How do I cool my setup?

shields · 05/14/2016, 07:10 AM

Moved to a new house with fiancé, due to a health condition, the A/C must be set at 80-85° range for her. There is no workaround. The whole house will have to be this temperature when she moves in, in a few days.

The tank is currently ranging between 76.5-78° and the house is at 70°

My setup includes 4 T5 bulbs, 2 in-sump pumps, a reverse light refugium. So, there are some items producing some significant heat. The heater is currently set to 76 and hasn't had to kick on at all. I live in S. Fl. So no issues with it getting too cold. And the house is on a whole home generator. So not worried about losing power either.

All equipment is housed in a closet (fish room) behind the tank. The tank is not in wall, but rather free standing. The tank is in a large open air living room, about 30'x30' with 20' ceilings. The fish room is aprx. 7x7 with 10' ceilings. The tank itself is 120g.... Drains via two 1" drains going 5' through wall/ dead space into fish room.
Fish room has icecap 30 sump (20g water capacity I'd guess??) and I have a homemade fudge directly above it on a shelf with ~15g water capacity.

Both the fish room and tank and located dead in the middle of the house with neither backing a wall to vent outside. I need to find a way to keep the tank at 76-78°

I have thought of 2 options thus far, not sure if A is reasonable or would work...

A: use a portable A/C unit from HD to chill the fish room and vent it outside the fish room into living room...
My concerns here are....
•Noise created by it,
•Will cooling just the fish room have a great enough effect to cool the tank which is outside of the fish room, in 80-85° ambient temperature constantly?

B: Use a chiller
Concerns here:
•Must be kept in fish room for cosmetic reasons.
•I've heard they put out insane amounts of heat so it would really just fight itself in that small room.
•I was thinking 1/4 HP, would that be enough to get the job done??

Here are some pictures of the system for reference....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Vinny Kreyling · 05/14/2016, 08:22 AM

I think you are in for a long battle with the ambient temperature problem.
Yes a 1/4 hp chiller would do but it will throw heat to make you sweat & might run constantly.
I would vent it for sure, possibly back into the house in another room.

shields · 05/14/2016, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny Kreyling

I think you are in for a long battle with the ambient temperature problem.
Yes a 1/4 hp chiller would do but it will throw heat to make you sweat & might run constantly.
I would vent it for sure, possibly back into the house in another room.

I think I would be ok with it vented, perhaps I just sit it in there and vent straight through the wall into the living room. Are these things meant to have vents attached, or will that be an interesting DIY? I'm thinking of an Eco Plus 1/4 hp. Would prefer to vent it up high at the top of the room, as opposed to down on the floor. Not sure how realistic that is either. I guess I just let the house AC keep up with the heat it throws off and keep the house in the 80-85 range.

Here is the angle to see fish room and tank. Along with the two possible ways to vent. Of course the chiller would be tucked away better in a corner but just trying to display possibilities here

Vinny Kreyling · 05/14/2016, 09:53 AM

I ran mine on a shelf next to a window & went outside, so as long as there is flow you can put it where you have to.
I have seen a system where the chillers were up @ the ceiling 20 ft above the floor.
I had a shroud made by a duct company to go over the entire face of the unit.
I think the higher you can vent it the better.

shields · 05/14/2016, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny Kreyling

I ran mine on a shelf next to a window & went outside, so as long as there is flow you can put it where you have to.
I have seen a system where the chillers were up @ the ceiling 20 ft above the floor.
I had a shroud made by a duct company to go over the entire face of the unit.
I think the higher you can vent it the better.

Ok I have 500 GPH, 700gph, and 1200gph pumps laying around. I'm sure one of them would give the needed flow if I put the chiller up on that top shelf in that room, then it could be easier to vent into the living room up higher.

I guess the chiller route it is! Thank you

kurt_n · 05/14/2016, 01:06 PM

A couple very inexpensive ideas you might want to try first...

Shift your tank's temp range to 78-80 versus your existing 76-78. Your tank will do fine with the higher temps.

Not sure what the top of your display tank looks like, but you could run a small clip-on type fan that would blow across the top of your display tank. You could also do the same thing with your sump. You'll be surprised how much that can cool the tank, even with high room temps.

You might want to try those things before chopping holes in the walls and buying a chiller.

Spectorman · 05/14/2016, 05:04 PM

Dude....don't get a chiller. Get a dorm refrigerator..... Used....drill a half inch hole in both sides. Coil 20-25' of half inch tubing inside the fridge,connect a pump to one end on the sump, pump out water to the fridge,the water flows through the coils back into the return side of the sump.VOILA!!!!! The cheapest chiller available and you'll still have plenty of room for your beer.

shields · 05/14/2016, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kurt_n

A couple very inexpensive ideas you might want to try first...

