i picked up a chiller yesterday and i was planning on doing the plumbing today, but i cannot decide how to plumb the returns. it will be feed water from a submersible pump in the sump. i was originally going to have the return water go into the sump as well. but since the heaters are in the sump, i kind of figured they would both be operating at the same time to try to counteract each other, right? i am going to get a ranco controller, would that solve that problem. my other option is to plumb the return line directly into the display tank, but i am not sure healthy it would be to a direct flow of cooler water entering the tank. as far as the the flow rate of the over-flows, they can handle the additional water flow. i only have a 950gph pump in use right now between the sump and the DT. i could really use some advice!
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Chiller Plumbing Question
- Thread starter Patriot76
- Start date
Patriot76 said:
If your sump is recieving cool water from the chiller and your return pump is sending water from the sump back to the display, aren't you directing cooler water into the tank anyway? With a dual controller for heaters and chillers, you could go either way, but I would not send cool water over independent heaters.
danthemanj
FRAG SWAP VENDOR
the most efficient use of your chiller would be to run your return pump through your chiller back into the display. This way you don't need a seperate pump for it. You can always plumb a bypass in your plumbing incase you want to disconnect the chiller in the future. The other option would be run a seperate pump through your chiller back into your display. The outlet should in an area of good flow and far enough from your overflows in your display so that it doesn't return to your sump. You will notice a difference in the temperature between your chiller and your display depending upon the amount of plumbing you have between them.
thanks dan, i wish i could re-route my sump returns through the chiller, but that would requires some major construction. plus i dont run a huge return pump to begin with, so i would still have to get a new pump to compensate for head loss. i think i am going to get another pump and have the returns from the chiller split off so there is coller water pumping in at both ends of the tank.
How many chambers in your sump? I have mine situated so that my heaters are in the first chamber my return in the second and refugium in the third. I feed my chiller using a line off my return and then it dumps into the fuge so I'm recycling the chilled water mixed with the warmer water from the heated section and the heater and chiller are never on at the same time.
my sump is a 55g tank, i had few partions in it (bubble traps), but i found i actually get less micro bubbles without the partions. so, on the right side is the where the water enters the sump- from the 2 overflows from the display tank, the overflow of my 55f fuge, and from my skimmer. the heaters in the middle of the sump. then on the left are three mag-drive submersible pumps- one for the 180g display tank (950), one for 55g fuge (700) and one for the MRC-2 Skimmer (1800). so the plan right now is to add a fourth pump to the left side of the sump, which sends water through the chiller. when the water comes out of the chiller there will be a 'T' sending the cooler to a return on each side of the display tank. sound ok?
i am also trying to figure out what pump to use. the chiller is rated for a 750-1500gph pump. according to the head-loss calculator, if i were to use a mag-18, by the time the water actually gets to the chiller it should be down to about 1124gph. and by the time the water actually gets to the display tank it would only be about 750gph after head loss, which would not cause a risk of overwhelming the overflows which are actually under-used right now with only a mag-9.5 as a return pump from the sump the display tank.
am i missing anything?
i am also trying to figure out what pump to use. the chiller is rated for a 750-1500gph pump. according to the head-loss calculator, if i were to use a mag-18, by the time the water actually gets to the chiller it should be down to about 1124gph. and by the time the water actually gets to the display tank it would only be about 750gph after head loss, which would not cause a risk of overwhelming the overflows which are actually under-used right now with only a mag-9.5 as a return pump from the sump the display tank.
am i missing anything?
malulu
NJRC Member
Dan,
so you mean, the return pump will T off two branchs (one to display, one to chiller-input) and after the chiller, T the chiller output back with the to-display pipe? or the chiller-output will go directly to display and will not merge back with the to-display?
thx
so you mean, the return pump will T off two branchs (one to display, one to chiller-input) and after the chiller, T the chiller output back with the to-display pipe? or the chiller-output will go directly to display and will not merge back with the to-display?
thx
danthemanj said:
NEVERMIND!! Forget everything! I think I may have come up with a better solution. I have a Fluval FX5 Canister Fitler which is rated at 1000ghp, I think I can pull water right from the display tank through the canister filter and out through the chiller and back to the tank. This would save me the cost of another pump, and it might actually be easier to plumb (if I can find a few 1 inch adapters).
