Something to try in place of a chiller

[steveoutlaw]

My tank gets up to about 85 during the day and down to 80 at night (according to my pinpoint thermometer). Everything in the tank looks good and it growing great, but I'm wondering how much better it would be if I kept the tank at a constant 80.

 

I was thinking about running a small piece of duct work that would blow A/C air straight onto the sump. Do you think this would work to keep it to a 1-2 degree swing instead of 5 degrees?

 

BTW, we keep the house set at 76 degrees.

 

Thanks.

[ctenophore]

My tank gets up to about 85 during the day and down to 80 at night (according to my pinpoint thermometer). Everything in the tank looks good and it growing great, but I'm wondering how much better it would be if I kept the tank at a constant 80.

 

I was thinking about running a small piece of duct work that would blow A/C air straight onto the sump. Do you think this would work to keep it to a 1-2 degree swing instead of 5 degrees?

 

BTW, we keep the house set at 76 degrees.

 

Thanks.

You will get a lot of evaporation when cool dry air blows over warm water. It will work but be prepared to deal with the humidity.

[basser9]

you might try turning your sump off for 6 hours during your light period....keeps my tank at 81....my house keep at 75....i have 3 walmart 10.00 fans which push alot of wind....the clip on type....

[steveoutlaw]

you might try turning your sump off for 6 hours during your light period....keeps my tank at 81....my house keep at 75....i have 3 walmart 10.00 fans which push alot of wind....the clip on type....

 

 

Not sure I understand what you mean. I have 3 fans blowing into the canopy. I would think that water through the sump and skimmer helps with aeration and cooling by evaporation.

[basser9]

My return pump adds 2 degrees to my tank.....2000hr highhead pump for pumping from my basement....if you have a magpump/etc you might be surprized what this and your skimmers pump add to your tanks temp.....turn off your sump and see what happens to the temp...also little computer type fanc not enough...I LIKE THE 10.00 CLIP ON FANS at walmart...they blow away computerfans....In my 150 i have 4 sureflow 2000 gal hr maxie mods with give the corals all the current/air they need....MY OVERFLOW ONLY skims the surface at about 200gal hr....my tank stays at 80 day and night....house keep at 75....this week 100 temps will cut lights off half a day .....this happens on a reef during tropical storms....corals do find....saves alot of elect to...

[yauger]

would blowing processed AC air on your tank directly have an effect on your pH?

[lanman]

My tank gets up to about 85 during the day and down to 80 at night (according to my pinpoint thermometer). Everything in the tank looks good and it growing great, but I'm wondering how much better it would be if I kept the tank at a constant 80.

 

I was thinking about running a small piece of duct work that would blow A/C air straight onto the sump. Do you think this would work to keep it to a 1-2 degree swing instead of 5 degrees?

 

BTW, we keep the house set at 76 degrees.

 

Thanks.

I found an alternative... I opened up the nearest A/C duct! Because the basement stays cool - I had the ducts almost completely closed in the basement. I opened one up near the tank, and it stays under 81 now ... previously had been hitting 82 almost every night for that last hour.

 

bob

[DaveS]

I've done the open the AC output to the fish room. It's great in that it helps cool down the tank a bit but then the rest of the house gets hot so we have to run the AC more. In my situation, it's not enough of a benefit to warrant the increased home AC cost. I've also done the fan thing for evaporative cooling. It works great both cooling and energy wise but the downstairs is much more humid and mold is a concern. If I run a dehumidifier, I might as well run a chiller. I've heard of running the intake of the skimmer line to the AC output. That would only solve part of my problem as I need cooling during the winter months too and this would do the opposite then.

 

Now I got an idea I've been toying with- how about running the HVAC RETURN or INTAKE from the tank/sump area? This should create a significant amount of air flow and should allow for plenty of evaporation. In the summer time, the humidity from the tank should condense just like the regular humidity in the air. In the winter time, the humidity would get dispersed throughout the home and reduce the dryness of the cold air.

 

Obviously you want your air filter between the intake at the tank and the HVAC unit. What does everyone else think about this? Any flaws in this idea?

[steveoutlaw]

I found an alternative... I opened up the nearest A/C duct! Because the basement stays cool - I had the ducts almost completely closed in the basement. I opened one up near the tank, and it stays under 81 now ... previously had been hitting 82 almost every night for that last hour.

 

bob

 

 

I'm thinking about putting an AC vent right above the the tank so at least the fans are blowing in cold air. Also, I could shut the vent off in the winter so there isn't any heat blowing directly on the tank.

 

Now I got an idea I've been toying with- how about running the HVAC RETURN or INTAKE from the tank/sump area? This should create a significant amount of air flow and should allow for plenty of evaporation. In the summer time, the humidity from the tank should condense just like the regular humidity in the air. In the winter time, the humidity would get dispersed throughout the home and reduce the dryness of the cold air.

 

Obviously you want your air filter between the intake at the tank and the HVAC unit. What does everyone else think about this? Any flaws in this idea?

 

I think you would run into a problem with the salt air corroding and your filters would probably get clogged with some really nasty stuff.

Edited June 10, 2008 by steveoutlaw

[bigJPDC]

would blowing processed AC air on your tank directly have an effect on your pH?

 

could be a concern since it will be running more during the higher Ph times during the day, but I doubt it would take you out of acceptable ranges if you are dosing kalk or whatever. I'd be more concerned about blowing dust and junk into the tank so I'd use some kind of filter over the vent, which you'd have to change and now this is too much work.