Ask your chiller related issues here

[mcslater]

Typically on 134a low is 35-40 and high 150-200 but that depends on what type of system you have; low or high pressure. It also depends on condenser air temp and evaporator temp. It is better to charge by super heat rather than pressure. Much more accurate.

Could we dumb this down a little??:debi:
I didnt think a little chiller press was that high!!

 

[Plato]

I did.:ape:

 

[MstgKillr]

I have a 1/2 HP Sealine SL500A and realized that it's not cooling at all. The display works and it cylces on and off depending on the tank temperature but it's not actually cooling, my other fans are doing all the work. The chiller sounds like it is operating ok, it might be a little louder than normal but it sounds like the compressor is running.

Could it just be low on refrigerant? If so, it it worth trying to repair a leak?

Any other ideas or troubleshooting steps that I can try?

How do I know if the compressor is bad?

 

[ihavtats29]

Would anyone happen to know the low side operation pressure for a 1/3hp Prime Current chiller??? hmm pleaase.....

if you checked the pressure your system is now low on refrigerant, the low side/suction pressure will differ depending on the temp the heat exchanger is at,
but typically in a refrigeration unit , 134a will run at 35 to 40 psi but like i said, it all depends on the temp

 

[ihavtats29]

I have a 1/2 HP Sealine SL500A and realized that it's not cooling at all. The display works and it cylces on and off depending on the tank temperature but it's not actually cooling, my other fans are doing all the work. The chiller sounds like it is operating ok, it might be a little louder than normal but it sounds like the compressor is running.

Could it just be low on refrigerant? If so, it it worth trying to repair a leak?

Any other ideas or troubleshooting steps that I can try?

How do I know if the compressor is bad?

try checking the condenser coil make sure it is clean and blown out with some compressed air, clean the filter , there are 2 copper lines coming out of the compressor. one will be HOT to the touch the other will be cold , you will also feel vibration in the compressor, another way it to use a amp probe to see ig it is pulling any amps. if you see and oil anywhere around the coil lines or compressor it is a sign of a leak and may be low.. is it worth repairing? a refrigeration repair tech can fix a leak and check for one , will roughly cost you $75 a hr plus cost of refrigerant about $60 a lb and any other parts it may need. in most cases it costs almost as much to repair a unit as it is to replace it. another way to check for leaks is to spray down the lines and connections with soapy water . it will bubble up where a leak is present.

 

[mcslater]

if you checked the pressure your system is now low on refrigerant, the low side/suction pressure will differ depending on the temp the heat exchanger is at,
but typically in a refrigeration unit , 134a will run at 35 to 40 psi but like i said, it all depends on the temp

that was fine until the chiller cycled off and the static press went threw the roof!!! So I left it and the next morning, static press dropped by itself. 20 psi went somewhere.. when I plugged the chiller in the low side was almost in a vacuum.. Good thing a buddy that I served with for almost 20yrs with owns the only saltwater fish store in the area!!! the chiller has no external leaks, holds 30" vacuum. Serviced with 8 oz 134a and still drops into a vacuum. Dryer bulb clogged?? :headwalls: Gotta new Deep Blue Kyros 1/4 on the way!!!

 

[ihavtats29]

i would imagine that it needs a new dryer and replace the liquid line as well. it is a capillary tube and the smallest particle can stop it up. with the drier and liquid line out of the system blow some dry nitrogen thru the system to remove anything that may be causing the issue. replace the dryer and the liquid line , pull a micron vacuum of 500 microns or lower. and recharge the system

 

[mcslater]

Just hooked up my Deepblue Kryos 1/4hp. A little smaller and a lot quieter than my last. Not really blown away with its performance but time will tell.. pity i couldn't find any reviews. im sure im not the only reefer that owns one... i hope

 

[karimwassef]

I scavenged my old fridge to make a DIY chiller. I have the compressor, condenser coils, fan, and expansion pipe. The only part I could not salvage was the evaporator coil. I've sweated copper pipe for water plumbing, but never for refrigerant. I'm also not sure how to add the gas.

Can you recommend a website or other resources to help? I have 3 questions:

1. How long a pipe do I make the evaporator coil from?
2. Can I solder join the same kinds of copper pipes used for water plumbing?
3. How do I add the refrigerant (controlled pressure, etc...)

Thanks

 

[BrassMonkey]

with leds my chiller sits in the closet. im building a cloud chamber and thinking of using it as a first stage. if i bypassed the thermostat, how cold could it go and would it damage the unit?

lol

 

[ihavtats29]

I scavenged my old fridge to make a DIY chiller. I have the compressor, condenser coils, fan, and expansion pipe. The only part I could not salvage was the evaporator coil. I've sweated copper pipe for water plumbing, but never for refrigerant. I'm also not sure how to add the gas.

Can you recommend a website or other resources to help? I have 3 questions:

1. How long a pipe do I make the evaporator coil from?
2. Can I solder join the same kinds of copper pipes used for water plumbing?
3. How do I add the refrigerant (controlled pressure, etc...)

