24/7 AC to cool the tank. Thoughts?

[Moogle]

Hi. I have a 120 gallon tank. Without AC the temps goes to 32-33C. Some of my corals started dying already.
So I was thinking of turning the AC on 24/7. I tried that and the temp went down to 26C.
Is this a sustainable solution? Im not sure about the electricity bill running it 24/7/365. And the AC itself, will it become faulty faster?
Im using a ceiling cassette 3.0 HP.

I was thinking of a chiller but the piping is long. And i cannot put any more pumps in the sump because of space. If externally placed beside the sump, Im not sure of the pump noise it will make because its inside my office.

Ive attached the picture if chiller is going to be used.

And if pump is going to be placed beside the chiller, im not sure of the problems it can cause because it will be pulling water from long distance.

And i dont think fans will be much of a use

Thoughts please. Thank you

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hi. I have a 120 gallon tank. Without AC the temps goes to 32-33C. Some of my corals started dying already.
So I was thinking of turning the AC on 24/7. I tried that and the temp went down to 26C.
Is this a sustainable solution? Im not sure about the electricity bill running it 24/7/365. And the AC itself, will it become faulty faster?
Im using a ceiling cassette 3.0 HP.

I was thinking of a chiller but the piping is long. And i cannot put any more pumps in the sump because of space. If externally placed beside the sump, Im not sure of the pump noise it will make because its inside my office.

Ive attached the picture if chiller is going to be used.

And if pump is going to be placed beside the chiller, im not sure of the problems it can cause because it will be pulling water from long distance.

And i dont think fans will be much of a use

Thoughts please. Thank you

Where are you?

If low humidity I'd use fans.
Probably won't work well if you're in the tropics.

 

[Moogle]

Where are you?

If low humidity I'd use fans.
Probably won't work well if you're in the tropics.

I live in the philippines. Also fans wouldnt work because that would mean having to refill my ato 3-4x a day

 

[Subsea]

Hi. I have a 120 gallon tank. Without AC the temps goes to 32-33C. Some of my corals started dying already.
So I was thinking of turning the AC on 24/7. I tried that and the temp went down to 26C.
Is this a sustainable solution? Im not sure about the electricity bill running it 24/7/365. And the AC itself, will it become faulty faster?
Im using a ceiling cassette 3.0 HP.

I was thinking of a chiller but the piping is long. And i cannot put any more pumps in the sump because of space. If externally placed beside the sump, Im not sure of the pump noise it will make because its inside my office.

Ive attached the picture if chiller is going to be used.

And if pump is going to be placed beside the chiller, im not sure of the problems it can cause because it will be pulling water from long distance.

And i dont think fans will be much of a use

Thoughts please. Thank you

I live in Texas and I run AC in the winter. If you can afford 120G reef tank, I suggest you run A C. In that way, you don’t need a chiller. What is a 3HP ceiling cassette?

ALSO, 20’ of pipe from tank to chiller is not a problem., if you feel the need, insulate pipe to prevent heat gain and condensation.

 

[Moogle]

I live in Texas and I run AC in the winter. If you can afford 120G reef tank, I suggest you run A C. In that way, you don’t need a chiller. What is a 3HP ceiling cassette?

ALSO, 20’ of pipe from tank to chiller is not a problem., if you feel the need, insulate pipe to prevent heat gain and condensation.

Did you run your AC 24/7 then?
I attached a 3 HP ceiling cassette type AC

For the chiller, im more worried about the pump not having enough power to pull water from the tank as the external pump is far from the tank.

 

[Subsea]

Did you run your AC 24/7 then?
I attached a 3 HP ceiling cassette type AC

For the chiller, im more worried about the pump not having enough power to pull water from the tank as the external pump is far from the tank.

Yes, when required, I run AC in the winter. While AC is available to run 24/7 it runs according to thermostat settings,

How large of an area is your 3HP ceiling cassette cooling? My whole house, 1300 square feet, AC is 3.5 HP.

NOTE. Why do you think that a properly sized pipe can not gravity feed enough water to chiller pump? Give me the engineering specs for required flow rate to operate chiller and I will calculate required pipe diameter. Also, what are the specifications of the pump that you feel is insufficient. Engineering details matter, not your feelings.

