I was wanting to take a poll to see what everyone thinks is the best 1/3 hp chiller to purchase. My last 2 chillers have been Current USA chillers and they are designed very poorly like mickey mouse projects... I now call Current USA a Mickey mouse company. I have owned two brand new Current usa chillers in the last 10 months and they have both broken. Current is sending me another one now to replace it which will be the third unit they are replacing. I am not going to use it when they send it cause i cant trust that company any longer. I recommended a friend to buy the current usa model also before my last unit broke and his came in doa then he reordered and they sent him a single stage when he paid for a dual. VERY bad company indeed.
Best chiller???
- Thread starter j_gilbert
- Start date
The problem with chillers is that they are fighting a never ending battle with a harsh medium (salt water). A few of my buddies have had chillers from several different brands and the all eventually go Kaput. In our group I haven't seen one go over 1.5yrs or so, which prevented me from really buying one.
One thing to prolong their eventual demise is to get a bigger chiller than you think you need. If you calculate you need a 1/3 hp get a 1/2. Though a lot more expensive it will last longer because it doesn't have to work as hard.
I have constantly battled with the high temp of my reefs through the years but the best way to deal with it (IMO) is to reduce the amount of items that create heat in your system and get fans to cool the tank naturally thought evaporation.
I may have not helped with your question, but with the experience of my friends and their chillers I thought the input might help.
Good luck
One thing to prolong their eventual demise is to get a bigger chiller than you think you need. If you calculate you need a 1/3 hp get a 1/2. Though a lot more expensive it will last longer because it doesn't have to work as hard.
I have constantly battled with the high temp of my reefs through the years but the best way to deal with it (IMO) is to reduce the amount of items that create heat in your system and get fans to cool the tank naturally thought evaporation.
I may have not helped with your question, but with the experience of my friends and their chillers I thought the input might help.
Good luck
I have heard all positive things about the Current Prime chillers. Atleast the full size Modular line. I have a 1/3 for about 6 months now and it has worked flawlessly. I owned a Universal Marine 1/5th horsepower prior to that Prime and it ran like a champ for 9 years. Still running when I replaced it (it was undersized). I think that the best units are probably the Universal Marine which are very expensive these days. And the Aqualogic's, also expensive but not as expensive. When I was looking for a 1/3 I researched quite a bit and the info that I git was that, for a reasonable price (relatively speaking) the Prime Modular and the Tradewind were the way to go. THe build quality of the Prime that I own seems to be pretty solid. The compressor used has a solid reputation. Can't see any real potential issues unless there is a problem with the Stainless used for the evaporator. It's only been 6 months so I guess I will see what happens but so far I have been very happy with it.
If I have any of the issues that you speak of, I will probably spend the extra money and go with another Universal Marine.
If I have any of the issues that you speak of, I will probably spend the extra money and go with another Universal Marine.
between me and a buddy of mine we have seen 6 Current USA chillers since May of 2006 with 5 of them being since January 2007. By this I meen 4 of our units have went out and they have replaced them. Not good stats for Current USA nor will I ever buy from that company again.
I understand and I don't blame you, I wouldnt buy from them again either. But so far, I have had nothing bad to say about them. Hopefully, for my sake (sorry) you just caught a bad run of Chillers and mine will run for a long time. The LFS owner who I have known for 20 years said he has had very few issues with the Primes, so who knows whats up ... again, I have been nothing but happy. Sorry yopu had so many problems. Chillers are just too expensive, and too important in some circumstances, to not be half-way reliable.
You should check into Universal Marine if you have the extra money. They are probably 50% again more expensive but they are definitely built well and as I said, my 1/5 hp UM ran flawlessly for 9 years and it was undersized the entire time. That thing was/is a tank.
You should check into Universal Marine if you have the extra money. They are probably 50% again more expensive but they are definitely built well and as I said, my 1/5 hp UM ran flawlessly for 9 years and it was undersized the entire time. That thing was/is a tank.
Double-J
Premium Member
I just got a Tradewind 1hp unit, It is very nicely built and the guy even customized the input and output location to where I needed it to be
here is a shot with the cover off. Also they use Copeland compressors which are considered to be the best in the business.
<img src="http://www.shallowreef.com/display_image.php?id=255">
<img src="http://www.shallowreef.com/display_image.php?id=254">
here is a shot with the cover off. Also they use Copeland compressors which are considered to be the best in the business.
<img src="http://www.shallowreef.com/display_image.php?id=255">
<img src="http://www.shallowreef.com/display_image.php?id=254">
Tradewind chillers actually utilize Duplex Stainless steel for thge heat exchanger, not titanium. So do the Current-USA Prime modular chillers and alot of others as well.
Just another thought. The higher the ambient temerature that the chiller has to work in, the longer it runs thus the more work it does and the shorter it's lifespan. It's very important, for the life of the unit as well as for your electric bill that the Chiller be located so that it vents properly so that it isnt fighting against it's own heat. Should also be located in an open air location, not inside a closed stand or a closet. Nothing blocking the airflow in or the airflow out. It's all common sense stuff but it can make a big difference on how efficiently it will cool the tank as well as the longevity of the chiller itself.
Just another thought. The higher the ambient temerature that the chiller has to work in, the longer it runs thus the more work it does and the shorter it's lifespan. It's very important, for the life of the unit as well as for your electric bill that the Chiller be located so that it vents properly so that it isnt fighting against it's own heat. Should also be located in an open air location, not inside a closed stand or a closet. Nothing blocking the airflow in or the airflow out. It's all common sense stuff but it can make a big difference on how efficiently it will cool the tank as well as the longevity of the chiller itself.
Aqualogic seems to be the best even though quite a bit more expensive than its competitors. I purchased it and now have hit hooked up. I noticed immediately that it is built better and is quieter than the Current USA. Also, the temperature delta over the evaporator is over 35 degree delta which is much better than the Current usa. The Universal Marine is pretty much out in left field on their price. They want $1600 for the 1/3 hp which is insane. I purchased my 4 ton carrier unit outside my house for that price last summer. I paid $999 for the aqualogic and that included overnight shipping.
I'm reaching now but do you know how the interchange happens? a bundled stainless coil within the PVC pipe on top there and a external pump to push the water to and from chiller I assume? I also wonder if anyone on here knows what series of stainless the coil would be made from 316L?
I don't know the tech stuff on cooling systems at all. Whatever Duplex stainless steel is, I dont know. But the coil is in the PVC pipe and yes, you use a water pump to push water through the chiller ... they all have a rated GPM flow range rate depending on size of the chiller and manufacturer.
I can tell you that Tradewinds uses SS instead of Titanium because of the ability to solder the copper lines directly to the SS instead of having to use compression fitings to transition from the copper to Titanium. If I'm not mistaken, the Prime Chillers do the same thing. I have a smaller Universal Marine that does use a Titanium heat exchanger and the transition from copper to titanium and vice versa is made by compression fittings. Still, the Universal Marine never leaked in 9 years. But I can see the definite advantage in being able to solder the two metals to help eliminate the potential for a freon leak.
I can tell you that Tradewinds uses SS instead of Titanium because of the ability to solder the copper lines directly to the SS instead of having to use compression fitings to transition from the copper to Titanium. If I'm not mistaken, the Prime Chillers do the same thing. I have a smaller Universal Marine that does use a Titanium heat exchanger and the transition from copper to titanium and vice versa is made by compression fittings. Still, the Universal Marine never leaked in 9 years. But I can see the definite advantage in being able to solder the two metals to help eliminate the potential for a freon leak.
