Does anyone here use chillers?

[eatyourpeas]

Well, see, if you got a chiller, you could throw the beer in the fish tank for safe keeping. Win-win!

And not that crazy and idea. I am doing a prototype cold water tank and am modifying this little cooler to test an idea. If you are handy, and know where to drill and build an overflow, well...

Frigidaire 0.3 cu. ft. 6-Can Retro Mini Fridge in Red EFMIS129-RED - The Home Depot

The Frigidaire 6 can mini personal beverage refrigerator is a cool and fun way to keep your favorite beverages and snacks cold. The retro design will look great with any decor whether contemporary or traditional. It is perfect for a dorm room, office or RV.

www.homedepot.com

Edit: I am starting with a canister filter inside the cooler. It is a very small tank (3 gal.)

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Cool idea. Mine is a 150g, so probably would take something more like a chest freezer.

T

 

[eatyourpeas]

Cool idea. Mine is a 150g, so probably would take something more like a chest freezer.

T

Yes, at that size you'll need a chiller. Coralife has been recommended by @OnlyGenusCaps in my other post, and it looks like you'll be needing a 1/2 HP

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Yeah, over $1000 is a lot of money to keep fish that are essentially free (just need a minnow trapping permit). Not sure if the dentist will go for that.

 

[madmark285]

And not that crazy and idea. I am doing a prototype cold water tank and am modifying this little cooler to test an idea. If you are handy, and know where to drill and build an overflow, well...

Edit: I am starting with a canister filter inside the cooler. It is a very small tank (3 gal.)

As a mad DIY'er, I love it!

But this is "Thermoelectric cooling system" (Peltier cooler). Worth a try..

Might be a good path, if you can keep one Grunt sculpin alive in a small tank then move to a larger system

 

[Colin_T]

Well, see, if you got a chiller, you could throw the beer in the fish tank for safe keeping. Win-win!

bullsit, haven't you seen the adverts on telle. Man puts beer bottles in fish tank to keep it cool and the fish drink it.

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Just have a portable air-conditioner in the room and leave that on for the fish tank.

 

[Utar]

A while back I looked into aquarium chillers, on amazon, there is a good selection to study. Some are cheap while others are very expensive. There is a video on youtube where the DIY guy shows how he made a chiller by using a water hose and an old cheap frig. The kind you might find in a hotel room.

 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

A while back I looked into aquarium chillers, on amazon, there is a good selection to study. Some are cheap while others are very expensive. There is a video on youtube where the DIY guy shows how he made a chiller by using a water hose and an old cheap frig. The kind you might find in a hotel room.

I've got buddies who have done the fridge/freezer route (with one having the know how to modify and reroute the evaporator lines - well beyond me!). They had okay success but cautioned that the EnergyStar appliances have decreased cooling capacity with greater insulation. Great to keep your bills down for a fridge which you don't open often, but when you are running water through, it limits the capacity.

In high school when I was keeping newts, I got a hold of a used office water cooler. That thing worked great, and was far, far quieter than my current aquarium chiller! Plus, it was easier to plumb with my limited DIY skills at the time (okay, now too). @eatyourpeas that might be something to look into. Not sure there will be loads floating around on your island, but with all of the offices not in use right now, maybe you can find a deal. Just a thought.

 

[eatyourpeas]

In high school when I was keeping newts, I got a hold of a used office water cooler. That thing worked great, and was far, far quieter than my current aquarium chiller! Plus, it was easier to plumb with my limited DIY skills at the time (okay, now too). @eatyourpeas that might be something to look into. Not sure there will be loads floating around on your island, but with all of the offices not in use right now, maybe you can find a deal. Just a thought.

Brilliant suggestion! Thank you!

 

[madmark285]

Just wondering, who own the office water coolers? The company that supplies the water jugs may also own the actually coolers. That may be a source for used coolers.
You may need a heat exchange system since it is a salt water tank.

Which leads to, bending PVC pipes to make cooling coils. I made a DIY heating cable for 3/4" PVC pipe by filling a 1/2" metal romex cable (wires removed) with sand and sealing the ends which a high temperature JWeld epoxy putty, heat the cable in your oven. I was quite proud of this until I found this method, bending PVC pipe with hot sand. Well that much simpler.

Then I discovered, PVC Schedule 40 Flexible Pipe which make the above a bit moot. But this pipe is~10x more expensive than PEX or rigid PVC.

 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Just wondering, who own the office water coolers? The company that supplies the water jugs may also own the actually coolers. That may be a source for used coolers.

Yup, spot on. For me back then it was Alhambra water. Called them up, and was able to get a used unit that wasn't completely at the end of its life yet.

You may need a heat exchange system since it is a salt water tank.

Ooh, right. I kind of didn't think through that whole salt water = more corrosive thing. My "this is cheap and easy" idea might have just turned into more work than it's worth. Good catch @madmark285 and sorry if that's the case @eatyourpeas

 

[madmark285]

Ooh, right. I kind of didn't think through that whole salt water = more corrosive thing. My "this is cheap and easy" idea might have just turned into more work than it's worth. Good catch

I still think it is a good idea, just do a closed loop cooling system. It may be possible to run PVC pipes from the water cooler to inside the tank. That would not be difficult to do.

I assume you would need a thermostat control device to turn a circulating water pump on or off.

 

[eatyourpeas]

Just the process of drawing this beast is lots of fun!