I would really consider 1 large pump t'd off to the display, fuge and chiller, it seems like alot of wasted electricity running 3 different pumps just to circulate water.
if i was starting from scratch i would agree, but now to do so would mean total reconstruction. and that is something i am not ready to do. i originally had planned to do so, but when i cracked a 55g sump when attaching the bulkhead, i just kind of said screw it and went with the ol' mag drive submersible pumps.
danthemanj
FRAG SWAP VENDOR
You can run the chiller after your canister filter but the pump in the canister might not be powerful enough to overcome the head loss through the chiller and pump enough water through it. For a 1/2 HP chiller I would think you would need at least 500 GPH through it so that means your canister should be pumping out at least 800-1000 GPH to overcome the head loss through the chiller.
Running one pump for everything is the most efficient way of doing it but if you dont have a big enough pump, then a seperate pump would also suffice. You do not want to dump the chilled water back into the sump and then re-use part of the water to push it through the chiller since it isn't very efficient.
David,
I wouldn't split the return from my sump to the chiller and the display tank seperately. I'd just route my return to the display through the chiller.
Running one pump for everything is the most efficient way of doing it but if you dont have a big enough pump, then a seperate pump would also suffice. You do not want to dump the chilled water back into the sump and then re-use part of the water to push it through the chiller since it isn't very efficient.
David,
I wouldn't split the return from my sump to the chiller and the display tank seperately. I'd just route my return to the display through the chiller.
The canister is a Fluval FX5 which has a pump rated at 1000 GPH. From the canister, the water will flow through the chiller and then into the display tank. I can easy add a drop off later into the sump as well if i find that this method is not running efficently. I'll let you guys know how it turns out. I am off today and I would like to get started on this but I refuse to cut PVC inside, so I am hoping the weather cooperates.
buy a tubing/pvc cutter for $15 at home depot or lowes. youll be mad you didnt buy it sooner.
Ligershark said:
i will have to look into that. i use my miter saw now, it makes a mess but it is quick and easy. i have a door from my basement (where my tank it) out to the patio so it really easy to go back and fourth making cuts.
so i ran the chiller in-line with the Fluval FX5, so far so good. i have a small leak at one of the PVC elbows that i need to address, but not a real concern. the chiller is not running b/c the water is 77 degrees right now. i dropped the setting to 70 on the chiller just to make sure it was working and sure enough it the 'cooling' indicator came on. I guess that is the only way to test it right now, i dont really want to start modifying the actual temperature of the water just to test the chiller at this point. i set the chiller for 81 and my heaters (2-250w Jager's) are set to 76. do you guys think these temps settings are ok? i didnt want to set the temps too close together and have the heaters and the chiller trying to counteract one another. do you guys think it is worth the $100 to get a Ranco Dual controller? I go away a few times a year for 3-4 days at a time for work (or camping trips, or to Notre Dame), and although my wife is capable of feeding fish, i dont want to have to depend on her to worry about the temp. basically i am just trying to make things simple so i can have peace of mind.
thanks for your suggestions/advice!
danthemanj
FRAG SWAP VENDOR
I think the spread is a bit too much. You want to keep the spread a max of 3 degrees. Even 3 degrees is a fairly large fluctuation in temperature. The advantage of getting a Ranco Dual temp controller is that it will prevent each unit from working against the other in addition, it will help in case your heaters get stuck. I would use the cooling function on the Ranco not to run the chiller but instead to run a couple of fans over your sump. So if you want the temperature to stay around 78, you set the heating cyle on the Ranco to go off at 78 and the cooling cycle (fans over sump) to come on and go off at 78. You then keep your chiller independant of the Ranco and have it set to 79 so that incase your fans cannot cool your tank enough with water evaporation, then your chiller will come on at 79. Its a lot cheaper to run a couple of fans pulling 50 watts or so that a 1/2 HP chiller at 500 watts. The electric bill itself will cover the cost of the Ranco in 5-6 months.