I've Google this and have found conflicting information. I would like to use a car radiator inside a Mini fridge as a Is chiller. Because the radiator is used for a car the aluminum should be the grade that stands up pretty well to being oxidized right. I could get a universal radiator for under $60 I know it will work. Otherwise the stainless steel tubing is expensive and will not work as good. If I have to use the tubing I probably will just use alot of plastic tubing in a bucket of water. I would Rather use the radiator as I feel that would be the most efficient. Or a transmission cooler same things
aluminum radiator for car fish safe?
- Thread starter Tj203
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I have used a 300m roll of 4mm micro irrigation tube (black - no algae build up) in a bucket of water in a fridge as a water chiller. It's not that accurate and cost of electricity was not efficient but that may not bother you. Temperature adjustment was by altering the flow rate of water.
At the moment I use a water heat pump on a 90 tonne tank which has titanium radiator fns. You will need a good mechanical prefilter and to chlorine flush the system once a month to remove bio film buildup.
At the moment I use a water heat pump on a 90 tonne tank which has titanium radiator fns. You will need a good mechanical prefilter and to chlorine flush the system once a month to remove bio film buildup.
Good idea on the pre filter. The tank water is only going through 60 ft of 3/8 copper tube in a 5 gallon bucket. The radiator I am now going to use to help cool the water in the bucket as the fridge don't even come close to keeping it cold. It brings the water in the bucket from 47 degrees to 80 in about 7 min lol. I bought some peltier and some water cooled heatsinks. I have never used them before so we will see. I also bought a 8 inch exhaust fan for my basement to try and get some heat and humidity out. I am going to put the peltier radiator in back of the fan too. Because of what I already had I am only in to this for about $100 so far and maybe another 50-100 depending on how much cooling I get our of them. I am also thinking about maybe using a portable conditioner or dehumidifier. Probably would go with the AC as they're not much more and it does both. But one step at a time
Evaporative cooling (fan blowing over a trickle wall) will cool and oxygenate your tank efficiently but it sounds like you should invest in an aquarium chiller if you want accurate low temperatures. I use a chiller on my goldfish spawning rack. Just dial in a 5 degree drop if I want eggs the next day.
If you have a few tanks, insulate the room and use an air conditioner. Good units have 6 to 11 COP. So 1Kw electricity will produce 6 to 11kW of cooling (or heating). Very efficient electrical costs. You can put up polystyrene sheets to make a smaller mini room within a bigger room if you can't afford a big unit. Just tape the sheets to the back of your tanks until you don't need to cool/heat then remove.
If you have a few tanks, insulate the room and use an air conditioner. Good units have 6 to 11 COP. So 1Kw electricity will produce 6 to 11kW of cooling (or heating). Very efficient electrical costs. You can put up polystyrene sheets to make a smaller mini room within a bigger room if you can't afford a big unit. Just tape the sheets to the back of your tanks until you don't need to cool/heat then remove.
I tried the evaporate cooling by lowering the water in my overflow. I have a 88 inch c2c and I put a box fan on top of the tank and it did not even move the temp. I also pointed my returns at the top of the water to get more air exchange. I think I figured out why I need a chiller now and it is because of my algae scrubbers, that is adding all the heat. I think if I can get some heat and humidity out of my basement I think that will help too. 1100 gallons is a lot of water. I would need a 1 hp chiller.
The styrophone sheets as a small room is a great idea I can use a window air and do that. That will be my next try if this don't work. I have a continuous drip system and I am dripping 20gph of well water and the tank is still at 83.4 degrees when I left this morning. I would have done the window ac first if I thought about it.
Well to put it in to perspective I just dumped 16 pounds of ice into the sump and the temp did not even move. Not 1/10 of a degree.
That is 2300 btu wow that's a lot of heat I might have to be using the window ac.
We will see the peltier I bought will give me a combined 1875 BTU/hr granted that will be 24/7 and the ice was just a 1 shot deal but dam.
I guess I just have to wait and see
That is 2300 btu wow that's a lot of heat I might have to be using the window ac.
We will see the peltier I bought will give me a combined 1875 BTU/hr granted that will be 24/7 and the ice was just a 1 shot deal but dam.
I guess I just have to wait and see
Ok please don't laugh at the picture this is just just proof of concept. I try the peltier and they worked just not on the scale I need. So I took apart a window ac and I am using that now. I just dropped the condensation from the ac in the mini fridge and filled the fridge up with water and then put my copper heat exchanger in the water also added a small pump Just for circulation. But this think works amazingly it has been running for about an hour now and has Taken the water in the fridge not the tank from 84 to 56 with the heat exchanger running witch means I can get a bigger heat exchanger. It has lower the tank by 0.2 degrees so far thats amazing I was dripping 20 gph of water from my well and it still was going up in temperature. I am still dripping the water to. The only thing I'm going to do now is add a cardboard Box around the air conditioner with an 8 inch exhaust fan taken all the hot air outside.
Totall cost for me $50. If you need to buy everything maybe $200 but it will cool a massive tank lol a 1 hp chiller is over $1200
Totall cost for me $50. If you need to buy everything maybe $200 but it will cool a massive tank lol a 1 hp chiller is over $1200
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