Chiller plumbing

[yazid]

I was wondering what was the best method for the chiller plumbing.

I know 2 ways from the internet but what is your comments.

1. Pump from sump push water to the chiller and then out directly to the main tank.

2. Pump from sump push water to the chiller and back to the sump.

Which method provide the best working environment for the chiller?

Regards

[wsiong]

I am utilising method one now....have an canister filter pushing the chilled water back into main tank.

[harlequin]

Need to also watch the pump flow rate. Too high and your chiller won't be able to chill the liquid to the desired temperature. Heard from one LFS that too high flow can cause the chiller internal pipes to fail.

Yikes.

[Tanzy]

I use method two. The water coming out of the chiller is very cold. I prefer to have it mixed around a bit with the sump water, but my tank is not big and the corals are quite sensitive.

Robe said something about chiller pumps before. I think a high flow is prefered.

[yazid]

I use method two. The water coming out of the chiller is very cold. I prefer to have it mixed around a bit with the sump water, but my tank is not big and the corals are quite sensitive.

Robe said something about chiller pumps before. I think a high flow is prefered.

I heard also that method 2 is better and it cools faster thus reduce the operating cost of the chiller.

Ideal optimum water flow is best thus fully utilizing the Chiller capability to cool the volume of water that pass through it.

Fast flow or slow flow should not spoil the chiller. No water flow will definitely cause the chiller to overheat.

[alvy]

i think the issue of hi flow water damaging coils may well be very true as happened to an old teco chiller I've once got my hands on...not that the high speed water bend or crush the coil, but sand particles which occasionally get pumped into the chiller scratch the epoxy layer protecting the copper heat exchanger coil!! DUH!! SUPER SUAY!!!..i tore open the coil compartment to witness it myself!! that guy at aquatechnic once told me about this seemingly negligible issue with tecos!!...Titanium coils are safer...no speed limit

[Achilles Tang]

My chiller is on a closed loop from my main tank.

I made it so that even if I switch off my main filtration pumps for maintenance/feeding or plain forgetfulness... my chilled water circuit would not be interrupted and my tank temperature would always be maintained.

It is situated across my fish room next to my window for max heat dessipation... and my belief is that I won't go for high speed pumps as you should maximise the contact time between the water and the cooling coils. (But not too slow till detritus may collect inside the chiller coils).

Anyway, I think it is good maintenance to 'flush the pipes' once a year with vinegar to dissolve any deposits inside.

[robe]

I use an Eheim 1060 to drive my chiller but with inlet filter to remove abrasive particles. refrigeration design for fluid cooling recommends higher flow rate over heat exchanger surfaces to maximise heat transfer efficiency. The high flow rate over the surface prevents a thermal layer from forming over the surface of the heat exchanger.

The other disadvantage of slow flow is that the detritus will accumulate over time is some corners of the chiller. Having a turbulent flow inside the chiller heat exchanger minimises the build-up of sediments inside the chiller. It will not prevent though organic matter build-up on the surfaces be it titanium or plastic. This problem requires the coils to be cleaned. If your chiller casing is plastic with titanium coils, recirculating an acidic liquid will help remove this build-up