how to flush a chiller heat exchanger?

Xirxes23 · 08/23/2007, 08:50 PM

Ok so it seems my chiller is running at a sub-par rate and in the manual it says to "flush the air cooled heat exchanger once a year to remove any muddy parts"...

How exactly does one do this? This chiller was given to me with a burnt up fan motor, which i replaced. It has been sitting for 3-4 years and runs, but i want to give it a thorough cleaning.

BTW its a 1/2 horse aquamedic TITAN line.

918ReefCpl · 08/23/2007, 09:01 PM

Reverse the inlet/outlet connections and I'ld pressure it using the garden hose...(i.e. run the garden hose into the outlet and a drain tube on the inlet out into the yard or drain....some people put a qt of vinegar in thru the tubing into the heat exchanger coils, let it sit for a few hrs then reverse flush it awhile to remove the vinegar before replumbing it into the tank system...

DarG · 08/23/2007, 09:34 PM

If you want to clean the condenser, the aluminum "radiator" looking square that is in front of the fan, the best thing to do is vacuum it with a shop vac and soft brush attachment. Gentle with the brush. And/or use some compressed air and blow the dirt and dust out of it, in between all the aluminum fins. If you do this regularly you wont every have to clean it with liquid.

If its a real mess, they sell cleaners made just for the purpose. Be careful with anything harsh, like acids, it will eat he aluminum.
You can also use something like simple green or formula 409. You cant scrub with a hard brush though. Better to let the solution do most of the work. Very soft brush if needed and gentle. Then you need to rinse it off but make sure you protect the electrical parts from water/liquid. Probably best to rinse real well with a spray bottle and have towels catch the rinse rather than spraying it out with a hose. I would only do this if it is beyond dusty and actually has crud or residue of some sort sticking to it.

For the actual coil that cools the aquarium water use a strong vinegar solution. The best thing to do is set up a pump and bucket and keep circulating the solution through the chiller for an hour or so. You can use a maxi-jet or a larger pump. If you use a small pump you may need to reduce the input down with reducer fittings, obviously. Just set it up so that the outflow goes back into the bucket and the pump picks it up and sends it back through the chiller. Keep circulating like this. Then flush out well with clean water.

Wipe off, vacuum, or use compressed air on the other dusty areas like the fan, relay box, compressor, inside of the housing, refrigerant lines ...

Should be good to go.

08/23/2007, 08:50 PM	#1
Xirxes23 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: San Diego Posts: 607	how to flush a chiller heat exchanger? Ok so it seems my chiller is running at a sub-par rate and in the manual it says to "flush the air cooled heat exchanger once a year to remove any muddy parts"... How exactly does one do this? This chiller was given to me with a burnt up fan motor, which i replaced. It has been sitting for 3-4 years and runs, but i want to give it a thorough cleaning. BTW its a 1/2 horse aquamedic TITAN line.

08/23/2007, 09:01 PM	#2
918ReefCpl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Glendale, Arizona Posts: 736	Reverse the inlet/outlet connections and I'ld pressure it using the garden hose...(i.e. run the garden hose into the outlet and a drain tube on the inlet out into the yard or drain....some people put a qt of vinegar in thru the tubing into the heat exchanger coils, let it sit for a few hrs then reverse flush it awhile to remove the vinegar before replumbing it into the tank system...

08/23/2007, 09:34 PM	#3
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	If you want to clean the condenser, the aluminum "radiator" looking square that is in front of the fan, the best thing to do is vacuum it with a shop vac and soft brush attachment. Gentle with the brush. And/or use some compressed air and blow the dirt and dust out of it, in between all the aluminum fins. If you do this regularly you wont every have to clean it with liquid. If its a real mess, they sell cleaners made just for the purpose. Be careful with anything harsh, like acids, it will eat he aluminum. You can also use something like simple green or formula 409. You cant scrub with a hard brush though. Better to let the solution do most of the work. Very soft brush if needed and gentle. Then you need to rinse it off but make sure you protect the electrical parts from water/liquid. Probably best to rinse real well with a spray bottle and have towels catch the rinse rather than spraying it out with a hose. I would only do this if it is beyond dusty and actually has crud or residue of some sort sticking to it. For the actual coil that cools the aquarium water use a strong vinegar solution. The best thing to do is set up a pump and bucket and keep circulating the solution through the chiller for an hour or so. You can use a maxi-jet or a larger pump. If you use a small pump you may need to reduce the input down with reducer fittings, obviously. Just set it up so that the outflow goes back into the bucket and the pump picks it up and sends it back through the chiller. Keep circulating like this. Then flush out well with clean water. Wipe off, vacuum, or use compressed air on the other dusty areas like the fan, relay box, compressor, inside of the housing, refrigerant lines ... Should be good to go.