DIY nano chiller discussion, part 1

[JoJosReef]

Since I've got another hour delay on my flight...

Thinking on the design for an easy peasy nano chiller. I want to use a micro pump or possibly dosing head, but most likely a micro pump in an AIO chamber.

Prereqs:
1. Will use a regular mini fridge
2. Will have a sizeable tub of water in the mini fridge for heat exchange

Idea #1, harder to acquire:
1. Purchase a small titanium coil from China (aliexpress or whatnot.. they don't sell this stuff in the U.S. or if they do, not for less than thousands of dollars)
2. Fit tubing to the ends of the coil and submerge coil in the tube of water in the mini fridge with tubing coming out of both ends through holes in the tub lit or bulkheads
3. Run one end of tubing to micro pump and other to the same chamber of the AIO for circulation within the same chamber
4. Plug micro pump into Hydros to turn on whenever temp hits 79 or 80 degrees

Idea #2, easier but maybe less efficient:
1. Purchase a stainless steel rod or two, maybe 1" diameter and 12" length (each)
2. Run silicone/PVC/PU tubing from micro pump, into water tub, coiled around stainless steel rod(s) and out the other end of the tub and back to the same AIO chamber
3. Hydros to turn on the micro pump


Any thoughts on the above? My worry with #2 is that the tubing is not an efficient material for heat exchange, so I'm not sure the water will cool inside of the tubing despite being coiled around the steel rod. But the titanium tubing seems so difficult to GET...

Let's think this through guys!

 

[Subsea]

evaporative cooling is fit for purpose. I used it on 10KG greenhouse growout and I am using it on 6G AIO tower tanks.

 

[JoJosReef]

evaporative cooling is fit for purpose. I used it on 10KG greenhouse growout and I am using it on 6G AIO tower tanks.

I'm actually aiming for a non-evaporative method, i.e., chiller, and getting a polycarb lid to minimize evaporation because my office gets SO hot on the weekends during the summer when the A/C is off that even multiple fans and a whole room fan can't keep up. Last summer the nano was hitting 84--thankfully only throwaway softies at the time--before A/C kicked on Monday AM.

Edit: and ATO was dry every Monday morning with the return shooting bubbles or just nearly.

 

[JoJosReef]

evaporative cooling is fit for purpose. I used it on 10KG greenhouse growout and I am using it on 6G AIO tower tanks.

Sorry, am I misunderstanding your system? It looks like you have a chiller next to the tanks, but are you using a computer fan between the two tanks to evaporate water?

 

[X-37B]

Take a look at this.
https://ebay.us/m/X2kH09

 

[Fish Fan]

Just a thought, but could you use coiled vinyl tubbing in the fridge rather than a titanium coil? Would there not be enough thermal change with the vinyl tubing?

 

[X-37B]

Just a thought, but could you use coiled vinyl tubbing in the fridge rather than a titanium coil? Would there not be enough thermal change with the vinyl tubing?

That does work. I did that in the 90's with a small fridge before I purchased a chiller.

 

[X-37B]

Here you go. This should work.
Look at this product I found on google.com https://share.google/O7ZjB4EdRVqILBqML

 

[Subsea]

Sorry, am I misunderstanding your system? It looks like you have a chiller next to the tanks, but are you using a computer fan between the two tanks to evaporate water?

The only

I'm actually aiming for a non-evaporative method, i.e., chiller, and getting a polycarb lid to minimize evaporation because my office gets SO hot on the weekends during the summer when the A/C is off that even multiple fans and a whole room fan can't keep up. Last summer the nano was hitting 84--thankfully only throwaway softies at the time--before A/C kicked on Monday AM.

Edit: and ATO was dry every Monday morning with the return shooting bubbles or just nearly.

No chiller on reef tanks. I use a titanium heat exchanger with a 1 HP chiller on 150G cold plunge.

However, as an engineer that looks at efficiency, I would run your residential ac in your office space during the weekend. However, it seems that you like to dauble: go for it.

