Looking for advice on DIY chiller

its been my experiance that with a chiller your better off just buying one. In the long run just buying one costs less unless you go hokie, but then you run the risk of loosing the tank to copper.
 
I actually have a 1/2hp chiller.... and an identical backup :)

Looking to save the 9.9amps of juice when its running, and not go "hokie".
Thx, D
 
It is not a bad idea at all.

I did not read the othr post for details...

What is the distance to the lake and what is the elevation difference? There are several details that you will need to consider to pull this off.

A closed loop to the lake and an indoor heat exchanger are likely your best (and safest) options.

Pumping lake water to the house would be thermaly more efficient, but you then need horsepower to overcome distance and head.

A closed negates the head pressure but bring others problems. It may be more efficient in the long run. Fill the loop with something that will not freeze (if that is a concern) and plumb it through a heat exchanger in your sump. Turn the loop on and off via a temperature controller.
 
:) :) :)

:) :) :)

Bean, I was hoping you would see this post :)

I have followed many of your other comments on other geothermal threads.

At risk of cross posting, most of the details are on the other thread. I short, roughly 50 feet to the lake with 25' in elevation drop to the surface. If you would be so kind as to check the remaining details in the other thread I would greatly appreciate it. Let me know what you think.
Rgds, Dan
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11645286#post11645286 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danno14
I think hokie is meant to be like "jury-rigged"..... something I don't want :)

understandable!

i am new to the ideas you have presented
i looked the the ebay links that you posted - does anyone go this route using water from the tap ?

although sure it doesnt help you out
remember reading on weathersons thread that he was going to work on a diy chiller - actually was some form of air cooled doohickie w/ coils or something (???)- never followed up to read what he did or if he ever did anything w/ it or not... considering the 'caliber' of his DIY skills/creations - might be worth perusing his thread to find out what he may have come up with!

what you are proposing sounds like a neat idea
do you have any pics of the area that you are referring to in this thread - lake pics etc ?

regards
 
Should work great, I would be worried about the legality of it though, I have no idea if it would be legal for you to put a loop of hose in the lake and run antifreeze (poison) through it.....

Kim
 
If you do decide not to use water, Propylene Glycol should eliminate any environmental concerns. Propylene Glycol, unlike its nasty cousin Ethylene Glycol (automotive anti-freeze) is considered safe enough by the FDA to be used in food products, so it would be <technically> safe enough to use in this application.

Even if gallons of the stuff were to leak into the lake, it would quickly become so diluted that it would certainly not cause any harm to the lake. Even if ingested by humans, the body quickly turns Propylene Glycol into Lactic Acid, which is the same chemical that your body produces as your muscles are starved of Oxygen during a good workout!
 
"Propylene Glycol " good to know! This is the type of data I'm looking for :)

Looks like 30% should do nicely.

Glycol link

Will try to get some pics up tomorrow.
Thanks, d
 
Last edited:
ive herd of people using 150 to 200 feet of 1/2 inch vinal tube and running it under the vapor barrior under the house kinda like a closed loop thing pumping tank water through the vinal tube.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11655709#post11655709 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reef165
ive herd of people using 150 to 200 feet of 1/2 inch vinal tube and running it under the vapor barrior under the house kinda like a closed loop thing pumping tank water through the vinal tube.

This is called "Geothermal Cooling" and is very cool in concept. Labor intensive on the forefront, but extremely efficient.
 
So I am doing something about it....

I added this pump:
loop2.jpg
[/IMG]

Like this:
loop1.jpg
[/IMG]

Those with sharp eyes will note the lack of connection on the outlet....
I just wanted to get a pic to post, as it will be pretty well hidden soon and no pic available.

The pump is way more than I need, but I had it already. I think 53 watts is pretty good for what cooling it will provide.
(more to come.....)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12817148#post12817148 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danno14
TREMENDOUS thanks to Luke for the calculations that saved me a ton of time and $$$. I will owe you bigtime!

Would you (or Luke) mind providing these details for all of us "waiting in the wings" for this type of project. I would like to eventually go geothermal to reduce the overall operating cost of my system, especially with a 4X upgrade on the horizon.

I have really loose soil/sand here in SE Texas, so digging a good size hole wouldnt be too difficult (or expensive) IMO.
 
In a nutshell, and certainly not all inclusive:
1" polypipe to and from my lake. Roughly 200 fee round trip. This pipe size should provide minimal head pressure from friction.
3/8" copper in the lake at a depth of 10+ feet, temp should be no more than 64 degrees in the hottest summer (man made lake with flow regulated by the Army Corp using glacier water). A manifold using six 8' loops of this copper in parallel to minimize head pressure (calculated as 2.1' equivalence). A similar manifold in the sump with four 6 pieces of 3/8" titanium. Roughly 2' of the Ti will be out of the water and not transferring heat to the sump. Flow from an Iwaki 20, controlled by a single stage controller- using one of two that I have. The Medusa will be the first pressed into service. A fill port at the highest point in the sump room with a ball valve, and a drain port down at the lake. Will fill with RO/DI at first and evaluate what to use as cold weather approaches. There is about 30' of drop from the sump room to the surface of the lake, and the poly pipe will go into a trench once I am certain everything works and there are no leaks.

YRMV, especially with earth vs. the lake :)
(I'm lucky and I know it!)
 
The heat exchanger for the sump and lake are complete. I used epoxy to provide an extra seal against corrosion in the fittings and it is still curing. Tomorrow should be the first "wet run".

Copper loop for the lake:
copperexchanger1.jpg
[/IMG]
Detail of copper loop
copperexchanger2.jpg
[/IMG]
Ti loop for the sump
titaniumexchanger.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Back
Top