Also, instead of supplying chiller with water from sump, use water level in display tank to supply chiller pump. That would add 3’ of hydrostatic head to push more water thru pipe.

Or, locate chiller pump in display tank.

 

[Moogle]

Yes, when required, I run AC in the winter. While AC is available to run 24/7 it runs according to thermostat settings,

How large of an area is your 3HP ceiling cassette cooling? My whole house, 1300 square feet, AC is 3.5 HP.

NOTE. Why do you think that a properly sized pipe can not gravity feed enough water to chiller pump? Give me the engineering specs for required flow rate to operate chiller and I will calculate required pipe diameter. Also, what are the specifications of the pump that you feel is insufficient. Engineering details matter, not your feelings.

Also, instead of supplying chiller with water from sump, use water level in display tank to supply chiller pump. That would add 3’ of hydrostatic head to push more water thru pipe.

Or, locate chiller pump in display tank.

3hp is cooling around 30-40 sqm
Recommended Rate of Flow if chiller : 1200~3000L/H

What external pump can you recommend to pull water from the tank that far away or distance without a problem.

 

[Subsea]

3hp is cooling around 30-40 sqm
Recommended Rate of Flow if chiller : 1200~3000L/H

What external pump can you recommend to pull water from the tank that far away or distance without a problem.

Some pumps need a flooded suction and some pumps can pull a partial vacuum to suck water.

In your drawing the horizontal distance is 9 meters, does 3 meters shown indicate vertical distance.

Is total pipe run 2 times 9+3 equals 24 meters?

@Moogle
Your recomended chiller flow rate seems excessive (1200 - 3000 L/Hr). I operate a 1/2 HP chiller on outdoor 150G Rubbermade tub for a cold plunge and the pump flow rate is a 250 l/Hr

 

[Moogle]

Some pumps need a flooded suction and some pumps can pull a partial vacuum to suck water.

In your drawing the horizontal distance is 9 meters, does 3 meters shown indicate vertical distance.

Is total pipe run 2 times 9+3 equals 24 meters?

The 3 meter is vertical going upwards then 9 meter horizontal then another 3 going downwards. So thats 15meters to pull water. Then another 15 merers to push the water back

 

[Subsea]

The 3 meter is vertical going upwards then 9 meter horizontal then another 3 going downwards. So thats 15meters to pull water. Then another 15 merers to push the water back

Amazon product ASIN B09TBJJ4FF
This pump will move the volume of water that you specified. Materials in pump are suitable for salt water and safe for reef tank as best I can tell. Contact manufacture for their recommendations. As I already indicated, my 1/2HP titanium chiller uses 250 L/Hr, not 3000L/Hr.

The above pump will require 3/4” diameter pipe for your specified flow rate of 1200-3000L/Hr.

 

[Glass.Reef]

I live in Sri Lanka so I have the same Temp problems. From my personal experience, running a cost effective than running an A/C full time. Chiller flow rate doesn't have to be much and again, from my personal experience, low end of the recommended flow rate is better than high flow rate. If the distance between the chiller and tank is too much (9meters is a bit too much) insulating the pipes are pretty much required.

 

[Subsea]

Not knowing what electricity cost where you are, I don’t know how to determine cost effective.

As an engineer and a homeowner in Texas, summer temperature of 105 is normal. In our GulfCoast states humidity is 70% of the heat load on air conditioning. Once humidity is removed, evaporative cooling becomes more efficient. Just a thought.

 

[BryanM]

If I ran A/C 24/7 here my bill would be over $1500 for electricity... I'd think a chiller would be far more cost effective.

 

[reefpanda]

Use a chiller and run your return pump to the chiller before entering the main tank. A/C won’t work as it won’t provide the stability of a chiller. I’m from Malaysia so same hot weather issue.

Also not sure why your chiller needs to be so far from the tank?

 

[Subsea]

I live in the philippines. Also fans wouldnt work because that would mean having to refill my ato 3-4x a day

Increase volume for ATO.

 

[Glass.Reef]

Increase volume for ATO.

ATO is not the only problem with Fans.. Although fans can reduce temp by 2-3 degrees even in the tropics it was not nearly enough to keep it low and stable long term.

