Chiller questions

I had a hard time keeping temp stable in the summer, and all i had was a 400wt bulb 9inches from water with fans in the sump and in the canopy. The difference between my sps colors before I got the chiller and after is dramatic. I felt like a chiller was essential in az for sps, but then again I have a small body of water that can heat up quickly.
 
I would spring for the chiller for a number of reasons:

I feel that a chiller is excellent insurance if you ever have a problem with your house air conditioner. I would recommend spending the extra money on a dual stage system: controls the heat and the chiller and it will lock your tank temp in a narrow range so that it does not fluctuate more than 2 degrees (ideal IMHO). I also evaporate way too much water without the chiller. You can also save money in the long run if you have a larger house because you can run your house temps warmer during the day (85) and not worry about the tank (and save money when electricity is most expensive). It is cheaper for me to run the chiller than ot cool my whole house. Fans, open tops, lower light, and shorter light times work also though. Jason
 
I had my chiller running for a few months and decided I can't live without one again. I hate going thru all that evaporation, my house got way humid over the last summer. I got a good deal on a drop in chiller, its extremely convenient. No plumbing. Now my fans come on with my MH, and they're ONLY pointed upwards at the lights so I don't get a lot of evaporation.

The one thing is, make sure your tank will NOT exceed death temperatures if (when) your chiller gives out. IMO it shouldn't be a 10 degree pull down, maybe 5 max. And have a plan for your lights to turn off if temps get too high.
 
My biggest reason for purchasing a chiller was the humidity inside my home caused by massive amounts of evaporation brought on by all the fans over the sump and in the canopy. With my 100G I was evaporating and adding 6 gallons every other day. Now with the chiller I add 5 gallons every fourth day, it cut evaporation to less than half what it had been. I was also able to shut the fans over the sump off and drastically reduce the speed of the canopy fans so the system is almost silent now. I kept the sump fans but they are now hooked to a Ranco controller set 2 degrees over the chiller so if it fails the fans come on as a back up.
I never had temperature problems using the fans but I got to where I was not comfortable using just them for cooling once I started stocking more SPS. It also makes it much easier to sleep at night without all the humidity.
 
Thanks guys for all of your opinions and advice. I am still debating on what I am going to do. If I do go the chiller route, what size/ brand would you suggest for my 90 g tank? I am looking at a used Via Aqua, anyone know anything about them?
 
Lets throw out another question.... How many have their chiller outside?

I do, 1/4hp on 140 gallons total water. I evaporated about 2 gallons a day and my family room was very humid. I would like to get rid of this.
 
That's not so bad in the scheme of things. I evaporate between 2 and a half and 3 gallons per day on my 55. My temp stays rock steady, but I'll be getting a chiller very soon. (C'mon Ed, upgrade already!)
 
I evaporate ~ 2 gallons/day but I count on that for alk replenishment as I add alk supplement to my topoff. My house has a very big open area encompassing my family room, kitchen and entry way with vaulted ceilings. This helps keep the relative humidity down even evaping that much.

My wife really likes the house at 75 so that's where it stays. With my setup my heaters have to come on to get to 79 degrees. I am pretty sure I am adding no more than 2-3 degrees to my tank over ambient background temp. I watch the temp for couple hours after halides come on and it didn't budge.

So much of this comes down to your own personal situation as to what will work and what won't. Having seen Gordon's setup the evaporation would affect him more than me.
 
My family room in 16' x 24' and it is downstairs. The humidity gets pretty strong in the summer. My canopy is open in the back and 1/2 of the top. I am planning on building a new one in the next week or two. The plans are in my head;)
 
My evaporation went from 3 GPD pre chiller to 1.25 GPD post chiller. Much nicer in the house now. Gordon, I have thought about moving mine outside so the heat of the chiller doesn't add to the AC load. It gets pretty warm when you stand in front of the chiller when it is running. Since the aquarium sits against the back wall of my house and I have an enclosed "Arizona Room" on the other side it would actually be pretty easy.
Mine chiller is a 1/4 HP SeaClear.
 
That was another reason I wanted a drop-in. I am drilling a hole in the wall and the chiller will be outside, with the element inside. So the plumbing doesn't get warm inside the chiller and cause it to run more. Also eliminates a feeder pump that would cause it to run more.
 
Lotus50god,

Thanks for the advice about the 1/5 hp. I am going to continue my search. I don't want to pay the huge price tag for new so I am on the hunt for a used.
 
I've got chiller outside and would definately do it again. Of course having tanks in the garage made a chiller a mandatory item. Even if I had a smaller tank I think I would have a chiller since the fans tend to evap too much water and cause to much humidity. We had a 50g tank setup with fans and it evaporated almost as much water as our 375 with a chiller and it was definately more humid in the house. When we had the 50g we had a problem last summer when the house A/C went out (when we were on vacation of course) and if we had a chiller it wouldn't have mattered. Just my $.02 but I think it's a good insurance policy to have one in AZ.
 
Sidewinder770,

Thanks for the advice, I guess I had better get off my *#@ and get some money togather before the heat of the summer. It is just such a huge expense.
 
Dont think of it as a huge expense... think of it as insurance for your investment.... that is how I justify it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
JBJ Arctica 1/10 hp Chiller Modification for External Control
Replies
9
Views
368
griss
griss
hersheyb
Clearing up frag tank - Torches, csb n shroom
Replies
4
Views
220
hersheyb
hersheyb
banthonyb71
Rodi under sink install question.
5 6 7
Replies
137
Views
2K
Vinny Kreyling
Vinny Kreyling
L
4 outdoor Salt Aquariums Recirculation Treatment Design Question
Replies
0
Views
105
lvega2020
L
T
Need Help With this Bacteria
Replies
7
Views
268
Tanksanyway
T
Back
Top