Just got the coolest chiller!

Fliger

Fliger

New member
Brian at Finsreef knew I wanted a new chiller and recommended I wait for this new brand he saw at Interzoo. I just got it. It is a series of fans and works off the Peltier Effect. It is low wattage, very small and very silent. AFAIK, the Iceprobe is the only other chiller utilizing the Peltier Effect - think of this as his REALLY big brother. Here are a few pix. I got the 400. Nicest part is that it comes with its own controller, it heats and cools. I'll post more pix when I have it up & running.

I got the one third to the left

image006.jpg


A smaller one in action

image008.jpg


Lots of pix on this page, helps to speak I-talian

Here is the website

http://www.ocean.geotronic.it/index_gb.html
 
Cool. I would like to know more about these units?? Looks like I would need Model 600 for a 120 Gallon tank. 500W?? Keep us updated on how it works out!
 
Re: Just got the coolest chiller!

Fliger I have some serious reservations about this, I am dying to hear your results. Are you going to use this on the 120 Gal tank?
 
Depending on what your outer dimensions are, the 400 might work. I ordered the 600, because my 48x32x20 tank was supposed to be 132G. After I filled it, even with a medium size sump - it was only 115G. Finsreef tested the 400 for a week or so on a similar size tank with a LOT of pumps & lights and it worked perfect. Its not cheap but when I considered its small size, low power, QUIETNESS and the fact that it has a controller - it was worth it. Plus it doesn't have a compressor, no freon and I just need a Maxijet to feed it. As the website says, the only replacable part is the fan.

The Power Supply says 260 watts, I do have a fairly accurate watt meter - I'll tell you what it actually draws.

We'll see long term but the company who makes it has a lot of experience utilizing Peltier methods so I decided to take the chance.

Only time will tell, right?!

----

Robby, I will be very honest about the results - I always am. I was very fast to sell two European products that I did not think lived up to their hype. I talked with a computer guru who was over at my house "Mac-ifying" it :lol: and he said he had no doubt that properly engineered - a series of Peltier devices can be extremely effective.

I was also impressed with the parent company's website

http://www.peltech.com/

I also asked Finsreef to test it before sending it to me and I trust those guys.
 
I just went thru the site again (peltech) and missed this. I have no idea who Dame is and don't care about the "award" as they are usually fluff - but I thought this page was cool and showed other devices made by them - and kinda how it works. The site has lotsa cool pages tho.

http://www.peltech.com/engl/marine.html
 
I for one don't really understand the benefit. Peltiers are VERY inefficient and certainly not "low wattage" Other then being silent (other than the fans) and being reliable due to the lack of moving or wear parts (again other than the fans)... I just don't get the appeal. They certainly are not going to save you money trying to cool your tank.
 
No power savings here. Seems like the 600 liter model uses 500 watts, that is equivalent to aprox 1/2 hp traditional chiller.
 
I'll stick with my good old compressor chiller, besides peltiers work on ambient air temp. So if you keep your AC temp up during the day like myself there not so efficient. They look cool though.
 
People are awfully quick to judge, there is always a handful of critics on RC. I have no idea how well it will work or if it will be low wattage. All I know is that finsreef tested it on a tank about my size with far more heat input than the standard tank that size. It performed as advertised so I bought it.

The big intangibles for me were (and everyone has different needs) -

- Relatively low wattage. The website labels it differently but the power supply says 260 watts.

- Very small, I can put it ANYWHERE. Even outside my tank, and it will not be ugly. My wife has "good" taste in furniture and eyesores are not welcome.

- Silence. Even the quiet chillers I've seen are too loud. I like a very silent aquarium.

- Heats & cools, switches from one right to the next as needed. You can control the range, but theoretically you could have zero temp variance.

- Controller. I can control the temp with the controller, and my other master controller can turn the whole unit off, if needed. Just another redundancy.

- Only need a Maxijet to feed it, super easy to set up. And I mean just a few minutes. Plus its so easy to move around in your cabinet. You can also change your setup with the chiller because literally you just need some tubing and a powerhead (low wattage/small powerhead, another advantage).

I also thought it was cool that I never have to worry about a chiller charge, and I'd just need to replace fans if something ever went wrong. Plus your electricity bill will only continue to rise over the coming months/years, as electrical companies win their battles to pass increases onto you.

I promise to post if it lives up to all the advantages I mentioned above ....

I do have a wattage meter so I will let everyone know. But if it works, and is silent - those two things are enough for me - since the size and ease of setup are already a given.

I also strongly considered the Ecocooler from Deltec but don't want to deal with increased evaporation.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7782432#post7782432 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by loweryster
Personal experience with peltiers. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...