 

[Subsea]

Use a chiller and run your return pump to the chiller before entering the main tank. A/C won’t work as it won’t provide the stability of a chiller. I’m from Malaysia.

Also not sure why your chiller needs to be so far from the tank?

Tanks are in OP’s office. Pump noise & heat gain in office space is not desirable.

@

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Interesting thread. I’m facing a similar challenge. I’ll post my situation if it is helpful at all. I have a 400g peninsula with one side facing my fish room. And 2 sides facing my house. My fish room is 16 x 12, it has its own HVAC, a whole house dehumidifier and 2 venting systems. Current system is 525g, but will be 650g next weekend when I swap out my frag tank for a larger one. My lighting system(s) are driving the issues, but I am not going to alter them as it works well. Over my display alone I have xr30s(8), halides(4) and T5s. I also have 5 fans over my display and 3 in the lighting rack. I keep my tank at 77. On a good day my temps only get to 79.5. However, if the temps in my house (not fish room) go from 70 to 72, my tank goes from 79.5 to 81. At 80.2 my halides shut off at 80.5 the XR30s shut down and T5s at 81. I have kids and a pool. Summer is coming and I live in Memphis. The doors are always open it feels. Or, if we aren’t home, my system will go into eco mode and there goes my tank again.

If I kept my down stairs at 69 and locked it in, I might have a fighting chance. But, that’s expensive. I have a lot of sq. Ft. So, I had to invest in a chiller. In fact, I have to plumb it in the next week or so, I just got it. It’s only rated to 500g, but I only really need to pull 3-4 degrees down. So I should be fine. The challenge is do I plumb it 70 feet outside to the garage or 8 foot around the corner and build a little roof for it. It’s rated for outdoors but says it required sun and rain protection. I’ve never owned a chiller before tied to a display.

But for me, I don’t see it realistic to use my AC to control the temps in my tank. Nor will fans do the trick. Also, I have 2 halides over the connected frag tank in the fish room. The new tank is 48”x48” and will have 4 halides, so I am not doing myself any favors, lol.

 

[Subsea]

Interesting thread. I’m facing a similar challenge. I’ll post my situation if it is helpful at all. I have a 400g peninsula with one side facing my fish room. And 2 sides facing my house. My fish room is 16 x 12, it has its own HVAC, a whole house dehumidifier and 2 venting systems. Current system is 525g, but will be 650g next weekend when I swap out my frag tank for a larger one. My lighting system(s) are driving the issues, but I am not going to alter them as it works well. Over my display alone I have xr30s(8), halides(4) and T5s. I also have 5 fans over my display and 3 in the lighting rack. I keep my tank at 77. On a good day my temps only get to 79.5. However, if the temps in my house (not fish room) go from 70 to 72, my tank goes from 79.5 to 81. At 80.2 my halides shut off at 80.5 the XR30s shut down and T5s at 81. I have kids and a pool. Summer is coming and I live in Memphis. The doors are always open it feels. Or, if we aren’t home, my system will go into eco mode and there goes my tank again.

If I kept my down stairs at 69 and locked it in, I might have a fighting chance. But, that’s expensive. I have a lot of sq. Ft. So, I had to invest in a chiller. In fact, I have to plumb it in the next week or so, I just got it. It’s only rated to 500g, but I only really need to pull 3-4 degrees down. So I should be fine. The challenge is do I plumb it 70 feet outside to the garage or 8 foot around the corner and build a little roof for it. It’s rated for outdoors but says it required sun and rain protection. I’ve never owned a chiller before tied to a display.

But for me, I don’t see it realistic to use my AC to control the temps in my tank. Nor will fans do the trick. Also, I have 2 halides over the connected frag tank in the fish room. The new tank is 48”x48” and will have 4 halides, so I am not doing myself any favors, lol.

I have many tanks. Individual chillers for them don’t make sense due to large capital upfront cost of titanium chillers. My fish room with 10 tanks has a window ac and a ceiling fan. Everything stays below 77 degrees.


I do have a 1/2” HP titanium chiller for 150G outdoor cold plunge. You will need to insulate your exterior piping no matter what distance you run.

 

[Moogle]

Does anyone know if i run a ecotech vectra L2 with that setup in the firstpost, will it work pulling water from a long distance