Drop in or flow thru chiller?

[fishman50]

I am purchasing a chiller for my 125 FO and was wondering which type is better,the flow thru or drop in type,I do have a sump so I was leaning toward the drop in.Also are most chillers placed outside the cabinet not to create heat in the cabinet?

 

[Sean]

most chillers are placed outside of the stand. If you do place it in your stand you need to make sure you have ventilation for it. to find the proper ventilation first find out your chillers cfm rating then find a fan with equal or larger CFM rating.
CFM stands for cubic feet per minute- it measures how much air is being moved by a fan.

As far as drop in vs. In line I would buy the in line.

 

[fishman50]

thanks for your reply,how are the in-line units plumbed? Obviously they require an external pump,how do you determine what size pump,can you place it directly in the sump or the tank itself is a better location?

 

[juiceguy]

in-line chillers are more efficient at cooling, depending on the coolers rating you usually use your return line to flow thru it. drop in coolers usually require the next size up for your purposes but are plug and play. i have a drop in and it works fine for me, just takes extra time in bringing down temps when it kicks on.

 

[Sean]

ideally it should go on your return pump.
As far as what size pump depends on the unit. Different chillers need different gph. different types as well.
keep in mind your ambient room temperature, desired temperature and actual temperature. These factors will help determine what unit is best for you.