Shift your tank's temp range to 78-80 versus your existing 76-78. Your tank will do fine with the higher temps.

Not sure what the top of your display tank looks like, but you could run a small clip-on type fan that would blow across the top of your display tank. You could also do the same thing with your sump. You'll be surprised how much that can cool the tank, even with high room temps.

You might want to try those things before chopping holes in the walls and buying a chiller.

Here's the current tank pic. I do have a input computer fan and output computer fan above the tank. Although the clearance behind the tank is pretty slim.

shields · 05/14/2016, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spectorman

Dude....don't get a chiller. Get a dorm refrigerator..... Used....drill a half inch hole in both sides. Coil 20-25' of half inch tubing inside the fridge,connect a pump to one end on the sump, pump out water to the fridge,the water flows through the coils back into the return side of the sump.VOILA!!!!! The cheapest chiller available and you'll still have plenty of room for your beer.

That's actually a real decent idea. I'm actually already planning on doing a auto frozen feeder with a dorm fridge freezer combo.... This solution could do double duty for that!! Perfect.... But is there any proven ability of the dorm fridge to act as a chiller?

sirreal63 · 05/15/2016, 05:50 AM

Skip the dorm fridge, if you use a chiller, use a dedicated aquarium chiller. http://www.beananimal.com/articles/d...m-chiller.aspx

You will need to start letting your temps increase. You can let them get as high as 85-86 but it will mean acclimating every coral to those higher temps. It isn't that hard to do, but it can be time consuming.

azjohnny · 05/15/2016, 06:12 AM

Quote:

You will need to start letting your temps increase. You can let them get as high as 85-86 but it will mean acclimating every coral to those higher temps. It isn't that hard to do, but it can be time consuming.

+1
you safely let the temps get up to 82 degs and with a slow acclimation up to 86

mike&kel · 05/16/2016, 02:24 PM

Solid core Door to fish room with foam filled holes for air entry cut into it to baffle noises >Chiller in that room > vent with bathroom style ceiling ventfan to outside not into attic!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Kurt03 · 05/18/2016, 10:47 AM

Interesting problem. I think you are going to have issues with the heat for sure. If you are running up to 8 degrees higher than ambient now, that will push you to 88-103 in 80-85 degree ambient. A problem for sure.

I think i would do both (dedicated room ac and chiller) of the suggestions mentioned for redundancy. You are in for a major issue if one fails and pretty quickly i would guess. Also maybe evaluate if you can eliminate any pumps by using a pump manifold or switching out for something more efficient.

Heres an idea, can you open up the wall behind the tank and somewhat build the tank into the wall more? Then run the AC in the sump room with fans moving the cool air into the hood. Then you just have the insulation loss of the glass absorbing the heat from the room. basically expose the back part of the tank to the cooled fish room, and leave just the front and sides exposed to the warm room. Then also have a chiller set to kick on if you continued to increase in temperature. You will need to vent both the ac and chiller to the living room or outside.

If you go only the chiller route make sure it is sized correctly for your environment. My guess is they are sized to work at an ambient temp of 72-74 not 80+. Also what duty cycle are chillers meant to run? Im not familiar with them but guessing this will make a difference since yours will run much more often then most.

Either way I would also put some type of controller on the tank that can alert you via sms or email of temperature issues etc. You will have much less time to react to temp issues then most of us. Although in a simple power outage you wont need to worry about the temp dropping

Following along, good luck!

