Ask your chiller related issues here

[jbrownacu]

I have a 1/3hp JBJ Artica that just 3 days ago popped up E.11 on the display screen. I am trying to search for the error but I'm having no luck.

I removed the electronic plate on the chiller and borrowed a friends to see if it would change anything, but no such luck. He has the same unit.

Any thoughts? I'm going to call JBJ tomorrow about it.

 

[jbrownacu]

jbj said it was the temp probe and i needed to ship it to them to fix it. they priced it at about $200 to get it there, fix it and get it back. does that seem right? can a hvac person fix it cheaper? can i fix it?

 

[ihavtats29]

if i remember correctly the temp probe plugs into the control board, what you need to do isgo back to your buddys house and disconect the temp probe from his control board. with a digital ohm meter set the meter to kiliohms the will be a k on the digital display. you want to measure the resistance of his temp probe and record the ohmreading and the temp reading. a temp probe is just a thermistor , and there are many places that make them and sell them , i buy mine at Kele associates

here is a link to thier site on the thermistor page of what you will be looking for
you want a encapsulated thermistor with the corrrect ohm rating .

you will also want some heat shrink tubing even though the sensor it sealed the can seep in moisture when submerged . you will seal the thermistor with the heat shrink so every part of the thermistor that is in direct contact with water is covered .

http://www.kele.com/temperature-sen.../manufacturer/precon/st-r,-st-r_r-series.aspx

 

[ahmedess]

i m thinking of getting a new chiller for my tank. Will it make a big difference in performance if i run a 60hz chiller on 50 Hz? cause

i have 50Hz electricity where i live and most of the chillers sold online in the US mention operating voltage but they dont specify the frequency, does that mean they are operable on both frequencies or what?

 

[BrunstuckyJoe]

My buddy has a 1/10 current that seems to be operating...but not chilling...everything has been cleaned and checked...might be a bad temp probe....how do we get a hold of one and how can it be checked?

 

[cherubfish pair]

I have a 1/15 hp Arctica for my nanotank. Here is a quote from the manual:

*This chiller incorporates a LED ALARM SYSTEM that displays when the water temperature reaches 2F* degrees below the desired set temp. The LED for ALARM on the controller will illuminate at this time.

So if this led comes on, it's ok as long as chiller water is circulating through the system? The circulating pump and the chiller are on the same electrical outlet which means when the pump stops, so does the chiller. In that way I don't have to worry about a cracked exchanger and if the led comes on everything should be ok?

 

[ihavtats29]

you should be fine as long as water flow stops at the same time as the chiller

 

[alex93se]

Greetings. I have an old Prime 1/4 HP chiller, that's located in my garage, chilling my 180g tank. It 'sweats' a lot (leaves a small water puddle). Could this be a problem or is it because it's located in a hot garage? Thanks.

 

[ihavtats29]

poor and loose insulation on the suction lines and the chiller bundle will cause sweating. you can re insulate the suction line comming off the compressor. it sould be as snug as possible the sell it at home depot lowes and any hvac and plumbing supply. the chiller bundle may also need to be reinsulated that insulation is called armor flex it comes in 4x8 sheets and in diferant thickness 3/8'' 1/2'' and 3/4 '' it is applyed with armorflex glue that works like rubber glue .. if your going to reinsulate the bundle and lines remove all the old armor flex from the bundle and suction line . the round armorflex for the suction line will be split in the middle with a adheasive allready applied, the bundle shoul;d be clean and free of as much of the old armor flex as possible the bundle ends should be cut out and make slits for lines that come thru these should be made as 1 piece for each side. apply glue to the bundle directly and glue to the back side of the armorflex. let it tac up and stick it together . it will make a good bond and will not come apart . press down with your hands to make sure there are no air gaps. next the outer wrap of the bundle should be cut also in 1 piece and should be flush with the outside of the end pieces you applied , repete same gluing steps if you mess up and cut it too shord you can add a strip to fill the gap ... i allways cut it a inch too big to avoid that happening. also insulating your water lines going to and from your chiller wont hurt and will increase the efficiantcy of your chil;ler avoiding any cooling loss.

