Feeling the Chill

[CReyes350]

Right before summer's end I invested in a chiller, mostly to control the temperature fluctuations throughout the day. Pre-chiller I was going from 74° in the morning and all the way up to 85° Mid-day. As you all know, Tucson is getting a little cooler so I am currently able to manage my water temp at 79-80°F with little temperature change just by using a heater. My question is- what do ya'll with chillers do during the winter?

 

[Skrilla]

During the summer, my tank never gets over 79* with LED's.

 

[CReyes350]

Yeah, I guess I am a little outdated with MH but they have been good to me... No one owns a chiller anymore?

 

[Newsalth2o]

Mine just sits in in the circuit all winter. The MH still warms up the tank though I haven't seen it run in a while. I still have fans run when the 3x250w MHs turn on. When I do a water change I flush the chiller circuit into the sump so the water doesn't stagnate.

 

[Bgsutton]

I have one...it runs inline but doesn't turn on during the winter. It does however control my heater.

 

[scubabum1983]

when I had one I just let it sit in system unchanged. I got rid of mine because it heated the room up, caused the AC to cycle more often. I substituted more fans controlled by my RK elite to only come on after the tank hit 78 degrees. They don't run all the time, and cut down on my top off use while keeping my tank nice and cool.

 

[CReyes350]

Thank you for the responses fellas.

@Newsalth2o- I am not familiar with a chiller circuit, can you please explain? Thank you!
I guess a better question would be- how long can the water stay in the chiller before it gets funky because i do biweekly water changes and i could flush the chiller at that time just how you do.

@Bgsutton- I think i will set mine up similarly to yours, but i wasnt sure if i should have a pump dedicated to feeding the chiller 24/7 even though i am certain the chiller will not turn on during the winter.

@Scubabum- I hear you bro, thank you for the feed back!

 

[Bgsutton]

I have a big enough main pump and T'd it with a valve to feed the water through it. Put the valve in so I could shut the water off in case I needed to remove the chiller down the road for maintenance.

 

[CReyes350]

I have a big enough main pump and T'd it with a valve to feed the water through it. Put the valve in so I could shut the water off in case I needed to remove the chiller down the road for maintenance.

:thumbsup: Good idea!

 

[Newsalth2o]

Thank you for the responses fellas.

@Newsalth2o- I am not familiar with a chiller circuit, can you please explain? Thank you!
I guess a better question would be- how long can the water stay in the chiller before it gets funky because i do biweekly water changes and i could flush the chiller at that time just how you do.

A thermostat controlled plug strip with pump, chiller and sump fan on it. the chiller is higher than the sump level and the discharge is above the top of the water so when the pump stops the water should drain back and keep the chiller and hoses empty. When I do a water change I just plug the pump into on of the other outlets and let it run a few minutes to flush out the chiller.

 

[CReyes350]

A thermostat controlled plug strip with pump, chiller and sump fan on it.[/QUOTE]

I'm going to have to get a little set-up like this going. I appreciate the help. Thanks!

 

[Newsalth2o]

this is the temperature controller I use
http://www.hvacpw.com/RANCO-ETC-111000-Digital-Cold-Temperature-Control-p/robetc-111000-000.htm
let me know if for need help wiring it up