Looking for ideas on a DIY chiller.

[FishStoreRob]

Im looking for any ideas on how to create a diy chiller, im very handy and im not looking for the cheapest way to do it just a solid, cost saving way. Cooling a 28 gallon jbj nano and im only looking to cool it about 3-5 degrees Fahrenheit. any and all ideas are welcome and feel free to post links to other sites with instructions. Thanks

 

[snowdude10]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5s8Cu59-NM this is a great video. This guy is all about diy. He has a 500+ gallon fish tank with everything DIY.

 

[gmax111]

In my opinion I wouldn't follow that video for advice. I do love that guys projects but refrigerators are not made to constantly run in order to cool something down. Also do not use garden hose for anything as it will leach chemicals back into the tank.

 

[gmax111]

If your only looking for a few degrees I would just buy a fan to blow across the top of the water or tank. You will be surprised how well it works.

 

[SGT_York]

Bad and expensive idea, try to take on DIY projects that are less redneck.

Refrigerator $250, hose $100, pump, $90, You can certainly buy a used chiller that will be far more energy efficient, less risk, and look nicer than that setup.

 

[Paul B]

I got just the thing. I made this evaporative chiller out of my old bio ball filter that I made out of something else, I forget. Maybe a toaster.
The water spills down the plates and there is a computer fan on top that pushes air through the entire device. It would chill my 100 gallon tank about 3 degrees, but on yur tank it would work much better than that. I switched my lights to LEDs so now I use it in my worm tank where it chills much cooler.

 

[shifty51008]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/iceprobe-thermoelectric-aquarium-chiller-nova-tec.html

ice probe chiller for 130.00

 

[Rognin]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/iceprobe-thermoelectric-aquarium-chiller-nova-tec.html

ice probe chiller for 130.00

That's a TEC chiller. Granted it works, but you'll be lucky to get a COP of 1 with it. Menaing it'll take probably more juice than your heater for it to work. Paul has the right idea and a fan will use all of 5w.

I've built TEC chillers for my liquid cooled computer, and they consumed more power than the computer just to keep the liquid at 10c.

 

[Bluesun]

I like the drip tray above. Evaporative cooling. Which that design is not a chiller at all. Its a condenser. In commercial cooling you see them all the time. That huge square box on
top of the building you see putting out what looks like steam in the winter is really the heat load from inside the building being released into the air via a water loop the runs inside the building to a yes chiller. That water goes into the top of the condenser at about98-F and is released down a series of plastic cells(much like egg crate material) and rains all the way to the bottom of the tower droping the temp by 15-f or more. The sides on the bottom are open allowing air to enter. There is a huge fan in the top that cycles on with ambient temp increases as the need arises. This is a very effective design that can be replicated to deliver a effective 10-f temperature drop .

 

[thejuggernaut]

Mini Fridges don't work. The little compressors aren't large enough to successfully draw out enough heat.

http://www.beananimal.com/articles/dorm-fridge-aquarium-chiller.aspx

 

[EnderG60]

Use a fan and auto top off.

If that doesnt work get a used 1/5 or less HP chiller, will cost you less than $250, which is more than you will spend trying to make a mini fridge or window AC unit do the same thing which will not work as well.

Trust me, few years ago I spent $300 and months of time trying to make a 1 ton window AC and titanium tube work as a chiller. It didnt.

Also those iceprobe chillers will be lucky to drop a 15g tank 1 degree.

Basically if you cant do it with a fan, suck it up and buy a chiller.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Use a fan and auto top off.

This. KISS.

 

[perkint]

I have one of these:

Happily takes 3°C off my 28G clipped so it blows onto the open section at the back. Mines controlled by an STC1000. You would easily be able to DIY something similar (or better!) using PC fans and a 12V PSU. If you want to take it a step further, an Arduino nano, DS18B20 temp probe and little MOSFET so you can control the fans switching on and off. Use a PWM pin to control the MOSFET and you can even control the fan speed with it

Tim

 

[Bluesun]

Yeah I am not advocating that at all. I work as a HVAC controls tech aside from buying a chiller making a small version of a tower would indeed trim the water temp by 5 to 10 degrees. No refrigeration needed.

 

[dannyfish]

Get one of those drinking water dispenser equipped with a chiller. People sell used ones for $50-75. Place a recirculating pump inside the metal canister and set a timer on for 2 hrs , off for 2 hours.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk