Do it yourself chiller

[s2ary]

Does anyone have any experience with DIY chillers?

I am looking to drop the temp in a 265 gal about 10-15 degrees. Which might very well be difficult for a DIY in a small freezer.

But maybe if it could slow the rate of temperature rise so that frequent water changes could keep a large tank in a 75-80 degree room at about 60-65.

Do you guys think it is possible?

What about 3 magnum 350’s cycling through two or three little freezers that can fit under the tank?

 

[sirwired]

The issue with small freezers is that they are made for energy efficiency in a well-insulated, very cold, compartment that is only rarely opened. Their heat reduction capacity (as in BTU's/hr) is actually quite small. To get an idea of how small this is, put your hand in front of the air output of one of these things... you don't exactly feel the heat roll off the coils, do you? Some warmth, yes, but not a whole lot.

In addition, there will be a great deal of load on the compressor since it is designed to keep a freezer cold. If you are trying to cool something that is a heck of a lot warmer than a freezer all the time, the freon is going to boil much more quickly and to a much higher pressure than the compressor is used to handling on a regular basis.

Maybe you could rig up something with a small radiator and a room air conditioner? They are designed to remove far more BTU's/hr than a freezer.

SirWired

 

[s2ary]

That is sage advice... How would you rig something like that?

 

[Todd2]

Is there a reason you need a chiller? Is it going to be a native biotope w/ trout or something similar?

You might want to check out the DIY forum over at reefcentral.com - I think they have a couple threads of DIY chiller attempts.

 

[s2ary]

Hey todd

That is exactly what I'm exploring.

But I'm not sure I can maintain proper temp control in the summer and while heating the house during the winter.

 

[7Enigma]

First thing you want is INSULATION from the outside environment. This means covering the base and sides with a material that will limit the heat transfer of your house to the tank. The second would definately be evaporation.

Is this a glass or acrylic tank? That will also play a large factor in the planning.

And as others have mentioned refrigerators and freezers are not meant to run consistently, I would look towards the radiator idea, but you definatley need an air conditioner to maintain the low temps you are looking for (as a simple radiator setup will not allow you to get much below ambient).