Ask your chiller related issues here

[Pickupman66]

so yours is 110 or 220 volt you plug it in? should be 110, so anything rated for at least 110 should work. I didnt know they had a fuse on them. I have a 1/3 one that is junk in the garage, I dont remember seeing it having a fuse. if yours plugs into a standard outlet, it is rated at 110. I dont think they get to 220v until they get to 1hp.

 

[jdemarco]

Chiller Fuse Keeps Blowing

Chiller Fuse Keeps Blowing

Need some help advice on chiller fuse that keeps burning out. My chiller is a Current 1/4 HP chiller which worked flawlessly for me for the past 2 years and i recently had a problem with a stealth heater plugged into the heater port on the chiller. The heater is gone and i have since replaced the 15a 250v fuse that burned out and now everytime i plug the chiller back in even without any heater plugged into the port the chiller temp gauge and lights come back on but after being plugged in for about 5 minutes it blows the chiller fuse. I am not even talking about the chiller coming on to work to chill or heat...i am simply plugging it in and while I am programming it or trying to within about 5 minutes it blows the devices fuse. have you ever seen this before? did the heater ruin something inside the chiller? can i reset it or something? Its been in the same place and plugged into the same electrical outlet for 2 years and never had a problem until my heater failed me. Any thoughts on what i can do to troubleshoot? who can i call to fix this? I took the cover off and nothing is visibly wrong. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated...thanks for reading this post.

 

[ihavtats29]

sounds like you have a ground or short in either the wiring or control board , it could even be the transformer in the control board, another possibility that the wiring in the compressor shorting out, you can put a new fuse in and check the amp draw of the black wire from the power cord to see if you are exceeding the amp rating of the fuse, loose or corroaded wiring will also cause this issue even the fuse not seated correctly, also check or isolate the outlet in the chiller you had the heater connected to it may be faulty or when the heater failed it messed up or shorted the relay in the control board that controls that outlet ......

 

[ihavtats29]

also forgot to mention the fuses for most chillers are time delay and some are 650v your best bet is to order one from the manufacture or even call them to get the specs for the fuse.the OEM fuse will have a # on it letters and digits you want to match it

 

[ihavtats29]

just did a little read up on your chiller

Short cycling
Please allow your chiller to operate for a minimum of 48 hours for it to reach the desired setpoint. If the chiller turns on/off in a repeated cycle, this indicates that:
1. The chiller is over heating.
Ensure that enough air flow is flowing through the chiller. The chiller may need to be moved away from a wall or from underneath the stand to allow proper air flow.
2. The fuse needs to be replaced.
The fuse for this chiller is located in the back of the chiller next to the power cord. Replacement fuses can be purchased locally at a hardware or automotive store.
To remove the fuse, simply unscrew the cap in a counter clockwise and remove fuse from cap. Replace with a new fuse and screw cap back on. Fuse is 250V/15A.

Please Note: This port is to be used with aquarium heaters up to 300 watts only. We ONLY recommend using UL listed aquarium heaters.

 

[Matco_woody]

Pacific Coast CL-600

Pacific Coast CL-600

I just purchased a CL-600 Chiller from a LFS and I am having issues. I have it plumbed to a 25 gallon test container. I am getting good circulation, LED display is on and set (showing water temp at 80), and internal fan is on. All is good except it is not chilling. I have the temp set at 60 and it has been running for two hours and nothing. There does not seem to be a fuse accessable and the manual I found online offer no help. The compressor is not cycling. Any suggestions?

 

[iaJim]

Go back to your LFS.

 

[Matco_woody]

Thank you for the advice.

 

[ihavtats29]

sorry for the late reply but ive been pretty busy at work being the time of the year i work long hrs ,,,,,, anyway anytine u purchase something from a local store and i does not work return it asap! they should exchange it for a new one as long as it was not used

 

[expyman]

Ok here it goes.... I have a new 800gallon acrylic fish only tank. Temp is already hitting 85 so i will have to run a chiller. I would like one that the compressor is outside and yes it will have to be chilling in the winter as well... Can i just buy a oceanic 1hp chiller and call an ac company to remove the compressor and install it outside?? or am i better off buying a outdoor ac unit and putting a titanium coil in the sump???? any help is appreciated thanks

 

[fatoldsun]

