Questions on a Chiller

[TitansFan]

Okies..
Some of you probably read my other thread on issues in my home. I started looking at dehumidifiers and thought about a chiller instead. If I am considering a $400 dehumidifier why not look into chillers? For anyone that has added a chiller did you see a large decrease in evaporation? I figured I could kill the fans and evap less water. Possibly even run the tank with glass tops. Maybe someone could recommend a chiller for me with a tank size of 180? Is a 1/4hp going to work? Does a chiller really add that much heat back into a room? I assume they only cycle on when needed. As you can see I know very little about chillers...

Thanks
-Chris

 

[Fanof49ASU]

If you get to looking for a chiller, I believe there's a 'lightly used' one at the Critter.....or at least there was. If I remember right, it's a 1/4 hp that was used for like 6 months.
Also....no, it's not mine. I don't know who owned it.

FYI

 

[anthony34]

It can add a good amount of heat to your room, the key here is getting the proper chiller never underside, if you do it will run longer thus add more heat to your house. I use quarter horse on my 90g and it never comes on until summer and even then it pulls down pretty quick on extrem warm day might kick on once or twice a day never more and does not run long maybe 15mins or so. I have seen plenty of people undersize their units and theirs kick on many times a day having a hard time pulling down the water temp.

 

[TitansFan]

Thanks for the heads up on the "pre loved" one at the Critter. Anthony though is having me wonder if a 1/4 would be enough. I would not want the chiller to run much.

Anthony, what temp do you keep your tank? The heat added to the room.. is it a dry heat? Would you say it would decrease humidity?

 

[anthony34]

dry heat, my tank is in the cooler room in the house so its not really a big deal but you can feel the difference if it were on. I keep my tank around 77 - 78, but as you can see I have alot of heat from my VHO and 2x800 bulbs its a must in the summer. There are charts on the net that you can use to figure out which would work better for you.

 

[wooglin]

I run a 1/10 hp on my 75. The temp in maintained at 74 degrees. Lighting is 2x250mh and 2x110 VHO. It cycles very little in the winter, and in the summer works a small bit. One thing to keep in mind is that newer chillers have much more effecient compressors compared to older designs so it is hard to compare hp to hp without taking the compressor into consideration.

 

[anthony34]

Never compare hp to hp when dealing with chillers are not created equal they measure different. Usually cheaper brands uses a higher hp rating to do the same work as a smaller unit in a good brand unit. Always look at the BTU and Pull Down Rating.

 

[c_stowers]

Chillers will add a fair amount of heat to the room. I've got a 1/3 HP and when it runs, you can just feel the heat pouring out the back of it. My personal opinion on them (even though I own one) is that they are worthless. They are less efficient than a home A/C and just dump heat into the air when they do run. IMO, You would be better off just running the A/C on your house more.

 

[anthony34]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11896294#post11896294 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by c_stowers
Chillers will add a fair amount of heat to the room. I've got a 1/3 HP and when it runs, you can just feel the heat pouring out the back of it. My personal opinion on them (even though I own one) is that they are worthless. They are less efficient than a home A/C and just dump heat into the air when they do run. IMO, You would be better off just running the A/C on your house more.

A two story home on a warm summer day would be murder on your wallet trying to compensate with a AC home unit, not to mention uncomfortable to those that would not care for the cooler temp on the body.

 

[c_stowers]

Well I like it cold. But I do realize some people do not. I'm in the process of getting a portable air unit for my tank room. If you get a nice one, you can get an EER of 12-14, which is leaps and bounds more efficient than running a chiller.

 

[TitansFan]

One of my whole goals of a chiller and my main concern is decreasing humidity in my home. I would like to forgo using evaporation as my chosen cooling method. The plus is the stable temp in the tank. Also I hear less algae grows in the mid 70's. Right now my tank runs 79-83.

These are the 2 I am considering:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...uct_Code=PC-CL-650&Category_Code=pacificcoast

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...OD&Product_Code=JBJ-DBE-200&Category_Code=JBJ

The second looks nice but abit more $$ than the first.

 

[anthony34]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11899121#post11899121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TitansFan
One of my whole goals of a chiller and my main concern is decreasing humidity in my home. I would like to forgo using evaporation as my chosen cooling method. The plus is the stable temp in the tank. Also I hear less algae grows in the mid 70's. Right now my tank runs 79-83.

These are the 2 I am considering:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...uct_Code=PC-CL-650&Category_Code=pacificcoast

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...OD&Product_Code=JBJ-DBE-200&Category_Code=JBJ

The second looks nice but abit more $$ than the first.

I use the JBJ 1/4 HP Inline Arctica Chiller

 

[wooglin]

I use the Pacific Coast CL-210 and it works very well on y 75. You will need something larger than a 1/10 hp I would think, how large? It depends on what all you have heating your water.