winterize chiller?

sjfishguy · 09/24/2008, 10:30 AM

I don't need my chiller for the next 7 months and it is very simple for me to remove it and store it. It is a Current Prime 1/15hp chiller. How do I get the saltwater out of it once it is disconnected? Turn it over and dump it out? Flush it out? Should I flush it with freshwater before storing it? Should I flush it again with saltwater next summer before I start it back in my tank?

I don't want the chiller to corrode in storage nor do I want funky water getting shot into my tank when I start it back up. Does any else store a similar chiller for the winter? How have you done it? What do you guys think? Thanks

EnderG60 · 09/24/2008, 10:53 AM

I would flush it with freash water if your going to store it.

that said, I just leave mine hooked up and not worry about it.

sjfishguy · 09/26/2008, 02:08 PM

Well, I flushed it with fresh water and dumped out the balance. I am gonna store it like that, hopefully it dries out inside the unit too.

I dumped the saltwater out first and you should have seen the junk that came out of this thing. All kinds of sand, silt and debris. I am glad that I at least cleaned it out. We'll see how it works out in next summer.

savethereef · 09/26/2008, 03:36 PM

yeah run water thru it. then when you are all done. Stick you lips and pucker up on the input of the chiller and blow. not trying to sound funny i mean litteraly blow into the input as hard as you can to push any water left inside the lines of the chiller. then leave i another 24hrs then store it.

areze · 09/26/2008, 04:35 PM

I would rinse it with fresh water then I would blow air through it...

put it away dry and itll be ready to go later. though id probably leave it in the system... who knows if a heater sticks on or something, chiller could buy you time.

jdieck · 09/26/2008, 04:40 PM

Besides flushing it I would recommend also to clean al dust accumulation from the evaporation coil. If you can open it, I would also brush away all dust from inside. Salt water mist creates fine particles of salt that can get into the switches and wire connectors. I do this cleaning at least once a year.

09/24/2008, 10:30 AM	#1
sjfishguy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Delray Beach, FL Posts: 2,212	winterize chiller? I don't need my chiller for the next 7 months and it is very simple for me to remove it and store it. It is a Current Prime 1/15hp chiller. How do I get the saltwater out of it once it is disconnected? Turn it over and dump it out? Flush it out? Should I flush it with freshwater before storing it? Should I flush it again with saltwater next summer before I start it back in my tank? I don't want the chiller to corrode in storage nor do I want funky water getting shot into my tank when I start it back up. Does any else store a similar chiller for the winter? How have you done it? What do you guys think? Thanks __________________ Rich nanoTOTM May '08 29 years saltwater, 19 years reefs Current Tank Info: 65 mixed reef

09/26/2008, 02:08 PM	#3
sjfishguy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Delray Beach, FL Posts: 2,212	Well, I flushed it with fresh water and dumped out the balance. I am gonna store it like that, hopefully it dries out inside the unit too. I dumped the saltwater out first and you should have seen the junk that came out of this thing. All kinds of sand, silt and debris. I am glad that I at least cleaned it out. We'll see how it works out in next summer. __________________ Rich nanoTOTM May '08 29 years saltwater, 19 years reefs Current Tank Info: 65 mixed reef

09/26/2008, 03:36 PM	#4
savethereef SCRK Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bellflower 90706 CA (So Cal) Posts: 7,720	yeah run water thru it. then when you are all done. Stick you lips and pucker up on the input of the chiller and blow. not trying to sound funny i mean litteraly blow into the input as hard as you can to push any water left inside the lines of the chiller. then leave i another 24hrs then store it. __________________ Instead of building a reef in my home i would rather build my home in the reef. Rob aka STR SCRK & SCMAS MEMBER Current Tank Info: Leemar 450g 96L x36W x 30T 3/4 inch Starfire With 70g Sump Vertex 250 Royal Exclusive protein Skimmer Laguna 2900 Return pump 5 Aquaillumination Hydra's LED Modules. 4 Tunze Stream Bubble Magus Doser. Reef Keeper Elite

09/26/2008, 04:35 PM	#5
areze Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 4,048	I would rinse it with fresh water then I would blow air through it... put it away dry and itll be ready to go later. though id probably leave it in the system... who knows if a heater sticks on or something, chiller could buy you time. __________________ current tanks:240g of wallet draining capacity.

09/26/2008, 04:40 PM	#6
jdieck Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Maumee, OH Posts: 15,673	Besides flushing it I would recommend also to clean al dust accumulation from the evaporation coil. If you can open it, I would also brush away all dust from inside. Salt water mist creates fine particles of salt that can get into the switches and wire connectors. I do this cleaning at least once a year. __________________ Did I write what I wrote? What the heck am I talking about! Well..... Nevermind. Current Tank Info: 225 gal reef, DSB, 40 g sump w/ LRT100 return, 37 g pre-sump, 3 MH 250 W 15K, 4 96 W PC dual actinic,ETS 1500 Skim.w/LRT70, 20 lb Ca R., 40 W UV, 1/3 HP chiller, two 350 W Htrs, Neptune II Cont., 330 P LR/ 330 P LS. 55 gal Refugium

09/24/2008, 10:53 AM	#2
EnderG60 Plumbing Engineer Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 3,260	I would flush it with freash water if your going to store it. that said, I just leave mine hooked up and not worry about it.