Hi Jim/others:
This thread is a huge help but I think I've learned just enough to know I'm probably screwed - lesson is you get what you pay for.... and sorry to be asking in the "˜heat' of the busty season.
I found what was listed as a 1/3 HP Current drop-in on craigslist for $200. Seemed like a good deal and 1/3 may have been more than I needed if it were in-line but drop ins seemed less efficient from what I could find. Most of what I've read on here deal with the in-lines but the mechanics should be pretty similar. I have a 90g with a 40sump and the tank is in a glass sunroom that gets kind of hot in the summer even with the house AC cranking. Plan was to put the chiller in the stand and vent it - there's no way to use that chiller out of the stand b/c the drop-in probe lead is only 5' and the probe itself is too large to slip behind the stand. anyway I wanted to see if/how it worked before I started on the venting mods. When I picked up the chiller it was what I expected - an older unit with a separate Ranco thermostat (I know the newer ones have that built in) but there was NO badge, plate etc... indicating what it was. It looked like a current and I don't think they make that many drop-ins so I took him at his word. Also he plugged it in and standing outside in 90+ degrees it felt like it got cold in my hand so I took it. Set everything up and I got NO cooling. It ran for 48 hours without dropping the temp a degree. I hooked a box fan to the Ranco and evaporative cooling did it in 5 minutes and shut off the fan.
Last night I opened it up and I found it to be pretty clean "“ it showed its age but that should be fine. No caked on dust, no filter that I could find. Fan worked fine. The compressor was running hot but I assume that's to be expected. I did notice an area of rust that may have indicated a refrigerant leak "“ that pic is below. I also took shots of the compressor label and the capacitor label "“ the compressor shows that it was made by Matsushita/Panasonic in Singapore "“ Anyone know if that's consistent with Current products? Capacitor says it's Mallory (made in USA "“ same Co. as the ignition systems for cars? Makes sense since it's a Cap). Any thoughts? Is it worth investing more in this trying to get it fixed? I'm handy (meaning I can do some basic plumbing/sweating and other basic mechanics) but I wouldn't try and fix the A/C in my car or take apart my fridge and rebuild it so I think recharging and compression testing are over my head and exceed the limits of my tools. Did I just throw away $200 or is there a way to salvage this situation?

Here's the unit, cover removed

the evidence of a possible leak

compressor label

 

[kctango]

I would think that you could have the leak repaired at any a/c repair shop then refill the the system with 134a and test again.

 

[ihavtats29]

sounds like you have little or no refridgerant in the system. rust spot is not a leak if there was visable leak you would see oil near the leak the rust is from sweating of the refridgerant lines ( normal ) . the leak could be in 1 of 2 places either the valve core under the black plastic cap on the liquid line or on the hose fittings either on the droping coil or near the base unit, i would give the valve core a little push to check for preasure, if there is preasure you mite be able to fix the issue by replacing the valve core in the system and recharging the unit with w proper charge . contact the manufacture for the amount of 134-a that u need. make sure to remove the refridgerand slowly to avoid blowing the oil from the system. recovery of the system is the proper way and can be done by any hvac repair tech. replace the valve core same tech should have some with him and have them put a vaccum on the system and charge the correct weight of refridgerant into the unit. it should then cool correctly
if u find a tech around your area they may do it on the side for you for a good price . and should not take more than a hr to do. you can charge it yourself with a adapter kit for cars pre 134a . i do not suggest using charges with oil in them or stop leak in the they can damage your unit use only a can with refridgerant only in it !

 

[tastydog]

I just came up on a Oceanic 1/4hp chiller that was setup on a 120g tank. I am going to set it up on my 90g and the return pump I have fits within specs. I noticed that the pump they were using to feed it was much larger than it should have been. They were using a mag 12 to feed it. What should I do to this chiller before I install it?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks for providing the help that you do here. Even diy people like me can be in over their head when it comes to HVAC.