 

[alex93se]

Thank you very much for the detailed answer. I'll give this a try.

 

[cherubfish pair]

I would like to drain the water out of my chiller for a few months during some rearranging, how would I do this?

 

[ihavtats29]

I would like to drain the water out of my chiller for a few months during some rearranging, how would I do this?

you can just pour it out if the chiller is not going to be ran for 24 hrs or more, or you can blow thru the hose to force the water out, i will stress if you turn over the chiller or lay it on its side , do not leave it in that position, only as long as it is needed to get the water out , what happens is the oil in the compressor will migrate to the top of the head internaly and if it is not up righted and let to sit for 24 -48 hrs before starting you can bend the valves and mess up the bearings on the rod , crank and motor, also you can just pump some ro in to the chiller and cap it with 1 piece of hose from port to port , and when you are ready just pump some new sw thru it to clear it out before you hook it back up.

 

[BFG]

I would like to drain the water out of my chiller for a few months during some rearranging, how would I do this?

I would blow out the water and replace it with clean water and keep it aside. I feel that the internal part MIGHT rust or something due to exposure to air so I kept my spare chiller that way. Just my preference.

 

[ihavtats29]

there is no way it would rust , if so it would rust during operation . the heat exchanger is made of plastic and titanium,

 

[samhon]

hi ihavtats29

I have some questions in regards to compressor type chiller.

Currently there are 2 types of coil,

1) rubber insulated copper coil

2) titanium coil

Could anyone enlighten me on the difference between this 2?
I have some conflicting information from the 2 types of coil, one compressor dealer shared with me that titanium coils are problematic and it's hard to replace. He sounded like many people who previously installed titanium coil were running into problems and it could not be rectified. Thus he suggested I use the insulated copper coils

Another dealer suggested that I used the titanium coil as no insulation is required as titanium is reef safe, thus cooling will be faster and more efficient.



really appreciate it

God bless

 

[ihavtats29]

i would not chance a insulated copper coil in a reef tank. the odds of the titanium ciol defecting is slim, i have had no issues with the titanium coils and feel much safer with them, and as a personal preferance i would not want to take the chance of any kind of copper getting into my system.in the last 5 years ive been repairing chillers for people in my area i have only een 1 that had a issue with the titanium coil leaking refridgerant inside the chiller evap bundle, and yes getting a replacement is dificult. also you will get a the heat exchange from the titanium coil will perform better. so as you can tell i say titanium over rubber and copper

 

[freeswimmingfis]

So, I bought a used chiller that has a broken fitting.
It is just like this one:
http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaEuro...-AquaEuroUSA-ED1117-FICHINTCBC-ED1117-vi.html
It was broken off at the base. The fitting is on the reservoir chamber section and is a molded part of the box that has the cooling coils in it. It broke off flush. It is the threaded fitting that the barb fitting screws onto.
I want to use a tap to make new threads and use a threaded fitting that I will use Weldon 16 or PVC cement to bond it into place.

Another question...this will make the ID 3/4", it was originally 1". Will this reduce performance? Should the smaller one be the input? Does it matter?

Is there an better way to make this repair?

 

[freeswimmingfis]

Another question:
Should I cut the other side off and tap it the same way, so both sides match the ID size?

 

[ihavtats29]

i would try the repair first , if it holds and you have no worries with the repait and how it is holding up, then go for it

 

[freeswimmingfis]

After another inspection, the other side looked a little questionable. So I cut the fitting off, tapped new threads and put new barbed fittings on. I did not use PVC cement or the Weldon 16, but just wrapped the threads with teflon tape. I have been running a Aquaclear 70 power head (it's all I had) for a few hours from a bucket now with no leaks at all. I plugged the chiller in, set the controller for 74. The compresser came on for a few mins, turned off and the display said 74! I checked it with a floating thermeter and it also said 74!!! It has turned on a few times for about 20 seconds when the temp reached 75, then back off at 74.
I would say this was the best $150 I have spent!! Plus the $1.25 for the barbed fittings...
Thats right, $150 for a 1/3 HP Chiller!