Chiller emergency :(

pleuralplexus

pleuralplexus

New member
So I bought a chiller for my 28g CF quad nanocube in April. Got it from Foster&Smith. It's the one that JBJ sells: the Arctica 1/15 with the digital thermostat and titanium heat transfer chamber. It was so expensive, that it doubled the cost of my initial build, but living in the bowels (yes bowels) of west texas, I had no choice.

I kept the chiller out in the open air (not in the cabinet) all along to maximize airflow and efficiency, and I kept the return pipe wrapped in plumber's insulation to keep the cool water cool on the way back from the chiller. Also, I have always kept the air filter clean on my chiller.

Yesterday, I got home from work, only to be greeted by an 85 degree aquarium, sudden algae bloom, and a loud growling sound coming from a hot-as-fire chiller! The compressor appears to have gone out!! I dont get it. A refrigerator is the same technology, and those can run for 25 years without giving up the ghost! Da** Chinese Sh**!:deadhorse:

So I called Fosters&Smith. First, they said it could be returned, then they backtracked and claimed they would only replace it within 60 days of purchase. So then I called JBJ's distributor, Transworld Aquatic Enterprises, and nobody answers the phone (still trying, yest they're supposedly open)!!!!

So in the meantime, the canopy is propped wide open, and a fan is blowing directly across the surface of the tank. Here in Texas, its 100+ everyday, so the house A/C only lowers the house ambient temp to about 80. Nothing else I can do right now. I cant leave work to fiddle with it. This sucks!
 
This has happened to a lot of us. I feel for you. You buy what is reported to be the best for safe guard then when needed it fails, how frustrating! Do you know anyone in the local clubs that may be able to hook u up with a loner? In the past on the JBJ due to the back being open we have had luck with these little fans. They are on a 12v system but not hard to mount up. I even saw someone tap it into the hood thermostat. http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_39031_Xscorpion-TF8.html I hope all goes well.
 
The JBJ 28 gal Quad 4 CF will run about 7 degrees warmer than your ambiant house temp. So you are looking at around 86 degrees. OK so you will need to cool your house to 80 degrees if thats all you can do. Only run the quad cf lights for minimum time in the evening when the house cools a bit more. Maybe then only a couple of hours. Keep a stream of air going across the top of tank when lights are off. And LFS shop have some clip on fans to put on the back of your tank. You can also keep some water ready to go in your frige and make small water changes through out the day, maybe one gallon at a time to lower temps. You will need to stay below 82 or your corals will melt down.

Did you make sure your pump is working on that chiller. Most times when they are not the chiller will just chill down fast and shut off, but you never know. If you didn't check it do that first.

Heres the JBJ info I have on file and I hope this can help you.

6 MONTH LIMITED WARRANTY
JBJ LIGHTING FIXTURES, LAMPS, NANO CUBE AQUARIUMS, SP-POWERHEADS, and CO2 REGULATORS
The above-mentioned JBJ aquarium products are warranted to the original purchaser against defective material and workmanship for 6 months from the date of original purchase. This warranty is valid only under the following conditions: additions, modifications, or changes made to the product by the purchaser and not by the manufacturer shall void this warranty. Damages brought on by abuse, misapplication, or mishandling also voids this warranty. Broken or cracked bulbs are not warranted and will not be replaced. This warranty is limited to the repair or replacement of the product at the discretion of the manufacturer. This warranty does not cover personal injury, property loss, including livestock or damage (direct, incidental, or consequential) arising out of use of this product. This warranty gives you specific rights and you may also have other rights, which may vary from state to state.

This warranty card must be filled out completely and returned within (14) days from the date of purchase. Failure to do so will void this warranty. A proof of purchase from an authorized dealer must be provided when making a warranty claim.

Upon discovery of a defect, the merchandise should be sent prepaid to:

Transworld Aquatics Enterprises, Inc.
3730 Unit 6, West Century Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90308
Please call our Customer Service lines at (310) 672-4021 or (310) 672-4099 between
9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time for warranty claims or technical questions
 
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hey thanks so much guys. I'm on it. Sure hope this works out. I guarantee if JBJ and Transworld Aquatic Enerprises dont come through, I'll splash this all over every forum and product review I can find to cost them as much sales as possible. I'm a very dissatisfied customer right now and they owe me a huge apology for hawking such crappy asian junk as a reliable and top-of-the-line life support system.
 
Yeah I thought of that, but I wonder how much heat that would really extract from such a hot, energetic system. And it would also cause temperature fluctuations, which I worry would further shock the livestock. But I guess I'm really only speculating here.
 
Update:

I can't find a loaner chiller (because this town sucks) and I can't get ahold of anyone at transworld aquatic enterprises to get a replacement. Honestly I really don't know why anybody would buy a mini arctica chiller if they know what I've been through.

On a mildly positive note, I've soldered two computer fans together in parallel and hooked them up to a spare 12v DC transformer I had laying around from an old telephone. Mounted this aprattus over the water surface and it cools the tank like mad, with no odor! My tank went from 86 down to 72 with the quad lights on! Only problem is the lid won't close, but hey, it's temporary :). Also, everything survived.

Now to get an LED hood and a better chiller... Any affordable suggestions?
 
Asolutely ditch the hood. Reef tanks shouldn't have hoods for just that reason. My first tank had a hood and I'm in the Northeast and I still had heat issues. An open top takes care of 50% of the issue immediately. If your house is around 80 and your tank is topless, with a fan blowing on the surface, that alone should keep your temp below 80. I kept my air at 80 while I was away for a week and came home and my tank was 80.5degrees, although I have LED lighting, but I also have no fans. When I'm home it's around 75 in here and my heater runs regularly to keep the tank at 80degrees. Just make sure your ATO is decent and you keep your topoff buckets full and make sure they are large enough, b/c you're going to evaporate dramatic amounts compared to when it was covered. And don't be alarmed by the amount of evaporation you see. It's normal.
 
Finally reached someone at JBJ's distributor, TWAE. I have to MAIL the chiller to them at my expense, then they will DECIDE whether to replace it or not. If they dont want to replace it, it's my expense to get it back. Now that's service with a smile...

Bottom line: DONT buy a mini arctica chiller, ever.
 
You might try calling a Refrig. Repair guy. They can usually fix them sooner than sending them in. Given the heat might be worth paying for the repair.
 
The fans seem to be working. Temp staying at 72-74. If a repairman touches it, the warranty is void. I'll just get it swapped for another.
 
also, LED pro hood is on. Temp stays rigt at 76 wit the temporary fans I rigged up.

of course i still need my chiller so i can close the hood, and to prevent all of this rampant evaporation.
 
I love my JBJ Mini Arctica, been using it for over 1.5-yrs with never a bit of trouble. I clean it every couple of months and it works great.
 
Update: The chiller is finally on its way to Transworld Aquatic Enterprises... If it gets there intact, they MAY decide to fix it or replace it. If it arrives damaged, I have to buy a new chiller. >:(
 
The chiller arrived back here today. It took almost a MONTH for JBJ's warranty subsidiary to get the issue resolved.

The chiller had a faulty thermostat controller. The unit was simply repaired, not replaced. I sure do hope it lasts!

At any rate, I've reinstalled it on the aquarium and removed my temporary cooling fans. The temperature is holding steady at the set point for now.
 
Time for a controller. It will shut down the chiller and attempt to keep your tank cool in emergencys.

Glad everything worked out.
 
By all means, get yourself an entry level controller. Look into the Reefkeeper Lite by Digital Aquatics.
 
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