I bought an Aqua Euro chiller (1 hp model) 6 months ago. The chiller turns on, runs for a minute or two (max) and then shuts off for 3-5 minutes (max). This 'cycling' goes on all day and into the evening. At night the aquarium doesn't need chilling much if at all and by late in the evening the chiller quits cycling. I ran it for a month or so in the house before I moved it outside and it ran fine. Now it is housed in a plastic storage unit. I have opened up both ends of the storage unit for better air flow and even built a 'duct' the size of the exhaust from the back of the chiller to route the warm air outside of the storage unit. By the way, we live in SW Florida and the day time temps currently are running in the low 90s. The chiller and storage unit are up againt the north wall of the house and never get in the direct sun. And I raised the 'roof' of the storage unit to vent out any heat build up in the unit. The chiller is working fine in terms of keeping the aquariums between 78-80 degrees. We have a 180 gallon reef, 85 gallon anemone tank and a 130 gallon sump/refugium. The main sump pump is a 3000gph in water pump that is dead quiet and seems to run quite cool (this pump can run as external as well). The temp in the tanks don’t seem to go up or down at all when the chiller turns on and off. It seems to just hold the temp. The water to the chiller is pulled out of the sump by the 3000gph pump which feeds a manifold and returns to the 180g reef tank. The water in the manifold goes about 35% to the 180g reef, 20% to the 85g anemone tank, 10% to a GFO reactor & nitrate reactor and the balance, 35% (about 1000gph) to the chiller. The display tank and chiller are the first feeds off the manifold and the anemone tank and reactors are further downstream from the chiller. I have tried changing the flow rate to the chiller from much less, maybe 3-400gph all the way up to over 75%, or 2200gph. I had hoped that a higher flow would keep the water in the chiller at a constant temp and stop the cycling, but it had no effect. The lines to the chiller are 12-15' long in each direction (half inside the house and half outside in the shade) and covered with pipe insulation.
Questions:
Is this short cycling bad or hard on the chiller?
If it is harmful, do you have any ideas on what I can do to stop it from short cycling?

Again, thanks,
Ron

 

[ihavtats29]

there is not much you can do to stop the cycling , from what you are saying is that the chiller is keeping the tanks at temp though out the day. the cycling if the compressor is what is keeping the water at temp when it is reaching its set point it quits chilling, cutting back the flow may only cause it to cycle more , i believe you can try putting a little more flow on the chiller so that it is under more load. doing so should cause it to run longer cycles. you can also set your temp control for a extra 1 or 2 degrees . something else that can be done is putting a delay on make timer on the control er if its even possible then you can add time from 1-5 extra minutes or longer depending on the timer its self. its a simple conection where you are breaking the power from the controler to the compressor and adding this timer and set the delay to where you want it. as for damage to the compressor as long as it is not short cycling every 1 imn to 30 seconds it should not damage the compressor. also being out side make sure you water lines are well insulated individualy keeping the hot out door air from changing the temp of the water before and after it goes thru the chiller and blow out the condencer often.

here is a link to the timer im talking about from a supply store i trust/ i would not go as far as adding it unless you feel it a real need.

http://www.uri.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP...egoryID=xEsKFgIKOQAAAAEtXB4N9LAu&OnlineFlag=1

 

[567234ta]

Got any pics of the titanium heat exchanger? I would love to build my own chiller setup but the stumbling block is no copper can be in the water. Are there any other metals that are reef safe?

 

[ihavtats29]

308 grade stainless steal can be used but will not have the heat transfur rate you will need, the heat exchanger its self is just a piece of 1/4'' or 3/8'' titanium subing that is coiled up and inclosed in a plastic container . a piece of 6'' pvc with a cap on 1 side and another cap tapped for the refridgerant lines and in/out water lines to be attached. the titaniun tubing should come thru the cap and flared to a 1/4'' lfare fitting to attach to the liquid and suction lines.

 

[567234ta]

308 grade stainless steal can be used but will not have the heat transfur rate you will need, the heat exchanger its self is just a piece of 1/4'' or 3/8'' titanium subing that is coiled up and inclosed in a plastic container . a piece of 6'' pvc with a cap on 1 side and another cap tapped for the refridgerant lines and in/out water lines to be attached. the titaniun tubing should come thru the cap and flared to a 1/4'' lfare fitting to attach to the liquid and suction lines.

Thanks for the info, i had built a a few very similar setups for computer cooling, but i think i will just buy a chiller anyways since it will be easier. What type of compressors do the JBJ units have? Does anyone use the Danfoss compressors?
I know they were considered the best when i was doing extreme computer cooling.

 

[ihavtats29]

ive seen them use diferant brands from japanese to american made depending on the unit to the tonnage of the compressor varies on what one they will use