How many of you guys use chillers?

[NeveSSL]

Hi all...

I am curious as to how many of you are using chillers? And why? Is it because of MH? Does your wife get cold easily so the ambient temp is 84 degrees?

I would think that in Tennessee there wouldn't be a ton of need for a chiller, unless you've got 5 400w MHs.

Maybe I'm missing something?

This post is just for fun and out of curiosity. Enlighten me!

Brandon

 

[SRT80]

well, my tanks are small. I have a 130 watt PC's over a 10 gal. and 4x24w T-5s over a 20 gal. I keep my upstairs thermostat set on 80 degrees. So, it's pretty warm up their. I also keep it at that temp. because it's better on my snakes. Plus, if I had it set lower I think the AC would run 24/7 tryin' to keep cool. I guess it's poor insulaltion in these new homes? It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. But my 10 gal. stays around 78 and my 20 gal, stays at 79. I think it's the ones with MH who needs the chillers.

Steve

 

[fishdoc11]

I use one. Pumps actually put out more heat than halides do..especially submerged ones.

 

[Angela Short]

I think all my heat issues are from my 2 seio 1500's and my 2 submerged pumps in the sump. I can't imagine 4 250's would give the heat issues I am having in my volume of water. I had no real problem with 2 250's and 2 175's then upgradded to all 250's and added the seios and a sedra 5000 pump about the same time and boom, 83+ unless a fan is going full blast and the cabinte door is open to vent it. I am burning about 25 gallons a week in top off but have a chiller on its way as soon as I get it paid off. Ridgeline was nice enouph to let me make payments!

 

[NeveSSL]

Ahhh.... I see. I hadn't thought about pumps. I guess for a bigger tank it would make more sense for the pump to be external. I just keep thinking about how much chillers are!

Thanks for the replies, guys!

Brandon

 

[crumbletop]

Angela, I'll bet you could solve your problem if you had fans blowing through the canopy. Perhaps you already do, but from your description above it sounds like your fan is in the sump. If you get 3 or 4 (really quiet) computer fans (like Stealth Vantecs) and blow those across the water you'll likely up your topoff some, but the temp should go way down. I haven't yet seen your tank, so I don't know whether or not your canopy is vented or completely enclosed.

 

[Angela Short]

Compleatly enclosed with 1 fan blowing heat out the back crack and it hits you in the face like a heat wave when you walk by it! I hate to chop any holes in the canopy sides to vent it because its so decorative with raised panels on the sides . I got a good deal on a used chiller I can mount behind the wall and cut a hole for supply lines so I am just gonna go that route. Thanks for the info though!

 

[c_stowers]

I use a chiller but it only runs in the summer months. I'm trying to get away with the use of a chiller on a new system becuase using one is kinda pointless. Reason being is that the chiller just dumps hot air into the room where the tank is (unless you have it ducted to the outside), which in turn heats the tank back up and causes your AC to run more costing even more electricity.

I agree with Fishdoc. Pumps tend to add the most heat to your system. Most pumps are between 40-60% effecient. So divide the wattage in half and subtract a watt or two lost to noise and that is how heat your dumping into your system.

 

[DMBillies]

No chiller here, but I run T5's and vent my hoods with computer fans. My tanks sit right around 79-80 and I'm quite certain my heaters do absolutely nothing during the summer. As stated, my SPS tank is running a smidge warmer than my other tanks because I have a lot more pumps going.

I recently added a MJ1200 for a little more circulation in my 92 and it seems to have bumped the temperature up almost a full degree, which was more than I would have expected.

 

[gflat65]

If you run MH in Nashville and have a newer home, chances are, you'll need a chiller. However, my temps down here get about as high sans chiller than with it in Nashville (and it is hotter down here...). Two differences-older house/better built and larger house for more even heat distribution. My chiller's been dead for months now and have had no issues. With (3)-250W DE's and VHO's over the 125 (MR4 skimmer, two internal return pumps-Hagen 901, as well as numerous powerheads), it stays below 81 with no chiller here. Like Alan's (who also has no temp issues), this house was built in the Carter era.

 

[crumbletop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10140101#post10140101 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Angela Short
Compleatly enclosed with 1 fan blowing heat out the back crack and it hits you in the face like a heat wave when you walk by it! I hate to chop any holes in the canopy sides to vent it because its so decorative with raised panels on the sides . I got a good deal on a used chiller I can mount behind the wall and cut a hole for supply lines so I am just gonna go that route. Thanks for the info though!

How about cutting some holes in the back and blowing some fans in?

 

[crumbletop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10141601#post10141601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gflat65
Like Alan's (who also has no temp issues), this house was built in the Carter era.

Alan uses a chiller to keep his tank ~75. He also has an open top tank.

 

[gflat65]

Yeah, I always thought 75 was really low, but it seems to work for him. My chiller ran about 14 hours a day in Nashville. It kept my below 81.5 most of the time. Opening the top would certainly reduce heat over the tank...

 

[NeveSSL]

Wow... its amazing how much electricity our tanks can potentially use!

I'm hoping to keep my energy costs low... I'll be putting Vantech Stealths in my hood as well as using T5s. I'll probably put a 120MM on either side.

I've actually been watching my heaters be on quite a bit... but they're both on 10 gallon tanks, too, with no internal pumps... just HOB power filters.

Thanks for the replies!

Brandon

 

[tiberiusjones]

I use a chiller, my house gets up to 82 in the summer with air conditioning and I had it up to 86 in the tank with the pumps, now with a chiller i keep it an even 78 and it works like a charm, doesnt run all day either...

 

[Pickupman66]

I dont have a chiller simply because i cannot afford one. I run 4x110 vho and have 2 fans in the canopy that run 24-7 in the summer. I have to leave the doors cracked in the front to allow for air circ. my tank tops at 84 during the day and 80 at night. house is 80 in the day and 77 at night. I have a Mag9.5 submerged, skimmer pump submerged and a tiny 85gph pump for my coil denitrator submerged. Loop is a gen x pcx 40 that is external and this thing is warm.

 

[HowardCath]

Computer fans (how do you plug them in for power?) may be more quiet, but for quick, cheap and simple -- this $5 fan from Target and venting my glass canopy with a plastic floor vent from Home Depot dropped my 120 gal tank temp by about 5 degrees. I think overheating during the summer was likely a major problem for my corals in the past until Sean at Emerald Bay suggested evaporative cooling. This was a major turnaround for me. Now I'm holding steady at about 79 degrees. I turn it on and off in the spring and fall as the daily temp varies. I do, however, evaporate about a gallon/day. Fortunately, my tap water has no phosphates, and so I top off with dechlorinated tap water.

 

[Pickupman66]

Howard, a fairly inexpensive AC/Dc power supply from radio shack will run them. you have to make sure you dont exceed the voltage or amperage, but just cut off then end and rig it up...

 

[gflat65]

Or plug in a DC to an AC source.

 

[KAiNE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10142216#post10142216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crumbletop
How about cutting some holes in the back and blowing some fans in?

I do not run a chiller.
I have one of the big icecap fans on the left end of the canopy sucking out and 2 x 4" AC (these are not DC fans, they are about 3" thick, got them at hellolights) fans in the back blowing in at the end 2 MH's. You can put your hand about 2" above the water under the MH and it isnt very hot.
I can maintain a temp of about 80 as long as my house doesn't get above 77. During the (so-called) spring when the A/C doesn't run much I creep up to about 80.7-80.9.