Thanks

for the evap you do not want to use copper. instead you want to use titanium tubing and use flare connections to join it to the copper.
as for sweating the copper connections . you want to use silfos , the solder used in plumbing will not hold up to the pressures of refrigerant.
as for adding the refrigerant you will need a service port on the suction side of the compressor and one on the liquid line . pull a vacuum and add a few oz of liquid refrigerant to the liquid line , as for a proper charge you want to measure the suction line temp and using a refrigerant chart take the pressure on the suction line as well and find the temp corresponding on the chart. you will subtract the liquid line temp from the temp on the chart. that is your super heat temp . you are looking for about 6 degrees of superheat using r-134a. make sure when charging the system you have water running thru the heat exchanger that you build.

 

[ihavtats29]

with leds my chiller sits in the closet. im building a cloud chamber and thinking of using it as a first stage. if i bypassed the thermostat, how cold could it go and would it damage the unit?

lol

i do not quite get your question. if you have led's on your tank you should not need a chiller unless you house stays warm .

 

[karimwassef]

Great. Thank you.

I have both titanium and copper tubing. I was planning on wrapping the cold copper around the salt water running titanium inside a cooler with additional foam insulation.

 

[Potterk2010]

What to use

What to use

Hi I just set upgraded my skimmer to a reef octopus 200 external on my 55gal tall with a 10 gal sump. It increases my temp by 5 deg up to 80 in a seahorse tank. I need to get the temp down to 74 which is the temp in my house. I have a cooling fan blowing on the sump water but it seems small. My question is could I use an ice prob chiller to drop it the few degrees or do I need a chiller. If I get a chiller what should I get. Thanks for any help.

 

[MstgKillr]

try checking the condenser coil make sure it is clean and blown out with some compressed air, clean the filter , there are 2 copper lines coming out of the compressor. one will be HOT to the touch the other will be cold , you will also feel vibration in the compressor, another way it to use a amp probe to see ig it is pulling any amps. if you see and oil anywhere around the coil lines or compressor it is a sign of a leak and may be low.. is it worth repairing? a refrigeration repair tech can fix a leak and check for one , will roughly cost you $75 a hr plus cost of refrigerant about $60 a lb and any other parts it may need. in most cases it costs almost as much to repair a unit as it is to replace it. another way to check for leaks is to spray down the lines and connections with soapy water . it will bubble up where a leak is present.

The chiller was working like it was supposed to. My temperature probe on my controller was not in the water.

 

[sasquachh]

Oceanic 1/4 hp chiller (model 01503) won't start.

Oceanic 1/4 hp chiller (model 01503) won't start.

Hello all,
I just bought a used water chiller that was working well when I bought it (yesterday). I carefully brought it home, set it up, turned on the pump (600gph) then after turning the chiller on I adjusted the temp and set it. The display shows the current temp and checking the set temp (69 degrees) it's correct. The water input / output lines are correct.
The problem is the system never starts, the display is working but the fan / compressor never kicks in.
Does anyone know what the problem could be?
Sure would appreciate any help.
Thank you.

 

[m-six hundred]

Does anyone know the part numbers to the capacitor and the start relay for a 1/3 jbj chiller?

 

[BrownieMinusEye]

Not directly related to reef keeping, but I'm looking to get a reliable alternative chiller for a mass spectrometer. The chiller provided with the instrument is notoriously low quality and typically only lasted 3-4 years before needing to be replaced (I think the pump is the usual weakest link). Because the mass spec itself costs roughly $500K the company can get away with charging $8-9K for a chiller that should only cost about a tenth of that.

The current chiller is 900W with 3074 BTU of cooling power. It has to cool about 2.5 gallons of distilled water to 20C(68F) with a 0.1C(0.2F) range of fluctuation. It seems to have 2 internal pumps that operate at 126 gph and 240 gph at 60 psi. I've talked to technical support and they are just standard impeller pumps. It uses flexible plastic tubing to get the water from the chiller to the instrument and there isn't any sort of communication between the mass spec and the chiller so no issues there.

The only thing I can see as an issue with the above requirements is possibly the pretty low temp fluctuation required. Are there any really reliable chillers that would fit these specs that are recommended?

 

[karimwassef]

I had a old 1/2 hp chiller (1999) in storage and when I tested it, it ran without cooling. It worked great when I stored it. I think the coolant is low but I dont know where to get started. call a refrigerator or ac repair man?

I'm in Dallas, TX by the way.

 

[DiverDave2]

Thank you for such a great thread! Been on it for over 2 hours putting it all in perspective. Haven't found exactly what I'm look for so"¦

Coralife Aqua-Chill 1/6hp. Been hardly used and in storage. Displays the E1 code and does not run. Haven't confirmed the exact temp probe but looks exactly like"¦

http://www.aquariumpart.com/Current_USA_Chiller_Temperature_Probe_2841_p/rcu02841.htm

I can try to replace the probe, or I can use my Reefkeeper to control the chiller (which I would do anyways). My question is, would/does the compressor and fan circuit run on 120v? If so I assume that I can bypass the chillers internal control unit and hard wire the compressor/fan circuit directly after the fuse. Yes?

Again my thanks for your assistance, dedication, and this thread!

Respectfully,
DiverDave