AC unit vs Tank Chiller

[ReefArtist]

I'm going to be start building a 240-280g tank in the fall so I'm starting to put numbers$ and equipment down. The tank will be located in my garage with the viewing area from my living room. I'm going to be building a fish room in the garage that will be about 5 feet deep and around 15 feet long. Would it be cheaper to cool the room (AC unit) or use a chiller to keep the water temp around 80 - 82 degrees? I was thinking if I don't use an AC unit the room is going to be 90 - 100 degrees in the summer and the exposed water would just heat up. Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated.

 

[guntercb]

ReefArtist,

I think in terms of cost that using a window AC unit to make a chiller is the cheapest. But I don't know. I would ask Rob Thorn or Ted (ReefRubble). I believe ReefRubble may have a window AC unit chiller for sell so you might be able to get it from him if you want to go that route. I think Ted has had both a marine chiller and his AC window unit and the ac window unit has a cheaper operating cost, but I am not totally sure.

Post what you find out.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[chrismhaase]

look at www.melvsreef.com he did what you are talking about on his 280 starfire build.

 

[ReefArtist]

Looks like he has a new passion - sandals and flip flops? LOL - I'll have to take a search engine look for it.

 

[corndogg]

http://www.melevsreef.com/

 

[Acolin]

Since a small room air conditioning unit can be as little as $50, it is certainly worth investigating. You do not have to cool the entire garage though. I saw a reef system where the sump was in the garage. The owner fit a white wood box over the front of the A/C unit and the entire sump. I think he had A/C on a timer to match when the hot daylight halides came on. The A/C unit pumped cold air into the box, cooling the sump and the water going through it. I have also seen garages divided into fish rooms. The rooms have A/C units to chill the them and the sump in them…

 

[plc001]

What about running an new AC duck from the existing house?

Would that be a problem? I hope not because that is what I'm planning, but my fish 'closet' is smaller.

 

[ReefArtist]

Yea - what I was going to do was cool the fish room I'm making which will be around 5x15. Not cool the complete garage - that would cost me big time. A unit will be around 100 - 300$ and one for the tank I think would run about 500 - 1000 or so. I was just wondering if the money I'd save up front would be gone the first year.

 

[triggerfish1976]

If you are planning on running metal halides you are still probably going to need a chiller. I use to house all of my equipment on my old 450g tank in my house and only ran 250 watt M/H's and I still needed a chiller in the summer. I keep my house at 73 and the tank's temp would have jumped above 82 on the hottest summer days.

 

[ReefArtist]

My main concern is the area that will be exposed if I don't AC the room. My sump/refuge/refill etc water. What I was thinking is if this water is exposed to cooler temps the tank water will not raise as much. It is a lot of water and for a small system a AC might work - I'm a little concerned about the larger water volume.

 

[plc001]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9636173#post9636173 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist
Yea - what I was going to do was cool the fish room I'm making which will be around 5x15. Not cool the complete garage - that would cost me big time. A unit will be around 100 - 300$ and one for the tank I think would run about 500 - 1000 or so. I was just wondering if the money I'd save up front would be gone the first year.

Would a 4" AC duck line into the fish room, not the garage not work?

 

[CMcNeil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9636330#post9636330 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plc001
Would a 4" AC duck line into the fish room, not the garage not work?

the home AC unit will never keep up with all the heat generated from a large reef tank.i have seen a few people try to go that route and it just doesnt work.i think the biggest problem is that the thermostat isnt in the fish room but is in the main house.just save yourself the hassle and headaches and get a chiller.i would still use fans,but i think a chiller is a must.

 

[ReefArtist]

I would never do the duck AC way - I know my AC would not keep up and I would need to have my house temp much lower then what I like.

I'm concerned about the open water being exposed to the hot garage heat and the chiller having to work double time to keep up. In this case is the chiller the best choice? I'm not sure yet. If the tank and all the equipment would be located in my house I wouldn't even second guess this- I'd have a chiller.

 

[plc001]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9637452#post9637452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist
I would never do the duck AC way - I know my AC would not keep up and I would need to have my house temp much lower then what I like.

Thanks! I guess I need to start looking at plan B. Let me know what you decide.

 

[triggerfish1976]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9637452#post9637452 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist

I'm concerned about the open water being exposed to the hot garage heat and the chiller having to work double time to keep up. In this case is the chiller the best choice? I'm not sure yet. If the tank and all the equipment would be located in my house I wouldn't even second guess this- I'd have a chiller.

The plumbing for my current tank has the sump outside in a shed that is not ac'ed and it does make it harder to keep temps. under control in the summer and winter but the convenience is so much nicer than having everything in the house. I just open up the shed doors and open up a ball valve and let the water drain out down when I am doing water changes.
I am also still using the same chiller that was hooked up to my old tank and it runs 4 x as much as it did when the smaller tank was in the house. Granted, I am now running more lighting and more pumps but the chiller is mainly running more from having the sump outside. I am in the process of building a bigger chiller because my current one is to small for the new tank.

 

[ReefArtist]

Yeah - it seems like it's going to be a balancing act. AC for the room is great for the water outside the tank, the chiller is the best for the tank. I could go with an oversized AC unit and it would still be less $ then a chiller. I really believe it would keep my tank cool enough - mainly because the room will be enclosed. Would it really be that much different than AC we use in our house to cool the water without a chiller? More research is in the works.

plc001 - your AC unit might be large enough to handle it. When I added my unit it was "Just" for the square footage of my house and borderline at that. I have a back room that overlooks my pool that the AC can not keep up with. This room is always much hotter that the house temp. I know that if I added yet another room - it would not be good. It is a great idea and when I first install the tank through the winter it might be the way I did it. Long term I don't think it will get me through the summer.

I see you live in Largo - I do also. You'll have to come over when I get started and see how things go. It's going to be a fun and very large project. It's going to be built into the wall with cabinets under and book shelves on both sides. My house will be a mess for a few months - but it will be worth it.

 

[chrismhaase]

If you guys need an extra hand I am somewhat handy and ui have a few different tools, saws and so on. Let me know.

As for the AC issue, I think that running a line from the house's AC is a very bad idea. In most homes, the AC unit is designed for a specific size house and like someone else said the tank temp and the fish room. You might want to email Melv and ask him his thoughts on the fish room AC unit and see what he thinks after using it for sometime. FYI he is also using MH and has a somewhat similar setup that you are thinking.

Good luck, Chris

 

[CMcNeil]

carol if i were you i would build the room,place a wall unit in it and run a chiller.you will keep whatever temp you want with the AC and chiller combo.small wall units are cheap and a 7000-8000btu should work fine to keep the room temps nice.

 

[ReefArtist]

Hey chrismhaase thanks for the offer - might have to take you up on it . I just finished reading Melv's setup and his is very similar to mine. Lighting very close only difference is that I'll be using T5's and he's using some VHO's - MH are the same.

 

[ReefArtist]

Hey checkinhawk - glad you have the $ for both . Not only up front but for the long haul! I don't mind my tank being 84. I'm just looking for the most efficient way to do it and don't want nor need to over kill the cooling. Just the most efficient for the long run.