Chiller plumbing - in line with return or dedicated pump?

[jedimaster1138]

So it's become apparent that I can't rely on my building to keep chilling the water for our apartment AC units. 2 years in a row we have had a catastrophic failure of everything on the hottest days of the year. Last year it was for nearly 10 days in July. This time, I'm out of town, of course, and they stop delivering chilled water. I've been watching the temperature graph on my Apex go straight up for 2 days. They repaired the system today, and things are stabliizing back down to 81 and dropping (i hope)but I'm not optimistic they won't blow it again.

It looks like I lost an anthias...or so my tank sitter tells me. So now I'm angry.

Anyway, I'm tired of risking things and want to be able to go to the beach for 2 days without having to go nuts. Probably going to bite the bullet on an aquarium chiller.

What's the preferred method of plumbing one? Inline with my return, or fed by a dedicated and separate pump?

Plumbing it inline would be a pita, though cleaner. I'm not 100% sure I could do it with the space I have for fittings...unless I run only one side of my return through the chiller. This seems like a bad idea to me because then 1 of the 2 returns into the tank, which are 5 feet apart, would be outputting cooler water. There's also the issue of added head pressure, which I don't know how to calculate for a chiller...I might wind up needing a return pump with more muscle, if I do that. There's more $$$$$$.

A separate pump is less work (woot) and lets me disconnect the whole thing and hide it in the closet during winter. I also have a Sicce 2.0 in the closet.

Curious what 2 cents are from those more experienced.

Also... on sizing the chiller. I have a 120g display...JBJ 1/5 hp or 1/4? Or another brand?

TIA, keep cool.

 

[NYCEnglish]

I would, and do, use a dedicated pump. No reduced flow issues and it allows me to turn the chiller pump on and off via my controller.

I have a 90 and a JBJ 1/10hp chiller works just fine. My temps with the chiller/controller combo vary between 78.9 and 79.0.

 

[Central Aquariums Corp.]

it is reccomended to use it in-line with the return pump, this way all water going back into the tank is being cooled and lets the chiller run more efficiently

 

[OUT TO SEA]

+1

 

[jedimaster1138]

Stuff to think about for sure.

For those who use a dedicated pump, what do you do with the return? Dump it back in the sump?

 

[Arati]

Try to dump it back as close to the return intake as you can

 

[tomtoothdoc]

what is the normal room temperature?
120 is the tank size or total volume?
what kind of lights do you run?
what kind of animals are you keeping?
the chiller size depends on water volume and how many degree pull down do you need. i would consider a tradewind or an aqualogic delta star....inline no drop in.
once you select the right chiller then you get the pump according to the recommended flow rate.
always a good idea to run the chiller through a controller. the built in thermostat is usually not so accurate. even if it comes with a ranco controller, i would still do a redundancy through your tank controller.

 

[NYCEnglish]

Why does this method let the chiller run more efficiently?

I return the chiller output to the return chamber and on the hottest days the chiller runs less than 20 minutes every 5-6 hours.

it is reccomended to use it in-line with the return pump, this way all water going back into the tank is being cooled and lets the chiller run more efficiently

 

[NYCEnglish]

I dump it back to the return chamber in the sump.

Stuff to think about for sure.

For those who use a dedicated pump, what do you do with the return? Dump it back in the sump?

 

[vio]

if u feed your corals and unplug the return pump (let's say for one hour) either way, the chiller,have a safe way sensor, shot off the compressor when water wont flow, if u use dedicated pump ,the only advan. is keep same temp. on sump for one hour, but u need more space in sump for pump + spend extra watts + more maintenance + more heat from pump, if u return pump support extra flow for chiller ,i think is much easy, i keep mine at 78 F.

 

[jedimaster1138]

what is the normal room temperature?
120 is the tank size or total volume?
what kind of lights do you run?
what kind of animals are you keeping?
the chiller size depends on water volume and how many degree pull down do you need. i would consider a tradewind or an aqualogic delta star....inline no drop in.
once you select the right chiller then you get the pump according to the recommended flow rate.
always a good idea to run the chiller through a controller. the built in thermostat is usually not so accurate. even if it comes with a ranco controller, i would still do a redundancy through your tank controller.

120g display + a CustomKing sump (has anyone mentioned he's the man today?) I'ts 36" x 16"...probably half full with more in the fuge... I guess that accounts for another 30 gallons? Then less the LR displacement... I've always assumed 140 ish with the +/-?

Room temp SHOULD be in the 80s, but it seems to depend on the building AC plant. On a day like today we run the AC full power all the time and the tank is sitting at 78-79.

I run LED lights - 2x Maxspect Razors. The 27" models.

