Well, there were a few reasons.. may not be the best reasons.

For one the garage wall was the closest one to get to. 2ndly, I did not want to put the chiller outside the house and then have to build something around it to protect it from the weather elements. I was not sure how it would operate in the cold and snow if it was outside.

in the garage its protected from external elements, and if it does add heat in the winter to the garage it may be a good thing.

sanjay.

Yeah, in retrospect I was thinking that you probably chose the garage at least in part to protect the chiller from weather.

I'm wondering though, how much protection do they really need from the elements (like I said I've never used a chiller yet, so I don't know). I'm wondering if they are akin to the household central A/C units that we all have outside our homes (which are largely unprotected), or do they really need to be protected from rain/snow etc...

Another chiller install related question.

Do I need to put in a particulate filter in line before the water goes into the chiller. ? I have seen the crud that collects and grows in PVC pipes, would that clog the smaller diameter exchanger tubes in the chiller ?

I was thinking, may be a unit like the whole house filter, with a micron filter could be used in line with the chiller.

sanjay.

Sanjay,

Been following the whole ride nice setup.

The prefilter thing sounds like a great idea. I never ever thought about it. Do you think that putting a filter on would cause some additional head pressure ? But i quess that would all depend on what you are using for a feed pump.

I saw this in Deltec forum back in June: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=ezclean

thetedinator (thread starter) used Deltec EZEClean & made closed loop to clean inside of chiller

2) Ping stevewest and see if he has any advice - he was very active in this thread about chillers: CHILLER: If you have one, come on in! Few ??'s

Why waste the light? Good point. haha. I can't really tell from the photo's, it just looked like there was alot of room on either end.

I can't wait to see you move on with this.

Finally, took some time to stick the PAR sensor into the tank and take some measurements. Due to the sensor's design, I can only take PAR measurements 5.5" from the bottom of the tank.

The tank has nothing in it, except water and these reading were taken underwater.

With the current lighting (some year old used 10K lamps I had laying around) with the ICECAP 400W Electronic ballasts, and Lumen Arc III reflectors, I measured the following values.

These measurements are at 5.5" off the bottom of the tank.

In the corners 4 corners of the tank: range was 95 - 135
In the center regions below the lights: range was 275 - 350

Mid levels in the tank, the PAR ranged from 450-600

These are just some rough measurements to convince myself that I was infact getting good light with just the 3 400W lamps.
In the past I have recommended that if you can get about 150-200 at the bottom, then you pretty much have a tank that will keep most light loving corals.

sanjay.

sanjay,i noticed that the ceiling is unfinished above the tank.are you concerned with the insulation that is dangling over it?i would be worried about the particulate that will be coming off of it.like whenever the floor shakes by walking or music or whatever,it seams like it may be an issue over time.any concerns there?id hate to know that those chemicals that are manufactured into the insulation were falling into the tank.

1) It would be best to be a closed loop in the sump......why create another possible failure point with a siphon break. A closed loop in the sump will be problem free. Place a block sponge on the intake to reduce crud build up and have the temp sensor in the tank.

2) Just a bad idea to bring it into the tank....the possible failures out weigh the added benefit of a bit more flow. My chillers are run on a closed loop from my sump......although the temp sensor is located in the tank.

3/4) No.....do not turn off the pump....the water will turn foul and may go anearobic if left still long enough. Keep water running through it. Besides....most pumps are not designed for numerous on/off cycles. You'll be asking that pump to turn on/off 8 -10 times a day.....it will eventually fail. There's no benefit to turning it off and lots of potential hazards. The intake to my chiller closed loop has a block of sponge on the intake. There is no way you can avoid crud from building up on the coils....once a year....I disconnect my chiller and soak it in vinegar.

4) Let me tell you how I have mine set up since what you are proposing is similar to my setup. I actually have two chillers....each 2hp...each alone can provide the tank's cooling needs even on the hottest days. I use the Ranco controllers...one for each chiller. You can have a long probe wire lead....but, it is not necessary....have a long power wire instead. My controllers....and their associated probes are located right by the tank.....the chillers are located outside about 25 ft away. The probe lead is short....it goes from the tank to the controller.....but the power lead is long....reaching the 25ft away to the chiller.

