Diy chiller again
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This guy used an old water fountain but still ended up costing $150 and it's a lot of work.
Most people who have tried the DIY dorm fridge idea say it isn't powerful enough.
Most people who have tried the DIY dorm fridge idea say it isn't powerful enough.
theotheragentm
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There's no reason why you couldn't build one, but without trial testing, there isn't a good way to tell what your heat transfer rate is going to be on a completely custom built unit.
Copper has the best heat exchange rate of any material that is readily available to the common person, but in order to calculate your exact heat exchange rate, you're going to need to know a lot of information. You need to know the flow rate of your water in your tank through this make shift heat exchanger. You need to know the temperature of your cooler water as well, along with the thickness of your copper tubing.
Simply put, you can just run your tank water down into a sump with copper piping, put cooler water in the sump, and by testing know what temperature you need to keep the sump. It may take some time, but I think you can figure out how to control the temperature during a day. Maybe you'll need to pour a new batch of water into the sump every day to make sure it cools enough.
At that point, is the work worth a custom built unit? It might be easier to buy one.
Copper has the best heat exchange rate of any material that is readily available to the common person, but in order to calculate your exact heat exchange rate, you're going to need to know a lot of information. You need to know the flow rate of your water in your tank through this make shift heat exchanger. You need to know the temperature of your cooler water as well, along with the thickness of your copper tubing.
Simply put, you can just run your tank water down into a sump with copper piping, put cooler water in the sump, and by testing know what temperature you need to keep the sump. It may take some time, but I think you can figure out how to control the temperature during a day. Maybe you'll need to pour a new batch of water into the sump every day to make sure it cools enough.
At that point, is the work worth a custom built unit? It might be easier to buy one.
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
How big of a tank is this on and what kind of lighting are you using?
Considering this is for a SW tank using copper tubing isn't going to work. (not that theotheragentm knew that).
Most use vinyl tubing (and lots of it) but it doesn't exchange heat as well as metal. With a powerful enough chiller it can be done though.
Considering it's a 55 gal and depending on the current temps a 5 cu. ft. freezer would be huge but would probably work much better than the smaller mini type freezers. Of course at $200+ your getting close to the price of regular chillers.
Most use vinyl tubing (and lots of it) but it doesn't exchange heat as well as metal. With a powerful enough chiller it can be done though.
Considering it's a 55 gal and depending on the current temps a 5 cu. ft. freezer would be huge but would probably work much better than the smaller mini type freezers. Of course at $200+ your getting close to the price of regular chillers.
theotheragentm
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Oh yeah. I keep forgetting people do saltwater as well. All my knowledge for heat exchangers is industrial, and normally involves steam and more expensive metals. I could recommend some heat exchange metals that will stand up to saltwater, but will cost more than some cars. Doubt anyone would want that though.
theotheragentm
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The problem is you're talking about heat exchange needs that change. Unless your system can change with it, it's not looking good. Since it's so warm where you are, you're likely to have the temperature of your cooling water to rise with the tank water, leaving you with no cool water to lower the tank's temperature. The last thing you would want to see is a cooling system that heated up with the tank and becomes worthless, or worse yet, a system that has a constant cooling with no feedback from the tank that makes your tank too cold.
The only thing I can think of is hoping your air temperature is cooler is put a fountain in a sump and hope air heat transfer works enough.
The only thing I can think of is hoping your air temperature is cooler is put a fountain in a sump and hope air heat transfer works enough.
Ziggy953
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A 55g tank.....hmmm...I still don't know what kind of lighting you have here...I have a 72g with 570w of light 2 175MH and the rest VHO. I have fans in my canopy and my heaters cycle on and off to keep the tank arround 80-82...I'll have to kick my heaters back a bit now that it is warming up....I'd be interested to know exactly what your setup looks like if you are having this much trouble with heat.
roka64
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IU agree with Ziggy, have you tried a simple floor fan? I had to use one in my back room, where the 125G was getting over 83 degrees. I set the fan at the end of the tank and it dropped to 78. Try that and see if it works. You probably have a fan sitting around somewhere.....
theotheragentm
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If you are blowing a fan across the top of a tank, are you likely to see more evaporation? Does that pose a problem in saltwater tanks?
roka64
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No, the salt doesn't evaporate, the water does, so we just top off with FW. There could be a problem if there is too much evaporation and no top-off, the salinity would continue to rise.theotheragentm said:
theotheragentm
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Right. I was considering if one were to go on vacation with a fan cooling the surface of the water. Eventually your salt concentration would be higher, but I suppose it is very gradual.
Mini fridge - $200
100ft tubing - $100
Pump $50
Guys over at RC have had decent results...but they are only running around 50gph...
I would try out the fans first as mentioned. And if that doesnt seem to work, your best bet would be a real chiller.
100ft tubing - $100
Pump $50
Guys over at RC have had decent results...but they are only running around 50gph...
I would try out the fans first as mentioned. And if that doesnt seem to work, your best bet would be a real chiller.
roka64
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Yes, this is also a problem. Hopefu;;y they would have someone to feed their fish and then just add top-off water, or you could get an auto-top off unit.theotheragentm said:
Ziggy953
Aquarium Advice Addict
I think Marc hit it....the mini fridge is what I thought of with a lot and I mean a lot of tubing coiled inside. Like he said you are talking about moving the water through it very slowly to allow it to chill, even then you have to manage it so as not to over cool the water causing you heaters to go nuts. I don't know...sounds to me like a store baught chiller is in order.
greenmaji
Aquarium Advice Addict
stainless steel plate heat exchangers would be what a store bought unit would have in it..
one could use a small window air conditioner (~ equal to a 1/2HP unit) and have the condenser replaced with a stainless steel brazed-plate heat exchanger (3-4 plate would be plenty) then the capilary tube and the reifergerant charge would need to be adjusted for the heat load the system would put on the phase change system (the converted air con.).
Then heat load changes with the lighting cycles so it would need have an on off cycle.
level 6 out of 5 DIY (the project involves breaking into a phase change loop, wich unless done corectly is illegal) unless you happen to do refigeration for a living (or have a freind that does) then I would give it a 4 out of 5.
one could use a small window air conditioner (~ equal to a 1/2HP unit) and have the condenser replaced with a stainless steel brazed-plate heat exchanger (3-4 plate would be plenty) then the capilary tube and the reifergerant charge would need to be adjusted for the heat load the system would put on the phase change system (the converted air con.).
Then heat load changes with the lighting cycles so it would need have an on off cycle.
level 6 out of 5 DIY (the project involves breaking into a phase change loop, wich unless done corectly is illegal) unless you happen to do refigeration for a living (or have a freind that does) then I would give it a 4 out of 5.
theotheragentm
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I never even thought about that. Plate and frames allow you really efficient heat exchange with close passes, but you'll be worrying more about seals breaking than with a traditional tube heat exchangers, because each plate is going to have its own seals. When it comes down to it, home made chillers probably aren't worth it.
greenmaji
Aquarium Advice Addict
brazed plate have no seals to worry about (and there cheaper actually)