Reef is mixed, LPS and SPS with some z's and p's. I'm moderately stocked on fish and feed twice a day, sometimes 3 when I see the anthias looking hungry. 1 blue hippo tang, might be putting a baby yellow tang in sometime this fall.

Leaning the hardest on installing this chiller on a dedicated pump. I just don't think I can swing the inline return without completely gutting my plumbing, if it's even possible because of space/geometry as well as the added negative of needing a stronger return pump to make up for the added chiller plumbing head. I have a small pump I can used to feed the chiller, should I go that route.

TomTooth - how do you like the Tradewinds for noise?

 

[Arati]

chillers have a recommended flow rate. so you want to make sure you have the right size pump

 

[NYreefNoob]

Why does this method let the chiller run more efficiently?

I return the chiller output to the return chamber and on the hottest days the chiller runs less than 20 minutes every 5-6 hours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maximum Reef Aquatics

it is reccomended to use it in-line with the return pump, this way all water going back into the tank is being cooled and lets the chiller run more efficiently

because all water has to go through the return pump and will only cause the chiller to come on when the whole systems water reaches the point to cause it to turn on. with it dumping back into the sump that water is cooler then the tank so the whole system doesnt cool as efficiently
plus all companies reccomend doing it that way here is a link to a coralife showing to to install it
http://www.f3images.com/IMD/UserManuals/ES36060.pdf

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Leaning the hardest on installing this chiller on a dedicated pump. I just don't think I can swing the inline return without completely gutting my plumbing, if it's even possible because of space/geometry as well as the added negative of needing a stronger return pump to make up for the added chiller plumbing head. I have a small pump I can used to feed the chiller, should I go that route.

TomTooth - how do you like the Tradewinds for noise?

i skimmed your build thread, you listed an eheim 1260 as your return....definitely not strong enough to add a chiller in line. (is the 1260 even strong enough for the system as is???? but that's another topic.) all chiller has a recommended flow rate....."a small pump" most likely won't be up to par.
for example, i have a 300 gal. total volume and a tradewinds 1/2 hp chiller. the recommended flow rate is min of 600 to max of 1800 gph. it has a marineland euro pump 5500 rated at 1385 gph and the tank is 78 to 79 year round.
all chillers are "loud" if you're in the same room with it. it's louder when it starts....then the fan noise is what you hear. if they make a variable fan speed, that would cut down the noise incrementally. but i don't know if there's such a chiller with a variable speed fan.
i would say the tradewinds is quieter than the current usa prime tower and on par with aqualogic and oceanic. i think oceanic is called coral life now.....i would not get another oceanic. it worked well but draw a huge starting amp....eventually burning out the capacitor/starter that i had to get replaced. and it's a real pita finding someone to fix a chiller.
for your tank, i would not go for anything less than a 1/4 hp or 1/3 if you plan to increase water volume/upgrade/add frag tank, etc. plus get an eheim 1262 for the tank and use the 1260 for the chiller, imo.

 

[jedimaster1138]

Hey Tom, I'm going to PM you in a bit, but in brief...

Return is actually a 1262 now. Fun aside, the 1260 and 1262 are exactly the same pump, every single bit, except for the volute, which is a 5$ part. I changed mine out a while ago, I just never updated my thread. So I have a 1262 now. The 1260 was mostly OK for my set up, but I wanted a little bit more flow and for that price, yeah. The 1262 seems to be fine for my 120g. Nice and slow through the sump to let the various filtration do it's thing.

i skimmed your build thread, you listed an eheim 1260 as your return....definitely not strong enough to add a chiller in line. (is the 1260 even strong enough for the system as is???? but that's another topic.) all chiller has a recommended flow rate....."a small pump" most likely won't be up to par.
for example, i have a 300 gal. total volume and a tradewinds 1/2 hp chiller. the recommended flow rate is min of 600 to max of 1800 gph. it has a marineland euro pump 5500 rated at 1385 gph and the tank is 78 to 79 year round.
all chillers are "loud" if you're in the same room with it. it's louder when it starts....then the fan noise is what you hear. if they make a variable fan speed, that would cut down the noise incrementally. but i don't know if there's such a chiller with a variable speed fan.
i would say the tradewinds is quieter than the current usa prime tower and on par with aqualogic and oceanic. i think oceanic is called coral life now.....i would not get another oceanic. it worked well but draw a huge starting amp....eventually burning out the capacitor/starter that i had to get replaced. and it's a real pita finding someone to fix a chiller.
for your tank, i would not go for anything less than a 1/4 hp or 1/3 if you plan to increase water volume/upgrade/add frag tank, etc. plus get an eheim 1262 for the tank and use the 1260 for the chiller, imo.