by 30 degrees
1/4 hp will chill up to 100g by 30 degrees

I'd go with the 1/4.
Zany makes a good point. Is there anyway you can plumb the chiller so it isn't in the same room as the tank?

 

[seldin]

You may want to up size on chiller size. I have a 55 gallon reef and when I asked a chiller vendor, they recommended going to a 1/3 hp. In addition, possibly some vendors chillers will give a different chill factor.

Remember, concept is for worst case. You do not want to under size, even once, then it can be too late.

However, even on a worst case, you can still recover. One time, my chiller plug was loose and the tank went to 88, so when I turned it back on, it went to 81.

Good luck,

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

I have my office AC turn on at 85degs at after hours so i don't have this problem of a chiller running non stop and can cause it not to turn on, set the termo stat and see if this helps

 

[dubs]

i would give kool tanks.com a buzz ur temp control on the chiller might be broken that y it dont chip in

 

[charlie1225]

Thanks Seldin, that's what I was thinking. A bigger chiller may have higher upfront costs but can save thousands once the tnak is fully stocked.

Jarrett, this tank is in the office area of a huge warehouse. Unfortunately, their system cannot zone certain locations of the warehouse. So it's either cooling off the entire warehouse or nothing at all.

 

[charlie1225]

i would give kool tanks.com a buzz ur temp control on the chiller might be broken that y it dont chip in

Thanks! I'm going to give Oceanic a call as it's still under warranty until August. So I should tell them the temperature control is possibly defective?

 

[KathyC]

Thanks for the reply bigsink. We currently have a 1/6 Oceanic and the chiller decided not to turn on over the weekend, I'm guessing because it was overheating? The tank temperature reached 98 degrees!

That is entirely possible, thpugh I would think it may have come on and heated te room up, and then might have failed to come back on due to overheating.

How is it working now that the A/C is back on in the building?

You may want to up size on chiller size. I have a 55 gallon reef and when I asked a chiller vendor, they recommended going to a 1/3 hp.

I'm sorry Larry - but putting a 1/3 hp on a 55g is insane unless you keep the tank in a furnace...total overkill.

 

[charlie1225]

We've unplugged the chiller for now since there's nothing in the tank. This morning it started kicking on for a few minutes then kicked off not even dropping 1 degree from the water.

Kathy, you think 1/3 HP for a 75 gallon would be suitable for this type of extreme temperature?

That is entirely possible, thpugh I would think it may have come on and heated te room up, and then might have failed to come back on due to overheating.

How is it working now that the A/C is back on in the building?


I'm sorry Larry - but putting a 1/3 hp on a 55g is insane unless you keep the tank in a furnace...total overkill.

 

[KathyC]

We've unplugged the chiller for now since there's nothing in the tank. This morning it started kicking on for a few minutes then kicked off not even dropping 1 degree from the water.

Kathy, you think 1/3 HP for a 75 gallon would be suitable for this type of extreme temperature?

If someone has money to burn to buy a 1/3 - sure, though I really think the 1/6 should be able to do the job, worst case a 1/4hp considering a 75g tank with rcok in it only holds (probably) about 50 g of water.

Since you have time while you are waiting for the tank to cycle, why not try and find out what is up with the current 1/6th chiller to see if it is working correctly, and then decide from there?

 

[seldin]

Kathy,

As far as over-kill, maybe, maybe not. Temperature can get to 90 plus degrees and I don't want to worry about it. Smartest thing I did, was over size to not worry. That was based on calling a name brand chiller vendor years ago. Remember, once you make the purchase, and if it was not enough, I was stuck. No second chances.

BTW, I ended up buying my chiller that was about used several years old and I had 4 years. I think I got my monies worth.

 

[NYreefNoob]

My current 1/10th hp has never let my tank go above 80 degree's thats where i have it set. total water volume is 80g i do have a fan sucking the exhuast from the back of the chiller also though

 

[Wes]

My 1/2hp tradewind keeps my 250g at 80 degrees. My tank and chiller are located in the garage, right now it's pretty close to 100 degrees in there.

I think 1/4hp is plenty for your situation. Also keep in mind that all chillers are not created equal. hp rating should be used as a guideline only. Some brands have more btu's than others.

You don't "have to keep a chiller cool" like stated earlier but it helps. A chiller is capable of bringing temps down a certain point below ambient temperature. The lower the ambient temp, the better the performance. In some cases it's not possible to keep the chiller in a cool place so you go bigger.



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[pecan2phat]

It doesn't matter what size chiller you obtain, it won't work properly if the ambient temp reaches 3 digits in an enclosed room. I've watched where my 1/4 and 1/3 hp took 4+ hours to bring down the tank temperature down from 80 to 78 degrees because the ambient room temp was too warm.
Any ambient room temperature above 86 degrees and the efficiency drops dramatically while the chiller is also pumping 95 degree heat back into the enclosed room.

 

[charlie1225]

Thanks for all the replies. I just spoke to Oceanic and they recommened the fan idea. They also stated the chiller is designed to run in 39-90 degrees Farenheit ambient room temperature.

 

[Wes]

It doesn't matter what size chiller you obtain, it won't work properly if the ambient temp reaches 3 digits in an enclosed room. I've watched where my 1/4 and 1/3 hp took 4+ hours to bring down the tank temperature down from 80 to 78 degrees because the ambient room temp was too warm.
Any ambient room temperature above 86 degrees and the efficiency drops dramatically while the chiller is also pumping 95 degree heat back into the enclosed room.

This is not necessarily true. You have to size the chiller properly for the condition you are using it in. For example my ambient temps approach 100 on days like today and I maintain temperature because my chiller was sized with this in mind.

HVAC units are located outside where it gets very hot and are capable of cooling the house.

I DO agree with you on the need for the area being well ventilated, otherwise ambient temp will continue to rise higher and higher, in effect increasing the temperature of the chiller output.


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