Chiller flow??

[solitude127]

I have a 1/5 JBJ chiller. I was planning on upgrading to a pump with a higher GPH. I would go from 642 GPH @ 0ft to 730 GPH @ 0ft. Can anyone tell me how this will effect the chillers performance? Right now, it take about a hour to a hour fifteen to cycle to my desired temp. Will more GPH make it worse, better or have no effect? Thanks for any input.

[MrSandman]

Based on manufacturer's specs. that chiller requires 480GPH flow through. The pumps you have exceed that flow but that is at 0 head. Depending on how you have things plumbed and whether or not you have a pressure rated pump, there is a good chance you are not putting enough flow through that chiller. 60-75 minutes to cycle to your desired temp is quite long. A long cycle time is a good sign that you're not getting enough flow through your chiller. I have a similar sized tank with a 1/4HP chiller and i'm running almost 700 wtatts of lighting over it and my chiller only cycles for about 15-20 minutes at a time to drop 1 degree.

[solitude127]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13042937#post13042937 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrSandman
Based on manufacturer's specs. that chiller requires 480GPH flow through. The pumps you have exceed that flow but that is at 0 head. Depending on how you have things plumbed and whether or not you have a pressure rated pump, there is a good chance you are not putting enough flow through that chiller. 60-75 minutes to cycle to your desired temp is quite long. A long cycle time is a good sign that you're not getting enough flow through your chiller. I have a similar sized tank with a 1/4HP chiller and i'm running almost 700 wtatts of lighting over it and my chiller only cycles for about 15-20 minutes at a time to drop 1 degree.

What pump do you run to feed your chiller?

[MrSandman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13043043#post13043043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by solitude127
What pump do you run to feed your chiller?

I run a Panworld 100PX and i also run it through my UV and run it as my return.

[pdelcast]

Increasing the flow through the chiller will increase the chiller's efficiency... However, a more powerful pump will put more heat into the water -- so there is a tradeoff.

[MrSandman]

Depends on the pump as well. Some pumps are water cooled and some pumps are fan cooled. The Panworld pump i referenced is fan cooled. My winter pump is a Poseidon pump which is water cooled. Both are pressure rated pumps. A weak pump will also make your chiller run much longer than it needs. In your case it appears to be running 3-4 times longer than it needs to; and we all know that running a chiller in socal is not cheap.

[solitude127]

Thanks all for you help.