Why two chillers ? I believe in redundancy. The chillers are set 1/2 degree apart...so, only one is operating at a time.....unless something goes wrong like a primary chiller failure or more cooling is required....then the second chiller kicks in. I rotate every month which chiller is the primary to even their wear.

One mistake that most folks make is the location of their probe...you want it upstream of the chiller out flow....wherever that might be.....so that is accurately reads the tank's temp.

Steve

Steve (with apologies to Sanjay for highjacking):
You mentioned that "the chillers are located outside about 25 ft away". Are your chillers protected in a shed or under some sort of roof structure? I'm wondering how much protection a chiller installed outside needs to be sheltered from inclimate weather.

I use Aqualogic chillers....which come with a plastic shroud. I poured a little concrete pad against the house (some eave protection) for the two chillers to sit upon......and I made a wooden bench to cover the two chillers to give some protection from rain and snow. Chillers are not delicate....but, should be somewhat protected from the elements......and certainly have their air intakes be kept free from blockage.

Thanks Steve. :)

Sanjay,
How did you make out with your DIY skimmer I am quite interested in seeing your design or what you ended up doing for a protein skimmer. I my self am in the process of building a 500 gal and am undecisive on a skimmer I was thinking possibly of a AquaC EV1000 but i cannot find any reveiws on them but I would consider a DIY unit but I cannot find any reliable designs for that size of tank.
so far I have
96 x 36 x 36 starfire tank
180 gallon sump/fuge
hammerhead return
2 dart closed loops
4 400 watts on blueline ballasts
4 110 watts on 660 IC w/ solar 750
aqualogic 1/2 HP chiller
PM 622 calcium reactor (may have to add a second chamber)
Just a quick decription
I am in the process of building our new house so I still have some time but it's running out quickly
any opinions or comments will be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Lonnie

Well, thanks to all the other things that have taken precedence over the summer (travel, work, family, tank setup, etc.) the skimmer has taken a back seat so far.

My partner in this skimmer venture also has been busy getting ready for his twins to arrive soon.

So I really can't give much more details about the skimmer at this point. We are still waiting to make the cone, and I am holding up the process since I have not had time to make the mold form for the cone.

I'll keep you posted on the progress as and when it happens. :-)

sanjay.

Thanks Sanjay I look forward to seeing your progress

The plumbing is all finished now.

Here is a picture of the sump with the pumps.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...tank/pumps.gif

I also covered the back with black coroplast. Hled in place with velcro, so I would not be see into the back room through the tank. The sides did not need it due to the total internal reflection being caused.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...ck-covered.gif

Right now I have plumbed in my old downdraft skimmer until the new one gets finished.


Here is a picture of the tank from the front after the back was covered...its looks so bluish even with the black back and the 10K lamps. You can even see my ghost in there taking the picture :-)


http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...k-covered2.gif

sanjay.

Nice iwaki pump!

thanks rick

P.S. Oh nice setup by the way!

Nicely done Sanjay. Looks very clean. I am very curious as to which route you decided to go with the skimmer.

Just a question, What is everyone's opinion about having a wavemaker on two sequence darts for my closed loops? I cannot get any stright opinions about this.

nice setup love how clean everything is in the back of it!

Without taking too much attention away from Sanjay's thread, it is not advisable. These pumps are not designed for on/off frequently and neither are their seals.

Sorry about the hijack
Thanks for the info

As long as you are talking about the hardware I am using, its not a hijack.

Right now I temporarily have my old skimmer hooked up, until the needle wheel with the bubble king red dragon pump gets built.

Hopefully, it will hold me over through the rock cure and the initial months of the tank.

sanjay.

Is he talking about putting them on an electric wave timer, or could he be talking about putting oceansmotions on the outputs?

Finished off the last piece of plumbing loop. A filteration manifold teed off the main circulation pump, 1" feed line with 1/2" lines comming off it. This will allow me to feed the Ca reactor, Phosphate remover and the Carbon filters. Each one is individually controlled and can swivel due to the unions to allow for different angles if desired. As you can see I have plumbed the Deltec Fluidized Filter directly to one of the outlets. Now I just need to get another one of the Deltec Fludized filter and plumb that in for Carbon. I just finished hooking up the Ca reactor to the first of the outlets on the manifold.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aqu...-manifolds.gif

sanjay.