Chillers Coil vs. Flow-through

[AgentSPS]

Hello,
I am in the market for a new chiller and need to decide on a coil or flow-through chiller. I am sure both will do the trick just fine but want to make sure I am getting the most for my money. I am setting up a new 75 gal reef which will have ~600 watts light (400W comprised of Halide). I would also like to know which brands are the safest. They all seem to use pretty much identical components.

Erik

 

[ReefBum1]

based on my own experience, i would recommend an in-line unit. i have had an in-line Universal Marine 1/4 hp chiller for my tanks (first for my 90g and later for my current 120g) for over 8 years and i have had absolutely no problems. i've also heard drop in coil units can be problematic but i have had no experience with them.

 

[danmhippo]

One of my complaint about drop in is that their unit comes with 6 feet lead between the coil and the compressor. But with all the bends and turns a typical tank has to go through, it's more like 4 feet in reality. That means the chiller has to be right next to the tank, if not in the stand. Being in close proximity to the tank, the chiller will heat up the fish tank room considerably making the whole process less efficient.

I own a aqualogic drop-in, and a CSL flow through. My ownership with these 2 unit is still fairly short, within 1/2 year. Thus I cannot comment on their reliabilities yet.

 

[Anonymous]

If I was setting up a new system with a chiller from the start it would be in-line. I added a chiller to my present system after it was up and running, so a drop-in was the easiest way to go. It works just fine, though.

 

[golfish]

To make things as efficient as possible I have my in-line chiller outside. These things give off a whole lot of heat, running them inside kind of makes it work againts itself.

 

[pcmankey]

It is true that an a drop-in has to be close to the tank, but with an in-line you have to consider either buying another pump for the chiller with all it's own space, heat, and noise, or you have to buy a bigger return pump, or you have to accept the head loss associated with all the new plumbing and chiller. If you are not plumbing it outside, which has it's own problems as far as wear and tear on the chiller being exposed to the elements, then I would get a drop-in because you don't have to worry about plumbing and new pumps etc. I have a drop-in next to my stand and since I keep the tank at 84-86 in the summer the chiller is actually rarely on. I live near Sacramento with no AC and it is over 100 routinely--since it's dry the fans alone do a remarkable job. It is more of an emergency measure when we have a real heat wave, so I'm not that concerned about heating up the house--it's already over 90 inside anyway. I would probably be more concerned that the chiller was outside getting thrashed. As far as efficency is concerned the in-line can be worse because you have new lines all over the place absorbing heat and causing friction. I called CSL and Aqualogic with concerns about efficiency before I bought my chiller and they said there is no great gain from having an in-line and dependending on how you plumb it, with extra pumps etc., the efficiency can be worse than a drop-in. The worse thing about a drop-in is the line is only 6 feet and it is bendable but not like your bending a pipe cleaner--the line is stiff, but once you get it set up you don't have to worry about it moving and it stays nicely in place.

 

[AgentSPS]

Hello People

Thank you so much for all the replies to my inquiry. After much thought and consideration of your advice, I have decided to go in-line. 1/5th hp Aquanetic. I have a RIO 2500 which I was going to return but will use for now until I can get another external pump. While I have always had good luck with RIO's, I have heard about 4 horror stories of them exploding in tanks and belching out OIL.

NEW QUESTION:

Aquanetic (non digital) built in thermostat vs Additional digital temp controller

 

[pcmankey]

I have an AquaController and the digital temp controller that came with my chiller--I do like having the redundancy with the chiller control.

 

[AgentSPS]

Hello People

Thank you so much for all the replies to my inquiry. After much thought and consideration of your advice, I have decided to go in-line. 1/5th hp Aquanetic. I have a RIO 2500 which I was going to return but will use for now until I can get another external pump. While I have always had good luck with RIO's, I have heard about 4 horror stories of them exploding in tanks and belching out OIL.

NEW QUESTION:

Aquanetic (non digital) built in thermostat vs Additional digital temp controller

 

[Clay Glover]

Talking about chillers, I have an Aquanetics 1/4 hp inline and I've had problems with calcium (carbonate?) buildup on the titanium cooling element/coil. I mean HEAVY buildup that slows flow considerably. I've had to acidwash it twice (ouch). Is this normal? I dose with KW directly to the sump and the main pump pushes the chiller. Somehow, this, or the buffer addition is the culprit. I'm stumped... thx- Clay :?

 

[Jeff Hood]

I used a 1/5th hp Cyclone chiller for several years on my 75 gallon tank. Perfect size and it is very reliable. Easy to charge if needed by any small appliance guy.

Mine is about 6 or 7 years old.

Its sitting in my attic collecting dust. Not much good on my 800 gallon system. I liked the coil chiller. Easy to install, just plug in and put in the sump. Easy to take out if you need to clean, or maintance it. It also does not need a second pump and the coil is visable to see if it needs cleaning. It would pull the temp of my 75 down quickly. I used the medusa controller on it and was wonderfull.

Jeff

 

[easygoer2]

I just bought the 1/4 Arctica Chiller. I have'nt got it hooked up yet. Will let you known how it operates in about a week. Going to use it on a 110.
easygoer2

 

[MandarinFish]

How far does the coil have to be submerged in the water? The tube connecting it is fairly short and inflexible. It's hard for me to get the whole thing underwater.

How much needs to be down there (I have an aquanetics 1/5 hp).

 

[Mikef1]

I love my 1/4hp custom sealife inline chiller. Not a problem yet

 

[Tangboy]

I use a 1/4 hp Aqualogic drop-in chiller in a 220 gallon tank. The coil lies in the sump under about 5 inches of water. While this chiller is a little undersized for this tank, I have turned off the A/C and with indoor temp. around 100 deg the tank cools down to 78 deg no problem. It also does not have to run continously to maintain this temp.

 

[tangir1]

Mikef, I can see that you are digging up some really old thread.

 

[Anonymous]

Mikef, I can see that you are digging up some really old thread.

It's because it is a timeless question :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

And the timeless answer is inline. End of thread.