Chiller operation?

[dugg]

Ok, not sure if this is a problem or not, but i want to make sure. My new chiller has a temperature variation of +/- 2*. I have it set at 77*, so it kicks on at 79.5* and back off at 77.5*. The chiller runs about 10 to 15 minutes every 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. , so the temp is going up and down by 2* every 2 hrs. I looked around at other chiller specs., and they all seem to have the same 2* temp. variation. So is this acceptable for my sps, or is there a way to stabalize this further?
I have never run a chiller before, and i know this one is overkill for my system, but didn't want to have one too small when i get my bigger tank. It is a pacific coast cl-650 1/4 hp. , and i have about 45 gallons actual water volume. I'm running it inline with the return pump. (mag7)

 

[papagimp]

i havn't gotten a chiller yet so I'm unfamiliar with them, but 2 degrees seems like an awfull lot of variation for something so darn expensive. I get that now without a chiller, so what's the point of getting one if it can't keep the tank stable? Please somebody else chime in here, i want to know the answer to his question too.

 

[dugg]

I got the chiller because i was having to evaporate almost 3 gallons a day to keep my temp down. With no fans, i bet my tank would hit 90* in no time at all. I had so many fans running it was like a hurricane in here lol. My tank sits in a room with no heat or A/C, so it has been a challenge to keep it cool to say the least. It's staying in here though lol. It is in my office, and i hate A/C. It makes the pins and screws in my shoulders ache. I just use ceiling fans to pull enough cool from the main part of the house to keep it cool in here. Cool to me is 80* lol. Even in the main part of the house, the A/C is set at 78*.

 

[Prater]

Dugg, just build up some blubber like me...LOL

 

[pwhitby]

yep, thats about par for the course.

The rapidity of the temp swings is probably ok, but not ideal.

I would use both fans and the chiller on your tank, that way the slow rise in temp will become a little slower.

You wont evaporate as much, but the number of the swings will be less.

 

[dugg]

I was just thinking that in order to run a chiller, if maybe everyone runs a separate controller to bypass the chiller controller or something. My tank would have to go before the A/C situation will change. My right arm is held together with 16 pins and screws that just plain hate airconditioning or cold weather. That is why i had to move out of Oklahoma. It is actually too cold here in the winter for me, and i am considering moving again soon.

 

[Serra]

dugg-
There are just some things one must sacrifice for this hobby. I suggest you move back to OK and wear a heater on your arm. This seems a lot more reasonable to me than putting a chiller on your tank. Men....I swear!

 

[Reef Happy]

Dugg,
Which temp controller do you have?
You should have a 1 degree swing on cooling mode. I have a Ranco temp controller and have it set at 79 decree and when the temp reaches 80 the chiller comes on and cools temp back down to 79 and then shut down.

 

[pwhitby]

2 degree on a chiller is normal. It prevents wear and tear on the compressor by preventing lots of small runs. On a heater 1 degree is fine since ther are no moving parts.

P.

 

[dugg]

The fans helped to stretch the time span out some. It is running about a 3 1/2 hr cycle now between cooling. I just thought that a 2 degree swing over 24 hrs is considered too much for sps, muchless over a 2hr span.

I tried the heat the shoulder thing for years, it don't work. I used to live from October to April sitting on the couch with my shoulder wrapped in a heating pad. That gets real old real fast. As i getolder, it just seems to hurt more and more, so if i have to move to an island in the pacific, i am done being cold. I'm actually considering Hawaii, but i think they have strict laws on keeping a reef, so that may not be an option either.

 

[Serra]

No reef keeping allowed in Hawaii. Sorry your arm bothers you so much.

 

[Russ Braaten]

Dugg,

You might consider moving to the San Diego area. Near the coast it is rarely over 80 degrees and rarely under 65 degrees. ...but boy is it expensive. I really miss it.