Geothermal Chiller
- Thread starter mflamb
- Start date
WarDaddy
New member
I am torn... keep the garage cool, I have a window in a door...
I am thinking of adding ducts to the garage from both the main and upstairs AC units. That should ensure cool air to be piped in most of the day. And run my lights on a reverse cycle with them on from 9pm until 7am. That should help a bit with the lights heating the room up too much.
I will also use fans on the lights and over the water to help cool that way. IF I need to I may invest in a split chiller. I am thinking of putting a split chiller into a 55 gallon drum and then routing chilling loops from the 4 independent tanks to the cool water. This will require the chiller to work harder, but it would allow me ot have 1 chiller chill 4 systems.
eesh.. none of this is easy, is it?
I am thinking of adding ducts to the garage from both the main and upstairs AC units. That should ensure cool air to be piped in most of the day. And run my lights on a reverse cycle with them on from 9pm until 7am. That should help a bit with the lights heating the room up too much.
I will also use fans on the lights and over the water to help cool that way. IF I need to I may invest in a split chiller. I am thinking of putting a split chiller into a 55 gallon drum and then routing chilling loops from the 4 independent tanks to the cool water. This will require the chiller to work harder, but it would allow me ot have 1 chiller chill 4 systems.
eesh.. none of this is easy, is it?
well no offense but that type of chiller idea sounds bad. I could be misunderstanding you though. if you are going to run all the tanks together why not make them all the same water and chill everything with one chiller if you need it. i forget do you have halides? if not you should be able to do it without a chiller easy.
o2zen
New member
Wow nice website. Let me ask. Being in Florida with the ocean right out out door why not walk out and grab some wild live sand?
Just curious how this would work in the reef tank? I assume you could get bad things but I am asking anyway. Laws being another I am not aware of yet as well.
Just curious how this would work in the reef tank? I assume you could get bad things but I am asking anyway. Laws being another I am not aware of yet as well.
WarDaddy
New member
Here is a hypothetical the set up...
Tank A - Shrooms
Tank B - Singulara
Tank C - Zoa
Tank D - SPS
If I plum them all to a common sump and chill the sump, it is easier, true, BUT I have to deal with the fact that I am no longer species specific and will have reduce growth rates, cross contamination, a death in one tank hurting the others...etc.
IF I set up a 55 barrel place the chiller in that and then run a Closed loop though all 4 tanks through heat exchangers in each tank including the 55 barrel I will create a system that is making the temp in all 4 tanks consistent. When the collective tank temp rises to high, the chiller kicks on directly cooling the 55 and indirectly cooling all 4 tanks.
This gives me the benefit of a chiller chilled system and the need to only run a single chiller. This also give me the benefit of having species specific systems. this allows me to isolate as many variables as possible all while maximizing the potential growth rates in my tanks. It also mitigates the possible loss from contamination of a system crash.
all in all, from my perspective, the system looks like it could be very effective and quite simple, once built.
The cost issues are the cost of the heat exchangers, the 2 pumps needed for chilling, although I could reduce it to 1 If I plumb it right (by eliminating the 55 and crating a single closed loop), and the actual AC/coper costs of the Split unit design.
This is something that I am going to consider and begin to research, it may just prove to be a decent solution to my situation.
Let me work on a drawing at lunch, that may help us visualize what I am thinking.
well there's nothing saying it won't work. it will work if you use the right materials. what are you planning to make the coils out of? titanium would most likely be your best bet because it's less corrosive and has good heat transfer properties. pvc or vinyl tubing does not transfer heat near as fast.
