I am keen on making a hang-on chiller unit after looking at the dimesions of my new skimmer (deltec MCE600)

Does anyone know were I could find out any information on getting started.

Cheers

Much harder than you think I'm afreaid to say. But here is an interesting new concept may give you some ideas http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3255

Alternatively, just a fan or two over the tank can do a surprising amount of cooling. Since I've done that my chiller hardly ever comes on and the room gets up to 35 in the summer.

I had an idea the other day, in regards to cooling. One of the main problems with fans is that they cause evaporation, what about having an evapouration unit, ie run tank water through pipe in a seperate tap-water area with loads of fans,.

All the evap wouldnt matter as it would only be tap water being lost.

or how about 2 interwining tubes, with one carring tank water, and the other running in the opposite direction attatched to the mains, and on all the time.

Depending on the length of the coil, the tank water would be cooled to that of the mains water, you would waste heaps of water, but thats not really a problem here, maybe rig it up to the waste going outa the DI R/O water thingy.

The problem with doing this Feelers is getting the pipe, all plastic pipe has a very low heat transfer so it doesn't really work, and most metals corrode, this pretty much leaves you with stainless steel as the only option. Which is what is used in marine tank chillers hence the price.

I have heard of people using large coils of plastic pipes in underground water tanks but unless you have the tank in already and access to loads of cheap plastic hose it would cost more than the chiller, and proberly cost as much to run cause you would need a pretty decent pump to get over all the friction in the length of pipe required.

Plus I dont really see evap as a big issue, it alllows me to add kalk water, I currently add about 20 liters a week to my 400 odd liter tank, and wouldn't mind if I had to add more.

this pretty much leaves you with stainless steel as the only option. Which is what is used in marine tank chillers hence the price.

I thought chillers used titanium coils.

Pie

Ops yeah you could be right, so anyone got a 100 meters of itianium tube to give away?

have to win lotto first

....... so anyone got a 100 meters of itianium tube to give away?

Bugger, if only you had asked me last Friday. :lol:

There's a wprldwide shortage of titanium too :roll:

What about copper? Im geussing this would leech or something? maybe make your water green.

It would kill my octo at least, a copper spring in a 30,000 litre tank killed an octopus in a dunedin aquarium.

what about glass? (im thinking of the tubes they use for distilling)

What about copper?

Copper = death to invertibrates. Instant death.

Pie

How do those nano reef ice probes work??

Does anyone know?

They use TEC (Pelters), which are basically powered heat pumps. One side gets cold (bellow 0) the other side gets ULTRA hot. Used by some to cool the CPU on their PCs, Dick Smith 12v fridges use them etc.

Waste of time and money for the tank IMO.

Pie