Is this chiller ok?

[kris2001]

My total saltwater volume is 160 gallon it's in a cool basement but with this summer heat temperatures have reached 84 Fahrenheit even with the fan on top of the water in the sump it hasn't cooled down.

So it's time to buy a chiller I guess ..somebody selling this used chiller($200).... is this a good model ? I know nothing about chiller !! will this take care of my needs? thanks..

 

[ZoWhat]

Best chiller ever made is your places Central Air Conditioner Unit

Run your AC to keep the house at 72° max

Can't afford the AC bill?
You're in the wrong hobby.


.

 

[Pistondog]

My total saltwater volume is 160 gallon it's in a cool basement but with this summer heat temperatures have reached 84 Fahrenheit even with the fan on top of the water in the sump it hasn't cooled down.

So it's time to buy a chiller I guess ..somebody selling this used chiller($200).... is this a good model ? I know nothing about chiller !! will this take care of my needs? thanks..

Not familiar with the brand, but it seems to be about the right size.
Price sounds good. Flush it before using on your tank.

 

[Frostblitz20]

Water chillers just soaks up the water heat and displaces it into your home. They also eat up almost the same amount of power as a small window unit. Would just run AC during the day.

also with chillers you gotta make sure no water comes into contact with copper pipes if you have corals and inverts otherwise your tank will die.

 

[kris2001]

Thx...
My setup is in unfinished basement.
Can't attach AC unit.

I'll probably set up to trigger at 80f... With this used chiller.
Is 80f safe for a mixed reef? Or 78f?

Max tank gets is 83f in hot days...

 

[kris2001]

Water chillers just soaks up the water heat and displaces it into your home. They also eat up almost the same amount of power as a small window unit. Would just run AC during the day.

also with chillers you gotta make sure no water comes into contact with copper pipes if you have corals and inverts otherwise your tank will die.

So do they make non copper chiller for sw tanks? Thanks for the input...

 

[SPS2020]

It seems that particular chiller is no longer made and the one in your picture is nine years old...something to consider. I've purchased two JBJ chillers in the last year (1\3 and 1\2hp) for around $200 that were in really nice shape. I have mine come on at 79 and off at 78 in a 100g acropora tank. 1\6hp might be a little small depending upon your sump size. However, you are not dropping temp much with a high of 84. It also depends on your livestock and how sensitive they are. Take a look at some charts to determine how much hp\btu you will need. Since it is rather a hassle to plumb, I'd suggest doing it right the first time. Here's just a touch of info from BRS on the JBJ 1\5 hp model:

JBJ Arctica Chiller 1/5 HP (DBA-150)

Why does BRS recommend this? We have tested multiple chillers from different manufacturers and we prefer the JBJ Arctica line of chillers. They are energy efficient, easy to plumb, and very quiet for those low noise applications. Excellent quality and quiet operation for your nano tank...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Also, regardless of which model you buy, if used, be sure to circulate some citric acid and RO through the unit for about an hour-ish to clean out those lines. Most folks will fail to maintain them as they should be.

 

[SPS2020]

So do they make non copper chiller for sw tanks? Thanks for the input...

Yes, chillers designed for aquariums do not have copper, they are ti and pvc construction.

 

[RedSeaReefer1]

Best chiller ever made is your places Central Air Conditioner Unit

Run your AC to keep the house at 72° max

Can't afford the AC bill?
You're in the wrong hobby.


.

That’s kinda ignorant to say. Some people have health conditions that don’t allow them to tolerate cold temperatures (even low 70’s). Are you saying those people shouldn’t enjoy the hobby because they buy a chiller? Cmon man

 

[Ancient Mariner]

Thx...
My setup is in unfinished basement.
Can't attach AC unit.

I'll probably set up to trigger at 80f... With this used chiller.
Is 80f safe for a mixed reef? Or 78f?

Max tank gets is 83f in hot days...

My tank (SPS dominant with few softies and LPS) runs at 79-81 in the summer and does well.

I run a 1/3 HP chiller for 150 gal total system with 2 400w metal halides generating tremendous heat. Chiller runs around 3 hours total when halides are on (6 hour photoperiod). Once lights are off 2 ReefBrite XHO strips take over and temp is well controlled with a small ventilation fan I got on Amazon with house temp at 78F.

 

[SPS2020]

Best chiller ever made is your places Central Air Conditioner Unit

Run your AC to keep the house at 72° max

Can't afford the AC bill?
You're in the wrong hobby.


.

IMO, it is much more efficient, consistent and easier to dial in a set range of temps on the keypad and allow the chiller to do what it does best...keep it within that range. I don't want to put a sweater on my parakeet because I have the AC set to 68 degrees to offset all of the heat generated by an AC skimmer pump, a bank of four Hydra 32 HDs, four T5 bulbs, 54 watt UV sterilizer, return pump, etc. Depending upon the location of the tank, some are affected more by outside temps than others. Mine happens to be near two windows and an outside door. The OP has theirs in the basement, so that certainly helps in keeping things cool. Geographic location also plays a huge roll. I'm in the Southeast with higher summer temps in a house with lots of windows. Just saying that it isn't necessarily as easy as setting a lower AC temp. If it works for you, that is fantastic and you have saved money and the hassle of plumbing something else in the manifold.

