This is a post to discuss the use of chillers. As you all know I have a 1/2hp Pacific Coast 0500 chiller on my 400 gal. I have been experiencing extreme heat issues in the house. The exhaust from the chiller has created a kinda heat envelope around the tank, which heats the glass and equipment, along with the heat from the 1hp pump which services the filter, you see where I'm going. The chiller was running up to 12hrs a day and that was unacceptable. The AC in the house could not keep up with the heat produced so I decided to give it up, admit defeat (which is hard for me to do) and just shut it off. I set the temp in the house at 70, which in my house is about 75, put a box fan blowing on the 1hp pump, one down the hall, and 2 small personal box fans in the canopy. That was Monday evening and as of this morning the temp has not gone over 82. This is in the acceptable range for a fish only tank, so I think I have got it under control for now. I'm hoping the heat from the pump will not gradually raise the tank temp and start the problems over again. So much to say if you are planning to use a chiller, make sure you can vent the exhause outside, or as Chris did actually have the chiller outside. I believe that the best way to cool a tank is surface cooling with fans along with water movement. If anyone is using a chiller, please post and tell us how you have it installed and your heat issues if any. I will keep you posted as things progress.
I just installed one on Lisa's 95 wave tank at work last week - a 1/6 HP Coralife. We worry about kids dumping stuff into the tank, so we run glass covers on it during the daytime. Unfortunately, temps were getting to 81-83 degrees pretty consistently by the end of business day, so we had to do something. The metal halides on the tank gets pretty toasty, and it can't evaporate because of the tops. Since the tank isn't on a sump system, we just installed it directly into the output line of the canister filter and stuck the unit under the stand. Now the tank temperature stays at a cool 77 degrees with no issues, and the chiller only comes on every once in a while. To combat the residual heat given off by the chiller itself, we open the stand doors at night, and we have installed a small fan underneath the stand so that the heat blows out the back. Thankfully we haven't had a seriously noticeable heat difference inside the store, but that is probably because we have such a large space in comparison to the average home. I would definitely agree with Norman in that the best way to cool a tank is by surface/air circulation cooling. I have seen tank temperatures drop 4-6 degrees just simply by installing a couple of fans that blow across the water's surface. Fans are also a LOT cheaper than chillers. =) I'll let you know how the new chiller works out.
