Chiller for 50g AIO cube - Coolworks perhaps?

agoutihead

agoutihead

Active member
I want to get a chiller for my new 50g AIO cube.

I believe I actually just had a tank crash due to heat.

I have been told about this Coolworks heat sink chiller.

What do you guys think about it?

Will it be enough to cool a 50g?

I dont like the fact that it constantly runs, vs the regular chiller that only turns on if the tank needs it.

But the Coolworks would be $150 installed vs. $400 for a nano chiller.

Ideas?
 
Some others on other boards suggested a 1/10 chiller instead of this Coolworks.

Does anyone have a suggestion on a good 1/10 chiller?

I'm totally new to them.
 
ok, so if no Coolworks, then if I'm looking at a normal chiller, will a 1/10 be enough for a 50g cube?

I'm really trying to keep the tank as "clean" looking as I can, so You wont see any wires of tubes or anything.

So I'm thinking of having the guy who is building my tank to drill 2 holes in the back to accomodate a chiller.

Is that a good idea?

What size bulkheads would I need him to drill?

Do I need to have one high & one low? Or can I have them both high up towards the top?
 
I would def go with the 1/10th chiller, as for the bulkhead, all depends on the hose size that the chiller needs. I would use an external pump to keep the heat from the pump out, and you can probably plumb it in the same chamber since its not going to be used as a return pump. I would probably plumb it in the first chamber of your filtration system.... keep in mind this will make more water flow into the overflow so make sure that the overflow can handlow more water being sucked through the teeth.

Hope that helps :)
 
Someone else suggested a 1/13 over a 1/10... which one should I really get? Tank volume is 45-50g total.

Think of a custom Solana 24x24x20... so I'm not really sure how/where I would do an external pump unless I can some how keep it in the cabinet down below?

I assume its just a simple bulkhead setup though to run the plumbing through the back piece of acrylic?
 
JBJ says this about chillers:

Buying one size larger than the manufacturer specifications,mean jbj chillers your will not have to work as hard, or run as often, to keep your saltwater or freshwater at the desired tank temperature. It is like a car you would rather run it easy some of the time than hard all the time.
Click to expand...

Based on that, I'm going to focus on a 1/10 chiller - unless they are too tall to fit in my cabinet.

Which 1/10 chillers are really short & small?

So if the pump & chiller are two separate things, how are they activated?

Does the pump just always have water pushing through it & then the chiller unit only turns on when it needs? Or can they some how both be activated at the same time?

So basically the pump pushes the water all the way through the chiller and becomes the return line feed?
 
Yes if you can afford the 1/10 go with it :) you will be much happier.... not sure on the size you woul dhave to look at the specs.

The way the chiller works is that water keeps flowing through it so the temps of the water are always being monitored, when the chillers temp control sees the level go beyond its set point it activates it self until the water cools down to the desired temp.

You say you have an all in one tank right? i dont think you can use the pump as a return. It would have to be taken out of the sump and returned back into the sump. I guess you could also drill the tank and also use the chillers plumbing as a closed loop. You could have the tank drilled for the inlet to the chiller and then have 2 outputs back into the tank. There are many way you can approach this but in the end its all up to your and how your want your tank to look, and be.

good luck.
 
I see a lot of people put this things inside their cabinets, but they are suggested not to do that?

I planned on putting mine in my cabinet, but I have a 120mm fan that will be sucking old hot air from the chiller & my ballast.

What do you think?
 
well the reason for that is bc when they are working they are emiting a lot of heat from the back, but if its well ventilated why not.... my guess would be that it would bring the life of the chiller down some but not sure honestly....

For it to be efficient though i would suggest it run outside the stand....

HTH
 
Checked out all of the specs, the Current 1/10 may fit in my stand. (I believe the Aqua Euro has the same exact model, with just a different stick for about 1/3 of the price. But is it really exactly the same as the Current?)
 
Here is some info from another board...

Hey Agouti,

I run the Current USA 1/10Hp chiller I got it for around 380 I think, I use a MaxiJet 1200 for my pump. The pump is continuously on, the chiller measures the temp of the incoming water and then decides whether it needs to start cooling or not. If you have a fan removing air from the cabinet then you will be fine. The chiller needs relatively cool air to function properly, it works by removing heat from the water and then by giving this heat off to the surrounding air, if the air is quite warm it will have to run longer to get rid of the same amount of heat leading to a shorter lifespan. I have a 250w and a 175w over my 46g and the chiller rarely runs. It should be great for your needs.
Click to expand...

Awesome, what size are the feed lines? I need to know what size bulkheads to have my guy install.

Also, when it measures 14" tall, is that the top of the unit, or is that the top of the nipples on the unit? (where the tube enters the unit)?

I'm going to be tight on clearance with even this unit, can I some how put 90* elbows on the nipples to divert the tubes left & right instead of up & down?
 
It is 14" to the top of the nipple on the 1/10 Current, the unit will come with 90's which you will be able to use but this adds about 2.5" to your height, if you have 18 to 20" of clearance you will be okay. The tubing that you use to connect is either 1/2" or 5/8". Its up to you to decide.
Click to expand...

You sure the 90's really add 2.5" to the 14"?

I can do a total of about 17-17.5 comfortably in my stand... will this be enough clearance?

What tubing size would be best, the 1/2" or the 5/8? Does it really make a difference? What size bulk head would I use? how would the tubing attach to the bulkhead? Via a 90* barb? (I would do the 90* to keep the tube profile clearance as close to the back as possible.)
 
How many degrees are you trying to drop. I am running a Current Prime 1/15 on my system and it is working fine. It will drop it 4-5 degrees easily. I have a total volume of 75 Gals.

Also I would run it outside of the stand.
 
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