chiller buyers guide?

gregt · 08-31-2003, 10:11 AM

I've avoided chillers up until now, but I'm going to need one for my growout system.

Here's the scoop on the system.

The tanks will be in the ac at around 78 degrees (volume ~150 gal), the sump will be outside at between 35 - 95 degrees depending on the season (another ~150 gallons of water). This is FL so there is little to no evaporation going on, not to mention the sump will be covered.

There are about 1200 watts of light on the tank in combination of MH and VHO. There's three pumps moving water for circulation and one for skimming.

Any advice or links to good threads would be appreciated.

MontanaRocknReefer · 08-31-2003, 10:50 AM

Greg did you check this thread out from Lise(Underwater Creations--one of our sponsors) as she is having a great Labor Day sale going on! I am sure she can hook you up with a great deal on a chiller!

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...threadid=24008

gregt · 08-31-2003, 10:56 AM

Thanks Johnny, I'm still trying to figure out what I need though.

RWD · 08-31-2003, 12:30 PM

As a new chiller user, I can't offer you much help but you might want to look at this calculator:
http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod_chiller_size.asp

RWD · 08-31-2003, 12:32 PM

more info:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chillersmar.htm

Minnreefer · 08-31-2003, 02:07 PM

I guess my first question is what is it running at now, at the height of summer, what is the operating tempature of the system.

Basically how much are you going to need to drop the temp.
HTH

Jon

Doug1 · 08-31-2003, 03:12 PM

Greg FWIW have you considered an enclosure for the sump, I am assuming its not sitting outside exposed, but I am thinking an enclosure will help manage temp swings.
If I am reading this right, half the system is in climate controlled environment, using hanging lights and fans temp rise in the growout tanks shouldn't be a big deal. My concern is the wide temp fluctuations that the sump will be sunject to, thats going to make heater/chiller work hard if its not stabilized. Once you have that issue dealt with, it sounds like size it for a 300 gallon system and factor in a reasonable margin for safety and possible expansion.

gregt · 08-31-2003, 03:19 PM

Can't really answer your question Jon, because the system doesn't exist as described yet. Currently it is all inside. Even inside, the temps are pushing high 80's without a giant box fan over the sump. I can keep it down in the 70's with the fan.

Doug, I see where you are headed, but I'm not sure how to deal with it. The sump will be in ambient temperature which ranges from 75 to 95 in the summer. I can wrap the sump in insulation and I will keep it covered, but there's not much else I can do without climate controlling it.

Perhaps I should bury the sump a few feet.... LOL

Doug1 · 08-31-2003, 03:23 PM

So where exactly will the sump be located in relation to the house or garage and why must it be outside?

gregt · 08-31-2003, 03:28 PM

There are several reasons I want to move it outside.

It is currently in my office and the film of salt on all my computer equipment is rather troublesome
I'm seriously pressed for space and need the room
I want to make the sump bigger and there is no room to do so inside
It is in my office and I need to lower the noise by moving the pumps and sump outside so I can think straight

Doug1 · 08-31-2003, 03:44 PM

OK I got ya , but wont having the growout tanks inside aggravate issue #1
As far as outside goes, here in the Pacific Northwest, at least rural areas wells are real common, so along with the submerged well pump you wind up with a pressure tank setup that has to be housed from the elements, they typically wind up looking like oversized dog houses but are insulated with large openings for access. Perhaps you could do something like that, with a thermostat op vent fan for hot weather and a heat lamp or something for the cold month .

gregt · 08-31-2003, 03:51 PM

My main problem with #1 is due to a 20" box fan evaporating the water faster than I can replace it. Moving the sump and ditching the fan should fix that problem.

I'm still going to need a chiller even with the "house". It will make it a lot more difficult to work on the sump and it'll take longer to build and cost more. It will also act as a "greenhouse" to some degree so that I'm not really sure it will help much...

Doug1 · 08-31-2003, 03:59 PM

Not if its properly insulated and vented, use existing shade areas or reflective roofing, granted the chiller will still be a needed thing, but by stabilizing the temp swings on half the system you reduce the load on heating/cooling equipment and make a more stable environment

gregt · 08-31-2003, 04:12 PM

You're just trying to get me to build an addition on to the house so you can come visit.

What about features and such of chillers? Do I want a drop-in or an in-line. Are there special temp controller features I should think about? Etc, etc....

Doug1 · 08-31-2003, 04:27 PM

hehehehe, yah I love sleeping in wet dog houses

Any of the good controllers like the Aquacontroller or whatever should be able to run both the chiller and an inline(Fireplug brand?) heater. As far as drop in or flow thru, I suspect that that depends on the flow thru rate from the sump to the growout system.
If it were me I would look at the pros/cons of a drop in in your setup vs, a flowthru, maybe on a closed loop in the sump, definatly adjacent to the sump/doghouse due to noise and heat dump issues