Chiller Question

MustGro

MustGro

Well-Known Member
I need a way of cooling off my reservoir. It's about 40 gallons. Looked at a few threads on here about chillers. I really liked all the DIY solutions from folks like @Serpentz in this thread https://www.rollitup.org/t/best-water-temps-do-it-yourself-water-chiller-details.1047967/
Also liked @Beehive 's comment about the "Thermoelectric Aquarium Chiller " but they're pretty hard to find.
I really think I'm going to buy my way out of this and I have a few options. I can go to my hydro store and they have these for $600 https://www.ecoplususa.com/shop/product/ecoplus-1-4-hp-chiller.
I've read some bad reviews online about this chiller's reliability though so I'm wondering if anyone on here is running it with good luck?
This review https://fishtankadvisor.com/best-aquarium-water-chiller-reviews/ highly recommended the Teco line of coolers and I found a company out of Quebec (I'm Canadian) that sells them. The smallest one is $840 https://www.aquabiotech.com/boutique/temperature-control/chillers/teco-tk-150-aquarium-chiller; and the next size up is $1045 https://www.aquabiotech.com/boutique/temperature-control/chillers/teco-tk-500-aquarium-chiller. The thousand dollar one has a heater in it which might be nice in the winter; especially if you keep the temps low during the light cycle.
I'm not made of money but I can swing the expensive one if it's the right fit. Anyone have an opinion? I saw some good advice from @Airwalker16 , @hotrodharley and @J232 to name a few of the folks I've been reading about this.
That review recommends the Active Aqua line a lot higher than the Ecoplus one if you read it but I haven't looked for that line yet.

@Impregnant didn't you post that you got a TK500 for $200 in this link (pg2) https://www.rollitup.org/t/water-chiller.1014929/
You still have it? Like it?
 
MustGro

MustGro

Well-Known Member
@rkymtnman So the wort chiller goes in the reservoir right? Where did you put the pump? Does it have to go in the reservoir? Wouldn't it be smart to run it inline so the heat from it isn't returned to the res? Most of the setups I see online have the pump in the reservoir and the pump is enclosed in a mesh pump bag.
 
rkymtnman

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
MustGro said:
@rkymtnman So the wort chiller goes in the reservoir right? Where did you put the pump? Does it have to go in the reservoir? Wouldn't it be smart to run it inline so the heat from it isn't returned to the res? Most of the setups I see online have the pump in the reservoir and the pump is enclosed in a mesh pump bag.
Click to expand...
i ran a tiny pump in a 5 gal bucket. wort chiller in the res. chiller never touched the nutes just the water in that 5 gal bucket
 
J232

J232

Well-Known Member
MustGro said:
Found a link to the 1/4 HP Active Aqua in Canada. It's a little more than the Ecoplus by $40 but the reviews look better https://indoorfarmer.ca/products/active-aqua-chiller
Click to expand...
I grabbed my 1/4hp eco from T&T hydro in Edmonton, if you email Brian he might give you a better price. I paid less then $6 shipped tax in. I run up to 90 gallons and i keep my solution around 65f. Like mentioned, you would be able to get away with a 1/10hp but if the price isn’t that different I would stick with the 1/4. The chiller is one of the best pieces of equipment I have bought.
 
MustGro

MustGro

Well-Known Member
So
J232 said:
I grabbed my 1/4hp eco from T&T hydro in Edmonton, if you email Brian he might give you a better price. I paid less then $6 shipped tax in. I run up to 90 gallons and i keep my solution around 65f. Like mentioned, you would be able to get away with a 1/10hp but if the price isn’t that different I would stick with the 1/4. The chiller is one of the best pieces of equipment I have bought.
Click to expand...
I was on his site last night and he doesn't list any Active Aqua chillers. Lots of their air pumps and accessories but no chillers. Thanks for the great info though.
 
MustGro

MustGro

Well-Known Member
I was thinking about this last night. I usually have to heat my reservoirs. I try not to run too much heat into my grow room but I'm in Canada and I probably turned it on a dozen times in the early winter mornings this year. This is the first year I can't vent due to my new CO2 system, so I have a lot of heat build up in the room during the day that I run my A/C for; so for the first time I never had to heat my res this winter. Actually liked it getting cold overnight.
I had to add some ice most days and it's getting to be a job now and it's not even April yet so a chiller is required. So what happens next winter when my chilled reservoir solution hits lights out. This year it was starting out from a high temp (75) and falling to a low one (65). Next year it'll be starting from 65 and falling from there unless I want to put a lot of heat into the room overnight. I'm thinking it might be real nice to have the heater function that the Teco has in it; I just don't like the price.
 
MustGro

MustGro

Well-Known Member
Called the place in Quebec and they have the Teco in stock but they don't have one with a heater in it. I bought the 1/4 HP Active Aqua from indoorfarmer. Guess I'll follow in @GBAUTO 's footsteps.
 
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