I definitely will, and you know as well as anyone I will be honest. :lol: Hey I also heard the new Giesemann might be introduced in a few months! I'll keep you posted. The one that looks like a Sfiligoi, with the 4xT5. I'm still very happy with the Aquamedic but I hate that its so damn heavy.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7782387#post7782387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fliger
People are awfully quick to judge, there is always a handful of critics on RC.
Click to expand...


I don't even need to read the rest of the post to reply to this. A peltier is a very simple device. Their operating parameters are very well know, not magical or mystical. Facts are facts, and that is what the comments were based on. You may want to consider that some of the critics understand the technology and are offering a realistic explanation of the devices operation instead of a salespersons pitch.

In any case, I did read the rest of your post ( but you apear to have not read my entire post). I mentioned the benefits of such a device (you just elaborated them with your own personal touch).

I never said they were junk (peliers are very reliable), I just said they were very inefficient :)

The "wow" factor and "SAF" factor may be well worth it to some folks. The only drawback is that if you need serious cooling, you need something a bit beefier and more efficient.
 
Well I also think that on the pros there is simplicity, they may last forever and will be more reliable. Despite the fact that their consumption of power might be equivalent they will not spike the load as traditional chillers do when starting up. That could be anoying as they turn on and off frequently.
 
You definitely misunderstood my post (a little). I didn't mean any harm, I enjoy your posts. Here was your post though

I for one don't really understand the benefit. Peltiers are VERY inefficient and certainly not "low wattage" Other then being silent (other than the fans) and being reliable due to the lack of moving or wear parts (again other than the fans)... I just don't get the appeal. They certainly are not going to save you money trying to cool your tank.
Click to expand...

You said you don't get the benefit & appeal. I have already listed all the other things that are in addition to just cooling my tank. That was the appeal. If it does the same as the 1/3 hp drop in chiller I sold - and with less wattage, the size/ease/design/SILENCE/lower maintenace are certainly a benefit and extremely appealing for me. Remember though that I am also a former BK owner and am ordering a RD for a return pump. Will it "save me money trying to cool my tank" - I have no idea - I will LYK when I hook up the meter. ;-)

Believe it or not I have quite an extensive education and understand the technology very well - and I'm certainly not sticking up for the product until I know it works.

So back to the review, this so far is what I know (since its been running for a few hours) -

- It is small
- It is silent
- It is movable with ease, wife already made me move it.
- It took me literally 3 minutes to setup, hooked up a MJ and plugged it in (add'l savings from electricity/heat)
- Best of all, my temp only increased .2 degrees when the MH lights came on, and went back to 77.9 within 10 minutes

I forgot to take my watt meter off my MH and I don't want to unplug it or I'll have to wait til it cools off again. So I'll do that tomorrow.

Again, there are other intangibles like size and ease (ease = time = money or time with my kid) which are invaluable to me. Hopefully the wattage and reliability are there as well because so far I'm very happy with it. :D
 
Fliger, I’m not feelin giesemann right now, I have been having problems with the T5’s they like to shut off on there own fixture not even 8 months old.
I’ve seem the pictures of the infinity, looks very cool. What you did with the NG is ingenious, this is the best thing anyone could do with these European lights, at least from a reliability stand point. Sorry not stealing the thread
As mentioned the problem with these chips is cooling, the faster you can cool the hot side the cooler the cool side can get. So these units will not work efficiently inside a stand. I’m thinking in a very well ventilated area. But what am I saying lets give David a chance to thoroughly check this thing out.
 
Loweryster - did I tell you I removed the ballasts and am running them all of the IC660? Its awesome, drives them at 85W each (from 54W). I only have to run my MH a few hours a day (about 5). I had the same problem with the Giesemann - that the T5 bulbs share the same air as the MH - major design flaw. Which is why I no longer own it. ;-)

7:00 pm check (hooked up at 5, MH came on at 5:05 to 10:05), still keeping up - temp is 78.0 and holding. Still silent. Had to move again to fill my topoff rez. I'm watching closely because I'm going camping this weekend, out of cell phone territory. My housesitter isn't exactly tank savvy. So I'm really hoping this keeps up. I will also run the MH early tomorrow to watch it b4 I take off. I need to be comfortable with it.
 
No prob... I guess my post was kind of rhetorical and I did not differentiate well between my opinion and the facts.

Your points are very well taken and I certainly understand that YOU the end user can value a product any way you see fit. I was just tossing my opinion in there and backing it up with what I know about the technology. I should have been more clear in my intentions and certainly did not mean to be confrontational, as you know I can sometimes be :) They do look kind of "high tech" too.

Enjoy
 
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