05/14/2016, 07:10 AM	#1
shields Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 106	How do I cool my setup? Moved to a new house with fiancé, due to a health condition, the A/C must be set at 80-85° range for her. There is no workaround. The whole house will have to be this temperature when she moves in, in a few days. The tank is currently ranging between 76.5-78° and the house is at 70° My setup includes 4 T5 bulbs, 2 in-sump pumps, a reverse light refugium. So, there are some items producing some significant heat. The heater is currently set to 76 and hasn't had to kick on at all. I live in S. Fl. So no issues with it getting too cold. And the house is on a whole home generator. So not worried about losing power either. All equipment is housed in a closet (fish room) behind the tank. The tank is not in wall, but rather free standing. The tank is in a large open air living room, about 30'x30' with 20' ceilings. The fish room is aprx. 7x7 with 10' ceilings. The tank itself is 120g.... Drains via two 1" drains going 5' through wall/ dead space into fish room. Fish room has icecap 30 sump (20g water capacity I'd guess??) and I have a homemade fudge directly above it on a shelf with ~15g water capacity. Both the fish room and tank and located dead in the middle of the house with neither backing a wall to vent outside. I need to find a way to keep the tank at 76-78° I have thought of 2 options thus far, not sure if A is reasonable or would work... A: use a portable A/C unit from HD to chill the fish room and vent it outside the fish room into living room... My concerns here are.... •Noise created by it, •Will cooling just the fish room have a great enough effect to cool the tank which is outside of the fish room, in 80-85° ambient temperature constantly? B: Use a chiller Concerns here: •Must be kept in fish room for cosmetic reasons. •I've heard they put out insane amounts of heat so it would really just fight itself in that small room. •I was thinking 1/4 HP, would that be enough to get the job done?? Here are some pictures of the system for reference.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

05/14/2016, 08:22 AM	#2
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	I think you are in for a long battle with the ambient temperature problem. Yes a 1/4 hp chiller would do but it will throw heat to make you sweat & might run constantly. I would vent it for sure, possibly back into the house in another room. __________________ 250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps.

05/14/2016, 09:53 AM	#4
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	I ran mine on a shelf next to a window & went outside, so as long as there is flow you can put it where you have to. I have seen a system where the chillers were up @ the ceiling 20 ft above the floor. I had a shroud made by a duct company to go over the entire face of the unit. I think the higher you can vent it the better. __________________ 250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps.

05/15/2016, 05:50 AM	#10
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	Skip the dorm fridge, if you use a chiller, use a dedicated aquarium chiller. http://www.beananimal.com/articles/d...m-chiller.aspx You will need to start letting your temps increase. You can let them get as high as 85-86 but it will mean acclimating every coral to those higher temps. It isn't that hard to do, but it can be time consuming. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

05/14/2016, 01:06 PM	#6
kurt_n Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: WA Posts: 2,592	A couple very inexpensive ideas you might want to try first... Shift your tank's temp range to 78-80 versus your existing 76-78. Your tank will do fine with the higher temps. Not sure what the top of your display tank looks like, but you could run a small clip-on type fan that would blow across the top of your display tank. You could also do the same thing with your sump. You'll be surprised how much that can cool the tank, even with high room temps. You might want to try those things before chopping holes in the walls and buying a chiller.

05/14/2016, 05:04 PM	#7
Spectorman Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Upstate NewYork. No buildings... Lots of cows Posts: 186	Dude....don't get a chiller. Get a dorm refrigerator..... Used....drill a half inch hole in both sides. Coil 20-25' of half inch tubing inside the fridge,connect a pump to one end on the sump, pump out water to the fridge,the water flows through the coils back into the return side of the sump.VOILA!!!!! The cheapest chiller available and you'll still have plenty of room for your beer.

05/16/2016, 02:24 PM	#12
mike&kel Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: fresno, ca Posts: 131	Solid core Door to fish room with foam filled holes for air entry cut into it to baffle noises >Chiller in that room > vent with bathroom style ceiling ventfan to outside not into attic! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

05/18/2016, 10:47 AM	#13
Kurt03 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 3,602	Interesting problem. I think you are going to have issues with the heat for sure. If you are running up to 8 degrees higher than ambient now, that will push you to 88-103 in 80-85 degree ambient. A problem for sure. I think i would do both (dedicated room ac and chiller) of the suggestions mentioned for redundancy. You are in for a major issue if one fails and pretty quickly i would guess. Also maybe evaluate if you can eliminate any pumps by using a pump manifold or switching out for something more efficient. Heres an idea, can you open up the wall behind the tank and somewhat build the tank into the wall more? Then run the AC in the sump room with fans moving the cool air into the hood. Then you just have the insulation loss of the glass absorbing the heat from the room. basically expose the back part of the tank to the cooled fish room, and leave just the front and sides exposed to the warm room. Then also have a chiller set to kick on if you continued to increase in temperature. You will need to vent both the ac and chiller to the living room or outside. If you go only the chiller route make sure it is sized correctly for your environment. My guess is they are sized to work at an ambient temp of 72-74 not 80+. Also what duty cycle are chillers meant to run? Im not familiar with them but guessing this will make a difference since yours will run much more often then most. Either way I would also put some type of controller on the tank that can alert you via sms or email of temperature issues etc. You will have much less time to react to temp issues then most of us. Although in a simple power outage you wont need to worry about the temp dropping Following along, good luck!