 

[Pistondog]

So do they make non copper chiller for sw tanks? Thanks for the input...

Jbj chillers use titanium.
Looks like the cl450 is too.

Resun chiller CL-450 | Resun aquarium chillers | Cooling & heating

An energy-efficient chiller with a high yield through the use of an efficient compressor. Durable to use and fully seawater resistant by

reef-aquarium-store.com

 

[Montiman]

Best chiller ever made is your places Central Air Conditioner Unit

Run your AC to keep the house at 72° max

Can't afford the AC bill?
You're in the wrong hobby.


.

Being in AZ It gets ridiculously hot. My energy bill peaks at about $450 a month with just my wife and I but my mom with a larger house has reached $850 a month. In many cases the cost of a chiller gets very reasonable.

More importantly the biggest tank crash of my reefing experience happened when my home AC went out and it got over 130 degrees inside. I lost all of my coral in the 2 days it took to replace the AC unit. On my last build I added a chiller just to avoid that problem. I don't want my tank dependent upon any single point of failure and when the house AC goes out every 3-4 years on average often the AC is the weak point.

 

[kris2001]

It seems that particular chiller is no longer made and the one in your picture is nine years old...something to consider. I've purchased two JBJ chillers in the last year (1\3 and 1\2hp) for around $200 that were in really nice shape. I have mine come on at 79 and off at 78 in a 100g acropora tank. 1\6hp might be a little small depending upon your sump size. However, you are not dropping temp much with a high of 84. It also depends on your livestock and how sensitive they are. Take a look at some charts to determine how much hp\btu you will need. Since it is rather a hassle to plumb, I'd suggest doing it right the first time. Here's just a touch of info from BRS on the JBJ 1\5 hp model:

JBJ Arctica Chiller 1/5 HP (DBA-150)

Why does BRS recommend this? We have tested multiple chillers from different manufacturers and we prefer the JBJ Arctica line of chillers. They are energy efficient, easy to plumb, and very quiet for those low noise applications. Excellent quality and quiet operation for your nano tank...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Also, regardless of which model you buy, if used, be sure to circulate some citric acid and RO through the unit for about an hour-ish to clean out those lines. Most folks will fail to maintain them as they should be.

Yeah since it is a cool basement , it only gets to 84.5f on the hottest day. So my total sw is 160g volume. This should work as I did the research now to bring down 84f to 78f....IMO! Espeically if I can get it for $160!

 

[Snoopdog]

Being in AZ It gets ridiculously hot. My energy bill peaks at about $450 a month with just my wife and I but my mom with a larger house has reached $850 a month. In many cases the cost of a chiller gets very reasonable.

More importantly the biggest tank crash of my reefing experience happened when my home AC went out and it got over 130 degrees inside. I lost all of my coral in the 2 days it took to replace the AC unit. On my last build I added a chiller just to avoid that problem. I don't want my tank dependent upon any single point of failure and when the house AC goes out every 3-4 years on average often the AC is the weak point.

Woh, you lose an AC unit every 3-4 years? An AC unit is typically $6k - $8k

 

[Tamberav]

Best chiller ever made is your places Central Air Conditioner Unit

Run your AC to keep the house at 72° max

Can't afford the AC bill?
You're in the wrong hobby.

Ya but I have a cold water reef I keep at 56 degrees. You saying I need to toss it and keep my house at 56 degrees? lol It has been in operation 6 years.

Why can't a person just use a chiller?

Also the AC broke and my reef tank got to 93 while I was out of town. Having one on a reef tank is a great. If the house central air breaks, it has its own. If the chiller breaks, the tank will be fine on the houses AC until replaced.

If you can't afford both, you are in the wrong hobby.

In all seriousness, the tank lives with me, not me with them. I am going to set my house AC to whatever temp is comfortable for me. This is usually 76-78. If the tank needs it's own chiller, then it can get one too.

 

[Tamberav]

My total saltwater volume is 160 gallon it's in a cool basement but with this summer heat temperatures have reached 84 Fahrenheit even with the fan on top of the water in the sump it hasn't cooled down.

So it's time to buy a chiller I guess ..somebody selling this used chiller($200).... is this a good model ? I know nothing about chiller !! will this take care of my needs? thanks..

I would not buy this simply because it is so old.

 

[laverda]

Yeah since it is a cool basement , it only gets to 84.5f on the hottest day. So my total sw is 160g volume. This should work as I did the research now to bring down 84f to 78f....IMO! Espeically if I can get it for $160!

I don't think you will find 1/6 hp to be enough to cool your tank. I would look for a 1/4 hp one if you want a chiller. Ideally you want the chiller located outside. On my 240 the chiller would heat up the whole 1900 sq foot house as the room temp climbed the chiller became less effective.
I got rid of my chiller and replaced it with fans over my sump. Much less electricity used and the don't heat the whole house up like the chiller did. Evaporation did increase, but i was much happier with the results.

 

[Montiman]

Woh, you lose an AC unit every 3-4 years? An AC unit is typically $6k - $8k

It doesn't die but often needs a significant repair in the middle of the summer when everyone else's is out. If it takes more than 8 hours to fix then it can mean a tank crash.