Toooo much extra equipment for me.

 

[MoshJosh]

Wonder is there is anyway PC water cooling components could be used for this kind of project. . . Like using some kind of small radiator in the mini fridge? Might be tough to figure out what the water is coming into contact with internally. . . The tubing should be reef safe but inside the radiator. . . ?

 

[Subsea]

Wonder is there is anyway PC water cooling components could be used for this kind of project. . .

@MoshJosh
What is PC water cooling?

 

[MoshJosh]

@MoshJosh
What is PC water cooling?

Where you use liquid to cool your computers CPU and or graphics card

 

[Subsea]

Where you use liquid to cool your computers CPU and or graphics card

In hydro mechanics & in refrigeration, I use water to water titanium heat exchangers; usually tube & shell.

 

[Red_Beard]

What about a peltier electric cooler?
This one is specifically made for nanos.
https://www.marineandreef.com/Nova_...635&gbraid=0AAAAAD_v0R_UTYjPIhvYIxdNpzZ-vFXWJOr if you wanted you could diy one to mount to the back glass with some thermal paste. Then it would use the back pane to cool the tank, no moving parts, no corodables in the water, just plug it in.
https://sheetak.com/peltier-thermoe...997&gbraid=0AAAABAUWnNlJ0T5EoyXFiDP1mYoKLg3YZ

 

[JoJosReef]

Take a look at this.
https://ebay.us/m/X2kH09

I worry about these products, because they don't describe the chiller material, just the housing. "Iron" and "baked paint" don't lend a lot of confidence.

Probably something like this is better that at least specifies that it uses titanium chiller tubes:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184671465804

 

[MoshJosh]

Depending on the size of the fridge and tub, how inefficient would coils of flexible tuning be?

 

[JoJosReef]

Here you go. This should work.
Look at this product I found on google.com https://share.google/O7ZjB4EdRVqILBqML

Having trouble opening that one on my mobile, will try on my laptop once I'm home.

 

[JoJosReef]

The only

No chiller on reef tanks. I use a titanium heat exchanger with a 1 HP chiller on 150G cold plunge.

However, as an engineer that looks at efficiency, I would run your residential ac in your office space during the weekend. However, it seems that you like to dauble: go for it.

Toooo much extra equipment for me.

I unfortunately can't run the A/C in the office. Program is set, and I don't have access or authority to change it. I have to be physically in the building (or someone else) to request it turned on during the weekend.

I'm not a dabbler! Well, reefing might have made me so, but I prefer something easy and accessible. Just thinking of how to make a nano version of a chiller that isn't hundreds of dollars.

 

[JoJosReef]

Just a thought, but could you use coiled vinyl tubbing in the fridge rather than a titanium coil? Would there not be enough thermal change with the vinyl tubing?

Depending on the size of the fridge and tub, how inefficient would coils of flexible tuning be?

This, I don't know. Forgot to mention vinyl along with silicone, PVC, etc. My thought with the tubing approach (which I understand is like 1000x less efficient than copper tubing from reading some brewer threads) was to coil it around a steel rod inside of the water bath, so maybe increasing surface area inside the water bath (steel rod should be cold as well).

Maybe worth a shot. Shame there isn't a flexible tubing that conducts heat better and is also reef safe!

 

[JoJosReef]

What about a peltier electric cooler?
This one is specifically made for nanos.
https://www.marineandreef.com/Nova_...635&gbraid=0AAAAAD_v0R_UTYjPIhvYIxdNpzZ-vFXWJOr if you wanted you could diy one to mount to the back glass with some thermal paste. Then it would use the back pane to cool the tank, no moving parts, no corodables in the water, just plug it in.
https://sheetak.com/peltier-thermoe...997&gbraid=0AAAABAUWnNlJ0T5EoyXFiDP1mYoKLg3YZ

That's an interesting one... Back to the drawing board!