How to plumb a chiller?

[-JB]

You guys with an in-line chiller how do you plumb in into your system? I will be receiving an in-line soon. So in the meantime I'm going to re-do my plumbing to make room for the chiller. My system has a sump going into an AM300 up to the return lines, which feed 2 sea swirls. I will be putting the chiller in the basement. I already have holes drilled into the floor for the lines into the chiller. Should I just tee off the AM3000 to the chiller and then chiller back to the sump? I was originally going to have the chiller return line go into the tank but I am a little worried about the cold water dumping directly into the tank.

 

[Len]

JB,

My chiller is fed sump water by a Iwaki MD30RLT, sent directly back into the tank. No problems here. I think it's a terrible waste of energy and usuable gph to dump chiller back into the sump.

 

[jdeets]

You might consider just using gravity to get the water to the chiller, and use a pump in the basement to get the water back up. That will avoid any reduction in flow from your return pump. Since you'll be pumping all that way down and back up, there shouldn't be a head problem since the setup would work like a "counterweight" for an elevator--meaning the water going down will be pushing the water back up on the other side. Therefore, you won't have a lot of head pressure to deal with. The question is whether you want to sacrifice some flow from your return pump to operate the chiller or would be better off with a separate pump in the basement...

 

[danmhippo]

I have been told to plumb the chiller to the return pump. The reason being was that the water return back to the tank is cleaner and would not be a cause in the detritus/algae buildup in the chiller. Just a thought though, I do not own a in-line chiller, instead I only had the drop-in type before.

 

[slash7]

Mine is plumbed directly into the return line from the sump. I don't know what size chiller or tank you have, but usually aquarium chillers and made to cool gradually and won't dump "ice-cold" water into your tank. Another thing to consider is that most chillers have a flow-rate recommendation so check your documentation and make sure the flow is adequate so you won't freeze it up and also not more than the rating as then it won't be effecient. Chillers are one of the best investments you can make IMHO as it takes the worry out of temperature control, there are enough other things to worry about in this hobby.

 

[-JB]

I bought an Aqualogic 1/3HP in-line, I have a 180g tank. I think I should be ok using my Ampmaster 3000 to supply the chiller, it's a pretty strong pump and I've got it throttled back a bit right now. The only head pressure I should see, is going above the pump to the tank as the head pressure going down into the basement then back up should even out.

 

[lawndoctor]

Tank overflow -> sump -> chiller -> pump -> tank returns. The Aquanetics instructions recommended that the pump be placed in line after the chiller, so that the pump sucks the water through the chiller instead of forcing it into the chiller under positive pressure.

 

[-JB]

I don't want to put another pump after the chiller if I can avoid it. That would cause all sorts of plumbing headaches. I'd have to drill another hole in my sump for the return... I checked Aqua Logic's site and the say to plumb it off the return pump, I would much rather go that route.

 

[slash7]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lawndoctor:
<STRONG>Tank overflow -> sump -> chiller -> pump -> tank returns. The Aquanetics instructions recommended that the pump be placed in line after the chiller, so that the pump sucks the water through the chiller instead of forcing it into the chiller under positive pressure.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have mine plumbed after the pump and have had no problems with it. I was rechecking the instructions that I have and they don't mention having the pump AFTER the chiller. In fact in the diagram that they provide the pump is pushing water into the chiller. Also checked their online instructions at http://www.aquanetics.com/index3.htm
and I didn't see it mentioned there either (unless I just completely overlooked it). Just wondering what model you have instructions for? Interesting that they would suggest that..the only reason I could see for it would be internal pressure? Any thoughts?

[ July 09, 2001: Message edited by: slash7 ]

 

[Tanu]

Leonard, can you explain why the dumping back the cool water in the sump would be a waste of energy?

I've been thinking about connecting the chiller to the return (i have 2 return pumps) to the tank. Now it has it's own pump..

Lawndoctor: does Aquanetics explain why I should connect the chiller that way?

Thanx!

Tanu www.tanu.nl

 

[lawndoctor]

I'm at work now but I'll check my Aquanetics instructions tonight. Mine is a 1/5 hp in-line model about 4 years old. I also relied on two books, Aquarium Systems Engineeering and the two-volume Delbeek & Sprung set, in designing my setup, so I may have gotten the recommendation from them. My recollection is that they advised aginst positive pressure going through the chiller. Also, I don't use a second pump. It's all run by one Iwaki pump.