Ask your chiller related issues here

[ros_sco]

I have a 1/5 HP JBJ Arctica chiller that the compressor will not start without bumping the chiller. The green light that indicates it wants to cool comes on but unless I bump the cabinet nothing happens and the temperature will just keep going up. Bump the cabinet and the chiller starts up and cools down just fine. Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[ihavtats29]

you have a weak capasitor or a shorted wiring in the comp section , check wiring and loose or corroaded fittings should be replaced . if that dont fix it the capasitor needs to be replaced. if problen still persists a hard start kit will be needed to give the extra boost and will take care if it

 

[ros_sco]

Thanks for the quick response. All of the wiring was intact , I checked all the connections including detaching and reattaching them. There is no corrosion. I called JBJ today and ordered some parts, a power relay assembly with overload protector. (what the representative called it) Hopefully that is what I need.

 

[ihavtats29]

Thanks for the quick response. All of the wiring was intact , I checked all the connections including detaching and reattaching them. There is no corrosion. I called JBJ today and ordered some parts, a power relay assembly with overload protector. (what the representative called it) Hopefully that is what I need.

let me know if it worked out , they should have had you replace the capastior with it as well. as a rule of thumb when replaceing the starting components on a single phase motor/ compressor you should replace all of them not just a part or 2 . that what happens when someone is reading the service tips from a book and not having hands on exp

 

[ros_sco]

The parts that were sent were these. I installed them and my problem hasn't changed.
There are no more external parts on the compressor available to replace that I can see. Is there maybe something wrong with the compressor?

 

[ihavtats29]

thats the overload on the left and the relay on the right
before you claim the compressor is bad i would replace the capasitor
its a round plastic and about 2.5 to 3 inchs tall mounts on the frame of the unit to the left of the compressor and has 2 wires comming out of it , if the cap is bad it wont start

 

[JohnM99]

Apologies is this question has already been answered. What I would like to know is - is there a kind of chiller / heating system that can be used in places that hardly ever need chilling? I live in a very temperate place, and maybe a handful of days in a year would I need chilling for my tank - so I just run a fan on a thermostat blowing over my refugium, and heat with an Ebo Jager heater in my sump. This actually works very well most of the time, but has occasionally failed. (Of course this only happens when I am away on holiday - have lost my whole coral collection twice in 8 years this way - once through a dead fan, and once through a plug getting a bit loose) I am toying with the idea of breaking down and rebuilding my system, and was thinking of adding a chiller as insurance. But, if the chiller would rarely come on - and only in July or August on a few occasions - is there a problem with this? Would that impair the chiller, or make it less reliable? Would it still need maintenance during the "off-season" ?

Or should I just forget it and get a 2nd redundant fan organized?

Many thanks for your time.
John

 

[ros_sco]

Apparently there is no capacitor on this model. I spoke to the JBJ rep again on Monday and discussed the failure to start and since the first try didn't work, it was recommended that I try a new fan motor. The theory given to me was the relay won't give the start signal if the fan doesn't start. I recieved the fan motor and installed it tonight and the very first try I still had to whack the case to get it to start even though the "cool" light lit up. I am into this for $150 and I have gotten nowhere. JBJ has asked that I send it in to get looked at, but paying shipping to and from their shop plus the repair sounds like more than a 4 year old chiller is worth. Is there an aftermarket or add on capacitor I can get to make this thing work, or should I just junk it and get a new one.

This is the inside of the chiller.

 

[markster33139]

Problem with Aqua Logic 1/3 hp drop-in chiller

Problem with Aqua Logic 1/3 hp drop-in chiller

I have the above chiller, and in the last couple of days I have noticed a potential problem. I have noticed that the compressor fan, will kick on for several minutes, before the compressor turns on. When the preset temperature is reached, sometimes both will shut off, and other times the compressor shuts off, while the fan continues to run for a few minutes. The tank remains cool, and there does not appear to be any operational problems. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Is this the beginning of a potential compressor malfunction? Anyone with experience with chillers please help, I am going on vacation in 5 days, and I really need a quick answer. Thanks.

