new chiller

[Trnman32]

I just purchased a used 1/4 hp universal marine chiller,this is the first time I have used a chiller on my tank my sump has 3 compartments the first is the return from the tank the second is where my skimmer is and the third is where my supply pump is,I have it hooked up like this I have my chiller pump in the tank return compartment and the outlet of the chiller going into my bubble gaurd right before the supply pump is this the right way to have this plumbed?And second has anyone heard of this brand of chiller?

 

[DarG]

Universal Marine is probably still the best chiller on the market. I had a 1/5th for 10 years and it never quit. I had to upsize when I changed tanks and I wouldn't pay the price for a Universal Marine. What they are asking now is ridiculous. They are good skimmers but not that good. Anyway, you got good chiller. So you are returning the water that has just been cooled back to the sump where it can be picked up by the chiller pump again, before it returns to the display? You should have the chilled water returning dorectly back to the display, not back to the sump where it is either going to end up right back through the chiller or is going to be heated some by going through a pump to get back to the display.

 

[Trnman32]

well iI guess I have this chiller plumbed correctly when I came home at 4:45 my tank temp was 85 degress now its down to 78.8 so I guess thats pretty good for a 250 dollar chiller!

 

[DarG]

Not the most efficient way to plumb it though. Think about it, If the newly cooled water is being pumped back into the tank, then some heat from the pump is being added to the water. Having the chilled water return directly to the tank, without going through a pump, would be the most efficient way to plumb it.
How much more efficient? who knows. You could time how long the chiller runs both ways to find out. It would depend on how much heat your particular pump imparts to the water and whatever extra heat is added by friction from traveling through any extra pipe length. But if it;s working and your happy, more power to you.

BTW, a new 1/4hp UMI chiller is about 1400 bucks these days. They were about 600-700 10 years ago.

 

[Trnman32]

holy$%#@ thats what they cost now I bought this from a guy locally last year due to a divorce for only 250 and he said it was only about 8 or 9 months old.

 

[DarG]

Yep, hard to find dealers with them now because of the prices. I think they cater mostly to commercial uses now because they have certainly priced themselves out of the normal hobbyist market. You got a great deal.