Chiller advice

[Big Hig]

I have a 55 gallon tank with a 29 gallon sump. The sump is through the wall and into the garage... but I live in Texas and I didn't think about the heat raising the temp too high. And, I also have two 175W MH's... now my water temp is getting into the high 80's (87-88) and I suspect I need to put a chiller in place.

I was told to put a fan on the tank and that may help, but I don't expect it will because the main source of heat is in the garage... and it's only going to get hotter.

So... that is my situation. Any advice? I would love to make my own chiller but I am up for almost any option.

Chris

[mjkelly]

I was told that a fan or two can lower the temperature by 5-6 degrees. Id try like a 10 dollar fan first from walmart. Someone told me to try a clip on one that ya use for like a desk. I havent tried it out yet because our temperatures have been in the low 70s here the last couple weeks in PA, but id be really interested to see how it worked out for you. I was gonna get one of those thermostat switches that switches on when it reaches a certain temperature and all.

[fihsboy]

If you have a refridgerator in your garage.......you could always run some tubing through your fridge and add a pump. Put it on a controller...such as the aquacontroller lite......100 bucks.....and you would be in business. Its a redneck chiller. Buddy of mine has drawn up plans for one.......it does work. The more tubing you put in the fridge.......the more cooling.

[Big Hig]

mjkelly: Thanks, for the price, I may have to try it just to see... I am not that optimistic though. Our temps today are supposed to get to 100 again with heat index around 110. Like I said though, it's worth a try.

fishboy: I have actually seen some drawings of such a system and I may have to investigate more. I do have a fridge in the garage but it's a large house-style fridge so I don't want to drill holes in it... plus it is primarily for keeping beer/liquor cold! I was trying to think of a way to run tubing over some type cooling but I know I can't use copper, so that's out.

[quader94]

Originally Posted by Big Hig

mjkelly: Thanks, for the price, I may have to try it just to see... I am not that optimistic though. Our temps today are supposed to get to 100 again with heat index around 110. Like I said though, it's worth a try.

fishboy: I have actually seen some drawings of such a system and I may have to investigate more. I do have a fridge in the garage but it's a large house-style fridge so I don't want to drill holes in it... plus it is primarily for keeping beer/liquor cold! I was trying to think of a way to run tubing over some type cooling but I know I can't use copper, so that's out.

is there anyway you could move the sump out of the garage for a little while you research chillers?

[mjkelly]

Yeah 100 gets a little high. We rarely see that kind of heat in northeast PA.

Keep it updated. Im really interested to see how it turns out for ya. Im trying to decide what to do with my tank as well.

[Big Hig]

Originally Posted by quader94

is there anyway you could move the sump out of the garage for a little while you research chillers?

Unfortunately, no... unless I just stop using it and let the main tank run on it's own for a while. I could probably do another water change to help.

[crvz]

Before spending hundreds of dollars on a chiller (and then tens of dollars every month on electricity to run said chiller), I'd definitely get a fan blowing on the sump. Get a larger clip on fan (say 6") and point it either right down on the water in the sump or blowing right over the top of the water. I think it takes about 9000 btu of energy to evaporate a gallon of water, so if you can manage to get 1-2 gallons of evaporation (which is credible with more forced convection) that can give you significant cooling.

[Big Hig]

Thanks all, I will try the fan method first. It is the easiest and simplest to try... I am just a DIY nut, so I thought maybe I could come up with something. Heck, maybe I will try that path while the fan is on...

Chris

[quader94]

well goodluck!

[fihsboy]

Drilling your fridge wouldnt hurt it. Just make sure you insulate the tubing. And put the tubing behind your beer. Hook up a mag 3 with a bunch of tubing inside the fridge. I mean......you couldnt sell the fridge then......but big whoop. You can always use GREAT STUFF to re insulate the fridge where you put the tubing in. Just an idea.

[Big Hig]

Hmmm, that is true, I don't plan on selling it anyway. I would have to move the fridge to be nearer to the tank, but that's not a big deal either. Plus if I put the pump on a thermal switch (not sure what else to call it), the pump would only come on when needed and all the water already in the tubes will be cold. Hmmmm, you're giving me ideas.

[fihsboy]

Yeah, just do a thermal switch. I know what your talking about. Hook that beast up, and it will only chill if the water gets too warm. AND your already cooling your beer.....not much more energy drawing here either. But I agree with them, for now install a fan. It will help out a LOT. Make sure you take pics if you do the fridge thing. We all want to see!

[Big Hig]

Will do!

[Jadinop]

Do a little more research on the "redneck" chiller before drilling holes in anything. The plastic tubing that is generally recomended for this is a really good insulator and you don't get much cooling. In addition, a refrigerator cannot handle the amount of heat that you are looking to remove. The compressor will be running constantly and will most likely burn up quickly. Refrigerators are just not designed to remove that many BTU's of heat. Another factor is the added heat from the additional pump to run the water through the tubing. It actually takes a fairly large pump to push water through 100ft or more a thin plastic tubing. Do a search here or on RC and you will find that this type of chiller has been tried and proven not to work well, if at all.

First thing I would try is insulating the sump. Do you have foam under or around the sump? This will help with both heating and cooling. Maybe build a fan cooled enclosure that isolates the sump from the garage. A deckbox or other large plastic tub may work perfectly for this. Fans work great for cooling but they need to blow directly on the surface of the water in the sump.