 

[ihavtats29]

I have the above chiller, and in the last couple of days I have noticed a potential problem. I have noticed that the compressor fan, will kick on for several minutes, before the compressor turns on. When the preset temperature is reached, sometimes both will shut off, and other times the compressor shuts off, while the fan continues to run for a few minutes. The tank remains cool, and there does not appear to be any operational problems. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Is this the beginning of a potential compressor malfunction? Anyone with experience with chillers please help, I am going on vacation in 5 days, and I really need a quick answer. Thanks.

its a sign of weak starting components and should be replaced the fan and compressor should come on at the same time , what is most likely happening is that the capasitor is weak and is takeing time to build up enough power to kick start the compressor another possible cause would be the potential relay, and last but not least another possible issue could be weak motor windings in the compressor. i would suggest replacing the relay and run capasitor . if that does not fix the issue the problem is mostlikely the motor windings and you can get away with addind a hard start kit to the unit , the make a simple 2 wire kit that directly connects to the run cap for around $20 . start with the factory parts first like i said.

 

[ihavtats29]

Apologies is this question has already been answered. What I would like to know is - is there a kind of chiller / heating system that can be used in places that hardly ever need chilling? I live in a very temperate place, and maybe a handful of days in a year would I need chilling for my tank - so I just run a fan on a thermostat blowing over my refugium, and heat with an Ebo Jager heater in my sump. This actually works very well most of the time, but has occasionally failed. (Of course this only happens when I am away on holiday - have lost my whole coral collection twice in 8 years this way - once through a dead fan, and once through a plug getting a bit loose) I am toying with the idea of breaking down and rebuilding my system, and was thinking of adding a chiller as insurance. But, if the chiller would rarely come on - and only in July or August on a few occasions - is there a problem with this? Would that impair the chiller, or make it less reliable? Would it still need maintenance during the "off-season" ?

Or should I just forget it and get a 2nd redundant fan organized?

Many thanks for your time.
John

Many chillers on the market have outlets on them for heating control, as for what heater you use i suggest a high quality brand name heater with a built in t-stat as backup, but id a chiller is not needed and fans are doing the job for you on the few hot days you do have i suggest a reef controller like a reefkeeper jr or simular that can control your heater and also bring on the fans and/ or shut down your lights if the tank gets too warm

jim

 

[ihavtats29]

Apparently there is no capacitor on this model. I spoke to the JBJ rep again on Monday and discussed the failure to start and since the first try didn't work, it was recommended that I try a new fan motor. The theory given to me was the relay won't give the start signal if the fan doesn't start. I recieved the fan motor and installed it tonight and the very first try I still had to whack the case to get it to start even though the "cool" light lit up. I am into this for $150 and I have gotten nowhere. JBJ has asked that I send it in to get looked at, but paying shipping to and from their shop plus the repair sounds like more than a 4 year old chiller is worth. Is there an aftermarket or add on capacitor I can get to make this thing work, or should I just junk it and get a new one.

This is the inside of the chiller.

in my 12 years in the heating and cooling industry i have never seen a single phase compressor that did not have a capacitor on it. unless they are useing a split phase style motor in the compressors they chose for production. if they are they are not commonly used , what you can do is on the compressor there is a make M# and S# contact the manufacture of the compressor they will be able to tell you for sure if it needs a capacitor or not, as for the fan if you were to look closely at the fan motor wiring that they connect in splices where the crush style wire nuts are. if you were to follow those wires you will see that they also run directly to the compressor. there is no signal sent from a fan motor to the controller.

the fan motor is wired with 2 wires. 1 to common connection and the other to the power connection. A run cap and or a run/start cap can be added to to a slpit phase compressor and would not be to difficult to do.

here is a basic wiring diagram for single phase compressors.

http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14259/css/14259_294.htm

this may help you

a little lesson on split phase motor circuits

Split Phase Motors have medium starting torque and are normally used for operating fans in the fractional horsepower range. These motors have two motor windings, the start and the run winding which require help so to speak when starting and or running.

These Motors are referred to as split-phase because a single power voltage supply is split between two individual windings, the RUN and the START. Both windings are used in the starting application of these motors, although once the motor reaches three fourths of its rated speed some means of removing the start winding from the circuit must be employed, such as a centrifugal switch.

On start-up, voltage is applied to both the start and run windings of the motor which causes the motor to start to turn. Once the motor reaches 75% of its rated speed, the contacts of the centrifugal switch open, thus removing that start winding from the motor circuit. The starting torque and running efficiency of Split-Phase motors can be enhanced by the addition of a run or start capacitor, or perhaps both.

 

[markster33139]

Thanks for your help, I will look into replacing those parts.

 

[Bandomo]

What would be the better choice, allowing the chiller to run utilizing its built-in t-stat, or powering on/off the chiller via my Reefkeeper?

The problem I'm having with my Teco chiller is that the fan continuously stays on even thou the compressor is off. The compressor turns on 4-5 times for roughly 20 minutes throughout the day. The fan on the other hand continuously stays on for 8 hours plus. Is this normal?

Also, the fan is extremely loud so I would like to avoid running it as much as possible. Another issue is dialing the t-stat from the chiller and the t-stat from my reefkeeper to work in unison. Even thou I've calibrate both to read the same temp, one always seems to fall off track. I would love for the Reefkeeper to controller the chiller but I'm worried that constantly switching the chiller on/off can cause some damage. After all, this is not a cheap $35 heater we're talking about. What should I do?

 

[Gandolfe]

can a chiller go bad

can a chiller go bad

I recently hooked up my chiller that had been sitting for 4 years due to a bad fan. i got the fan working again but the chiller doesn't seem to be working very efficiently.Can it go bad from sitting? Do i need to add freon? it's a 1/3 HP chiller and hooked up to a 125 gallon tank with aproximatley 100 gallons total water volume

 

[ihavtats29]

I recently hooked up my chiller that had been sitting for 4 years due to a bad fan. i got the fan working again but the chiller doesn't seem to be working very efficiently.Can it go bad from sitting? Do i need to add freon? it's a 1/3 HP chiller and hooked up to a 125 gallon tank with aproximatley 100 gallons total water volume

if you had a leak in the system it may be low look at the valve caps for any oil and under the caps for oil , if there is any kind of oil showing there is a leak and you are low on refrigerant. there can also be some build up of film /mold/ algae inside the heat exchanger from sitting all that time , it can be cleaned out by circulating a some vinegar water thru the system for a few hrs to overnight depending how dirty it is , just use a 5 gal bucket and a decent sized pump to move enough water thru it let the vinegar water drain back into the bucket and just let it run it will eat up and calcium deposits and any other trash inside the exchanger

 

[ihavtats29]

What would be the better choice, allowing the chiller to run utilizing its built-in t-stat, or powering on/off the chiller via my Reefkeeper?

The problem I'm having with my Teco chiller is that the fan continuously stays on even thou the compressor is off. The compressor turns on 4-5 times for roughly 20 minutes throughout the day. The fan on the other hand continuously stays on for 8 hours plus. Is this normal?

Also, the fan is extremely loud so I would like to avoid running it as much as possible. Another issue is dialing the t-stat from the chiller and the t-stat from my reefkeeper to work in unison. Even thou I've calibrate both to read the same temp, one always seems to fall off track. I would love for the Reefkeeper to controller the chiller but I'm worried that constantly switching the chiller on/off can cause some damage. After all, this is not a cheap $35 heater we're talking about. What should I do?

if the fan is dirty or has any dust or corrosion on the bearing sleeves it will be noisy , the motor can be oiled with some house hold oil that is used for stopping squeaky doors exct... also and build up of dirt on the fan blade will cause noise issues. as for the fan running all the time it depends on the manufacture and how the have the fan wired in, in most models the fan should not be running if the chiller is not calling for cooling , i would contact the manufacture about that and they can tell you for sure.

as for connecting to your reef keeper it will be ok you will have to set the chillers t-stat a degree lower or higher to avoid short cycling . single phase motors in compressors will sometimes not restart right away when a cycle is less than a few minutes , some chillers have built in timers to prevent that from happening.

 

[kuch123]

Hi, i have a Tradewind drop in chiller, 1/4hp i think.. it came with a tank i just bought. The wand/coil that goes in the sump has a point on it that is corroded through (rust color) .. is it possible to replace it?

 

[RockieTop]

I am a Hvac/r service tech with 13 years in the business, for the last 3 years ive been repairing chillers for the local reefing comunity , if your having and issues with your chiller i will be glad to help ,

jim

Jim, I am new here - I've come over to you reef folks because I know you guys have much more experience with chillers than us freshwater planted tank guys. I hope you can give me some pointers, as I have a Polar Bear CC-50 1/4 hp (340w) on the hook. Someone on craigslist has one for sale for $300. He claims it's never been used, but the manufacture date is 2004. 8 years makes me a little nervous...

This is not the actual chiller but is the same vintage as the one I'm looking at: e-bay item # 220861828673

Can you please give me an idea of what I should look out for with this unit? Are there seals that dry out? Can a compressor seize up from lack of use? Neoprene ozone problems? His pix look make it look brand new. I'd just like to go check this unit out and have a little more than intuition behind me.

Any pointers you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :wave:

 

[RockieTop]

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