Chiller question (controlling it externally)

[RakeshK3012]

Hey everyone, I`m moving my chiller to the outside, up high so rain doesn`t touch it, and so I needed to upgrade my chiller pump to an 80 watt unit. I want to use a temperature controller to turn the chiller and chiller pump on and off to not waste the energy of that pump running 24/7.

Is this ok for the chiller? to be turned on and off roughly 5 times a day, or would this damage the controller or other components?

I wanted to just control the chiller pump, but after trying it out, when the water stopped flowing the chiller didn`t stop running (I think it`s only detecting the input water temp, so it wouldn`t change unless the water kept flowing, just my theory), so I want to turn off both at the same time using a controller

 

[ScottB]

Hey everyone, I`m moving my chiller to the outside, up high so rain doesn`t touch it, and so I needed to upgrade my chiller pump to an 80 watt unit. I want to use a temperature controller to turn the chiller and chiller pump on and off to not waste the energy of that pump running 24/7.

Is this ok for the chiller? to be turned on and off roughly 5 times a day, or would this damage the controller or other components?

I wanted to just control the chiller pump, but after trying it out, when the water stopped flowing the chiller didn`t stop running (I think it`s only detecting the input water temp, so it wouldn`t change unless the water kept flowing, just my theory), so I want to turn off both at the same time using a controller

Chiller should be fine cycling like that. We run one with a built in temp monitor and it cycles 15 times a day. Been running for two years like that. I also have a separate controller that will shut off the power source to the chiller in case the built in monitor fails On.

 

[jda]

You need to keep water running through the chiller at all times. Hydrogen sulfide can build up if the water is stagnant and the bacteria uses all of the oxygen in the lines.

Long cycles are better than short cycles. The chiller will be fine.

 

[RakeshK3012]

You need to keep water running through the chiller at all times. Hydrogen sulfide can build up if the water is stagnant and the bacteria uses all of the oxygen in the lines.

Long cycles are better than short cycles. The chiller will be fine.

Oh that’s really interesting, never heard of the hydrogen sulfide issue before. I did a quick google and it seems the gas goes away as it reaches the surface of water. My chiller return line i right infront of the skimmer intake, so should that be ok?

Ideally i’d want the chiller pump to only run a few times a day, which would mean it would probably be off all night, would that be an issue?

 

[zoomonster]

Not sure about your idea of controlling it to only run a couple times a day. Like a heater or AC, it runs when it needs to run based on a set temperature range and is going to vary day by day as temp conditions change. Also like most chiller manuals will tell you they need constant flow regardless if on/off. Most all are basically indoor appliances and are likely to have issues kept outside. Corrosion aside you may be lucky if the electronics last a year from humidity. As far as cycling it is an AC after all and designed to frequently cycle.

Mine is indoors fed by a plenum line off the main pump return which is always on. The chiller has a thermal probe and it has a temp range set. Secondary to that it is controlled by Apex and is also setup to automatically turn off if the main pump is off like during feed. I have an Artica 1/5 and it is actually very quiet.

 

[jda]

I have kept chillers outside. They are like AC units are will do fine as long as the electronics do not get wet - people put them in small doghouses or otherwise build a structure for them.

They need flow all of the time. When I ran one, I ran the return pump through it.

 

[RakeshK3012]

Not sure about your idea of controlling it to only run a couple times a day. Like a heater or AC, it runs when it needs to run based on a set temperature range and is going to vary day by day as temp conditions change. Also like most chiller manuals will tell you they need constant flow regardless if on/off. Most all are basically indoor appliances and are likely to have issues kept outside. Corrosion aside you may be lucky if the electronics last a year from humidity. As far as cycling it is an AC after all and designed to frequently cycle.

Mine is indoors fed by a plenum line off the main pump return which is always on. The chiller has a thermal probe and it has a temp range set. Secondary to that it is controlled by Apex and is also setup to automatically turn off if the main pump is off like during feed. I have an Artica 1/5 and it is actually very quiet.

pump and chiller will be controlled

Not sure about your idea of controlling it to only run a couple times a day. Like a heater or AC, it runs when it needs to run based on a set temperature range and is going to vary day by day as temp conditions change. Also like most chiller manuals will tell you they need constant flow regardless if on/off. Most all are basically indoor appliances and are likely to have issues kept outside. Corrosion aside you may be lucky if the electronics last a year from humidity. As far as cycling it is an AC after all and designed to frequently cycle.

Mine is indoors fed by a plenum line off the main pump return which is always on. The chiller has a thermal probe and it has a temp range set. Secondary to that it is controlled by Apex and is also setup to automatically turn off if the main pump is off like during feed. I have an Artica 1/5 and it is actually very quiet.

I’m gonna have a temperature controlled outlet control the pump, so it’ll only come on when the temperature reaches the range the chiller turns on at, not just running the pump a set number of times a day, so i think it might be fine?

I have kept chillers outside. They are like AC units are will do fine as long as the electronics do not get wet - people put them in small doghouses or otherwise build a structure for them.

They need flow all of the time. When I ran one, I ran the return pump through it.

alright thanks for the info, it’s sitting under the roof, like my AC compressor, and i built a false “wall” for it so rain will never touch it. I do see some people keeping it in the stand of their tank with the sump n all, so like you said humidity SHOULD be okay.

i get that in general the flow has to be on the whole time so the chiller knows when to turn on and off, but if i’m controlling BOTH the pump and chiller on the same temperature controlled outlet, my idea is that the flow will be there when the temp reaches the chiller’s kick-on temp, and then once the temperature almost reaches the chiller’s low temp, both the pump and the chiller will be turned off.

The reason i wanna do this is to reduce unnecessary power draw (electricity is getting more expensive here), so having an 80W pump running 24/7 when it actually only needs to run 6-7 hours a day seems like a waste to me
Any flaws in my plan? Is there another reason why the chiller NEEDS water running through it all the time?

 

[jda]

The coils can freeze if you stop running water as soon as the compressor turns off. At least run the pump for 5-10 more minutes to get all of the cold out of the coils since pressure can continue to fall for a little bit.

If you ever smell any rotten egg, then you have to run the pump 24x7. That stuff is toxic.

 

[Pistondog]

Even if the water temp is not calling for cooling, you should run the chiller pump 5 or 10 minutes every hour to prevent the water in the lines from souring.
(Theres a better term)