Chiller vs. run my A/C

[lunarlanderboy]

I live in Phoenix. In a very short time it is going to get ridiculously hot. My room mate and I are gone during the day and so we turn off the A/C and the temp in the apartment sometimes gets up to 90 degrees. I have the 24dx nanocube with the standard PC lights. So I have two options - buy a chiller or start running the A/C all summer. Am I safe in assuming that buying a ~$300.00 1/15 hp, or 1/10hp chiller and then running it will be cheaper in the long run than running my A/C for 8 extra hours a day for like 7-8 months?

[Matt165]

Yes

[jdokos]

+1

No chance that you can run A/C with that heat for under $300 for even one summer.

[MikePowell]

+2

[jet fixer]

+3
my chiller was running today and I live just across town if the A/C was on I'd be freezing my ____ off

[cwilson]

+4

Another thing to consider is simply the benefits of a chiller period. It will keep your temp stable for 12 months of the year, even during what you south/westerners try to call 'winter' :)

[Agu]

Not enough info to give an answer imho.

I'm in Fl and the air con is set for 78 degrees 24/7 in the summer. It's cheaper than letting the house get hot and trying to cool it down by cranking the air to max when we get home. Tanks get to a max of 82 during the day.

[plyle02]

+5, I have a small jbj chiller (1/20hp), that keeps up with my 28 gallon tank and 15 gallon sump set to a temp of 78 degrees, with 250 watts of halide.... It only runs a few times per day, vs. setting the ac to run at 75 degrees all day long.....

[lunarlanderboy]

Thanks everyone- I had a feeling but wanted to make sure before I make the chiller plunge!

[lunarlanderboy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11976164#post11976164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cwilson
+4

Another thing to consider is simply the benefits of a chiller period. It will keep your temp stable for 12 months of the year, even during what you south/westerners try to call 'winter' :)

That's a good point! I am looking forward to being able to have more control of the temp swings of my tank - which probably means I'm going to need to buy a controller though too if I want to do it right.

[lunarlanderboy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11977183#post11977183 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plyle02
+5, I have a small jbj chiller (1/20hp), that keeps up with my 28 gallon tank and 15 gallon sump set to a temp of 78 degrees, with 250 watts of halide.... It only runs a few times per day, vs. setting the ac to run at 75 degrees all day long.....


Hey plyle02 - do you think a 1/20hp or 1/15hp chiller would be able to keep up with my 24 gal if it were in the upper 80's to 90 degrees in the house or would it just stop working? I know that chillers are less efficient the hotter it gets and some say that 95 degrees is their max operating temperature.

[aural]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11977103#post11977103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Agu
Not enough info to give an answer imho.

I'm in Fl and the air con is set for 78 degrees 24/7 in the summer. It's cheaper than letting the house get hot and trying to cool it down by cranking the air to max when we get home. Tanks get to a max of 82 during the day.

+1 - I'm also in South Florida and it really is better to keep your air temp in your house a bit more constant than that. Even if when you leave your house you turn your thermostat up so it doesn't run as much... letting your house get up to 90 degrees and then trying to cool it off quickly when you get home is going to cause more wear and tear on your AC system than it's worth.

A chiller is probably a good idea in your case - but not letting your place get that hot in the first place is also a very good thing.

[lunarlanderboy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11998851#post11998851 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aural
+1 - I'm also in South Florida and it really is better to keep your air temp in your house a bit more constant than that. Even if when you leave your house you turn your thermostat up so it doesn't run as much... letting your house get up to 90 degrees and then trying to cool it off quickly when you get home is going to cause more wear and tear on your AC system than it's worth.

A chiller is probably a good idea in your case - but not letting your place get that hot in the first place is also a very good thing.


yeah - you guys have got me thinking that maybe I'll keep the house at like 85 and then run a chiller. At that point though, would it make more sense to just cool my house down a few more degrees and not even get a chiller? I don't have any MH and I have a vented hood so I might be able to keep the aquarium at a constant 82 if the air conditioning was just a little lower. Arrrrggg! so many factors and decisions!

[nattarbox]

Being in Boston makes me fairly ignorant of air conditioning technology, but wouldn't it be fairly easy to keep you AC set to 80F during the time you are out? With the shades drawn and everything sealed up that shouldn't take much energy to maintain, plus as everyone else pointed out you wouldn't need to wait for the house to cool down another 5F when you get home.

[bboy aqua]

lunarlanderboy - id go with the 1/15hp
the 1/20hp may be cheaper but because it has less power then then 1/15 hp, it would have to run more
i have the 1/15hp prime chiller from current usa and i love it
it has dual controller for the chiller and a heater for it

[woody311az]

I live in Mesa, AZ and I have a 30 gallon and what I do is I turn my AC up to about 85 while I'm gone but I also have a ceiling fan that I keep on high. During the day the temp will usually get up to about 81 or 82 and then when I get home and turn the AC back down it cools down to about 78. So for me, I'm able to use the ceiling fan to keep it cool enough. If you don't have a ceiling fan maybe just a normal fan pointed at the tank might work. That might be a cheaper solution.

[lunarlanderboy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12021636#post12021636 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bboy aqua
lunarlanderboy - id go with the 1/15hp
the 1/20hp may be cheaper but because it has less power then then 1/15 hp, it would have to run more
i have the 1/15hp prime chiller from current usa and i love it
it has dual controller for the chiller and a heater for it

Thanks - I was trying to decide between Current USA and the JBJ Artica. I guess according to this (http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/Current_USA_Aquarium_Chillers_s/163.htm?gclid=CJevmaf195ECFRM8awodeFumwQ) I might need the next size up because it says that if the chiller will be operating in an environment higher than 82 to consider the next size. A 1/10 just seems excessive for a 24 gal nano though.

[lunarlanderboy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12021764#post12021764 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by woody311az
I live in Mesa, AZ and I have a 30 gallon and what I do is I turn my AC up to about 85 while I'm gone but I also have a ceiling fan that I keep on high. During the day the temp will usually get up to about 81 or 82 and then when I get home and turn the AC back down it cools down to about 78. So for me, I'm able to use the ceiling fan to keep it cool enough. If you don't have a ceiling fan maybe just a normal fan pointed at the tank might work. That might be a cheaper solution.

I have a ceiling fan in the room - so I could try this - I could also do some sort of fans right on the tank - or even possibly plumb a nano sump for it - but part of me just wants to get a chiller to have the peace of mind while I'm away.