New to rdwc need advice

[Budley Doright]

Most of the manufacturers of chillers are pretty spot on actually and remember, the ones that are for aquariums have a much lower load than for growing and are based on that so yes if looking at an aquarium chiller you would probably undersize it if picking gallon for gallon.

 

[im4satori]

Most of the manufacturers of chillers are pretty spot on actually and remember, the ones that are for aquariums have a much lower load than for growing and are based on that so yes if looking at an aquarium chiller you would probably undersize it if picking gallon for gallon.

ok

 

[im4satori]

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/accurately-sizing-chillers-for-hydroponics-systems.40247/
Always give yourself a cushion, especially if buying a cheap chiller. They never put out their ratings, I always add at least 20% to the btu total when sizing. So with my example above I would figure about 3,600 btu which means I need a 1/2 ton chiller.


http://saltwateraquariumhobby.com/saltwater-aquarium-setup/aquarium-chillers/
Based on these factors, it is always recommended that you purchase an aquarium chiller that is one size larger (in terms of horsepower), than the minimum required for your size tank. Choosing a chiller one size larger also means that it will not have to work as hard to keep the water temperature at an optimum.

it took all of 2 minutes and 3 sites to find this

I used to have several eco plus chillers that needed to be oversized

in many cases it may depend on the brand, im not sure ecoplus chillers are the best brand or not

there might also be some debate as to heat output from the chiller.(if that's of concern to you)
a smaller chiller will run more = more heat
but a larger chiller may run less but it may or may not also put out a larger volume of heat while running
or it may be a push im not sure but ive heard it debated somewhere in the past

 

[Budley Doright]

Well ok first of all 3600 btu's is not a .5 ton, it's just over .25 ton lol, and you can google all you care to, I do this for a living lol. You said it's better to over size a chiller and it's not, it's better size it properly and that is not by using an aquarium sizing chart it's actually figuring out what is needed. You know math, it's actually quite easy as 1 btu cools 1 pound of water one degree in one hour. There are actual sizing apps that allow you to punch in your lights, ambient, pumps, etc and they will give you the size. Again you stated it's best to over size a chiller and it's just not. Come to one of my classes and I'll explain more in depth as to why not lol.

 

[im4satori]

Well ok first of all 3600 btu's is not a .5 ton, it's just over .25 ton lol, and you can google all you care to, I do this for a living lol. You said it's better to over size a chiller and it's not, it's better size it properly and that is not by using an aquarium sizing chart it's actually figuring out what is needed. You know math, it's actually quite easy as 1 btu cools 1 pound of water one degree in one hour. There are actual sizing apps that allow you to punch in your lights, ambient, pumps, etc and they will give you the size. Again you stated it's best to over size a chiller and it's just not. Come to one of my classes and I'll explain more in depth as to why not lol.

ok

 

[Budley Doright]

ok

Lol

 

[im4satori]

Lol

im not being a smart ass lol

it sounds like you've easily got more knowledge than me about it

I only have experience with the one brand many years ago and what I was told when I purchased it along with what I read on most sites

I ended up happy I got the next size up and it allowed me to continue to use the same chiller as my grow sized/reservior increased

who knows maybe your math has 20% more built into than someone elses idk im just talking

 

[Budley Doright]

I design all kinds of cooling systems so yes I have a bit of experience and also a certified trainer for Johnson Controls but you are kind of right I guess if choosing a aquarium chiller, its more of choosing bigger than they say as opposed to oversizing, but they also do publish BTU's so the best way is to actually size it using a proper sizing app and not their chart. I am using 6000 btu's to chill 100 liters so massively oversized but that was the smallest window shaker I could find . I do plan on it cooling 75-100 gallons when I switch the lab around. And as I said earlier if you have the chiller in the grow you are kind of stealing from Peter to pay Paul, you now have to remove the heat you just removed.