Hailea 500A 1/2hp chiller

[GoofFish]

hi all.. fixed up my 'new' chiller.

my chiller i set it at 26degree.. but the temperature goes up within 5-10mins.. than the chiller kick at 27degree.. and it cool down within another 5min.... what wrong ah?? i'm ussing 2000L/hr eheim pump.

but my tank water temperature is fine....at 26 +/-

[yongshun]

the chiller return flow might be too slow, thus resulting in the chiller kicking in too often. u might wanna consider getting a stronger chiller return pump. this should help. my $0.02

hth

[GoofFish]

the chiller return flow might be too slow, thus resulting in the chiller kicking in too often. u might wanna consider getting a stronger chiller return pump. this should help. my $0.02

hth

thanks bro.. got a strong chiller pump... will fix it asap.. thanks

[tropic]

before you go off spending more $$ on a higher flowrate pump, are you using an external thermostat/? make sure its calibrated. I think 2000l/hr pump is fine for the chiller as i am using the same chiller as yours. mine is using and atman 3000l/hr but i T off with an adjustable valave to FR so effectively the flowrate is less than that and it works fine. There is a sticker with the minimal flowrate on the chiller.

[yongshun]

Btw, got this old info on maximizing the efficiency of your chiller from another website. Just to share with all bros and sis

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Sizing of chiller

First of all, size yr chiller according to the heat load and tank capacity. A oversized chiller will consume more power even when the operation time is shorter. A undersized chiller will overwork resulting in higher wear&tear and high operation time. More info here

Flowrate

I heard many said that the chiller need a slower flowrate in order to chill but I would say, the higher the flowrate, the better it is. Here's why.

The slow flowrate only works when the water only passes through the chiller once. That is because water need more contact time to try to equalize with the cooling coil. If the flowrate is too fast, the water coming out would not be chilled. However our aquarium chiller and tank is in a continous loop and the same water will pass through the chiller many times until its chilled.

Temperature difference

Heat loss/gain is greater when there is a higher temperature difference between 2 matter. E.g If 30C water going into the chiller, the output maybe 27C which is a difference of 3C. Now if 25C water goes into the chiller, the output maybe only 24C with a difference of 1C.

The higher the water temperature going into the chiller, the greater the temperature difference between the input and output. I personally set the chiller at 26-28C.

Now the process is reversed when we talk abt lighting. The lower the water temperature, the higher the heat gain! Thus if you set the water temperature low, the water will be slower to chill and yet faster to heat!

Temperature equalization

I suggest high flow is because of the above theory. If the flowrate is slow, the water will be chilled rapidly within the heat exchanger thus reducing the temperature difference between the water and the heat exchanger. The idea is to make sure that the water temperature within the heat exchanger is as close to the main tank as possible.

Compressor workcycle

If the flowrate is slow, you risk the temperature probe registering a false reading. This will cause the chiller to start/stop regularly, sometimes 4-5 times/hr. E.g if the water do not leave the heat exchanger fast enough before the reaching the preset temperature, the chiller will sense that the water is chilled thus shutting down the compressor. When warm water from the tank gradually replaced the chilled water, the chiller will again start the compressor because now the water is warmer than the preset temperature!

Power consumption

The compressor will consume much more power during initial start up and it will take a few minutes for the chiller to start cooling. So if yr chiller have a frequent start/stop cycle, you are using more electrical power (higher power during start up) at lower chilling power (few minutes for the heat exchanger to start cooling). All these will add up to yr monthly bills!

Wear & tear

The compressor suffers the most wear & tear during start up. The higher the start/stop frequency, the faster the wear & tear.

Temperature differential

Most set the temperature differential between 0.5C to 3C. The lower the differential, the higher frequency of the start/stop cycle but if its too high its stressful to the fishes/corals due to temperature fluctuation. IMO, 2C is a good balance.

Heat exchanger coil

The heat exchanger coil is the only place where chilling occurs so its important to ensure that the coils are clean and have maximum contact with the water. Connect the input of the chiller to a high powered pump to flush out the dirt accumulated inside. You can also run vinegar to dissolve calcium deposits.

Condensor coil

This is the coil where the chiller loses heat to the environment. The more heat the chiller lose to the environment, the more heat the chiller gain from the aquarium water (faster chilling effect, thats why the chiller run less on cooler days). A dirty condensor coil will increase the electrical consumption by 10-20% and increase the chiller operation time. Its very important to keep the condensor coil clean to ensure max air flow thus max heat loss.

Vacuum the condensor coil at least once a month and perform a chemical wash every 6months.

Summary

As you can see, the most neglected parameter like the flowrate have a larger chain effect on the overall efficiency of the chiller. Size it correctly, apply the max flowrate and do yr monthly cleaning that will ensure that yr chiller is working at its peak efficiency.

[MarineDreamer]

Dont waste $$ on change the pump flow rate.

This model call for min 1200 l/h to ..... as long as within the spec will be fine.

I use same model as you.

My inital set up same thing happen kick in very offen(can't remember clearly.... every 20~25 min kick in once).

After do some search in this furom, install the 'External thermostat' will slove your problem.

I think this is something do to with this chiller design. If you observe carefully, once the chiller kick in, the temp display/measure on the unit very fast drop down 1~2 deg! This can't be happen.....

Go and get the external thernostat install....

Cheer

[GoofFish]

Dont waste $$ on change the pump flow rate.

This model call for min 1200 l/h to ..... as long as within the spec will be fine.

I use same model as you.

My inital set up same thing happen kick in very offen(can't remember clearly.... every 20~25 min kick in once).

After do some search in this furom, install the 'External thermostat' will slove your problem.

I think this is something do to with this chiller design. If you observe carefully, once the chiller kick in, the temp display/measure on the unit very fast drop down 1~2 deg! This can't be happen.....

Go and get the external thernostat install....

Cheer

yea.. exactly.. its drop very fast...

so i get an external thermostat.... what due to this problem..

cos i just got it from a refer and its only 8 mths old... still under warranty..

if i send them for repair will it be fixed easily?

how much external thermostat cost?

anyway i got myself a second hand 3000L/Hr pump liao..

will install them during the weekend.

[MarineDreamer]

so i get an external thermostat.... what due to this problem..

cos i just got it from a refer and its only 8 mths old... still under warranty..

if i send them for repair will it be fixed easily?

As say might be a design problem! Will not find any problem even u send for repair!

how much external thermostat cost?

Go Slim Lim basement, one shop selling it about i not sure about the prices about SGD 75 to 80 ba..

anyway i got myself a second hand 3000L/Hr pump liao..

will install them during the weekend.

I try different b4 (within spec) no use...

Good luck

[tropic]

The frequent kicking in will cost you the $$. I thought you have an external thermostat already?

[GoofFish]

The frequent kicking in will cost you the $$. I thought you have an external thermostat already?

thats my old resun chiller...

[oceanviper]

Hi bro...

Just get an external temperature controller will do...

[dnsfpl]

another solution is to draw water from sump and pump cool water to main tank

[GoofFish]

another solution is to draw water from sump and pump cool water to main tank

that was my first set up... still the same ley..

the nice fellow i bought from told me that happen to him also but no different in his monthly bill.

anyway i'm not taking that risk... anyone know how much does external thermostat cost for this model? seen second hand around?

[macro]

My link

hope this help.

[tropic]

Any improvement?