stupid chiller question
 

so i am going to plumb everything this week and i forgot how i had the chiller plumbed. it's an inline chiller with 2 pipes in the top. does it matter which input/output pipe i use? does the water have to go through the chiller in a specific direction or does it matter? sorry it sounds confusing the way i am explaining it doesn’t it. :drinking:

Unless it's marked it shouldn't matter. It's just like a heat exchanger, either way works the same unless the pipes are one over top of the other. In this case the top one would be the (Warm) inlet and the bottom would be the (cool) return. :smile:

Depends on the chiller exchanger desifn. If the inlet and outlets are mounted vertically the water should flow from the bottom to the top. If horizontal, doesn't really matter.

nope they are side by side. so i doesn’t matter then right?

On a heat exchanger the normal rule of thumb is Hot in on the top, and cool out on the bottom. :smile:

I stand corrected. But then doesn't it depend on where the inlet of the freon line enters the exchanger. I would assume that is the cold end?

Nope. Heat rises, so the cooler liquid will exit at the bottom. :smile:

Ok, my chiller has the freon entering the bottom of the exchanger, returning back to the compressor at the top of the exchanger.

Saying that, then should I be plumbing the tank water from the top of the exchanger and returning to the tank from the bottom of the exchanger?

I'm not realy sure about your chiller, in fact I realy don't think it will make a whole lot of difference where it goes in and out since the exchanger is a closed loop (as far as the freon cool exchanger is concerned). Maybe the compressor is right under the exchanger, thus causing the bottom to be warmer than the top by the heat given off by the compressor. Most of the exchangers I work with have all the pumping equipment mounted independent of the exchanger and the high (hot), low (cool) rule usualy applies. I have a feeling that in this case it doesn't apply. If the two conections are not marked inlet/outlet or have arrows indicating flow direction, it more than likely makes no difference.

Sorry if I had you worried about your set up with my post. :smile:

your inlet and out let should be labeled as it is important for the water flow through a chiller.

the reason for this is at no time can that coil be empty so the water should flow through it in such a manor that it will keep the coil full of water at all times. so inside your unit depending on how the coil is orientated will tell you how to plumb it. if there is no arrows or words check the manual and see if it says, failing that call the company and ask them if it matters. if the coil is sitting up and down it might not matter as much but that would be a unusual way to mount it.

Steve

unit not marked.. manual only covers the controller.. company bankrupt..

Thus why I always thought if a vertical coil, inlet at bottom, outlet at top.

ya horazontal can be the same idea it all depends how they bend the inlet and outlet pipes.

Willow, can you take the cover off so you can see the coils? if so send me a pic and I can tell you which way to hook it up.

Steve

for all those breathless awaiting some answers on my chiller i found this tonight.

http://www.marinedepot.com/IMD/chill...owercooler.jpg

apparently marinedeopt still sells the 1/5hp model which is cool because i still think it's one of the better chillers made.

so thanks all for playing "hook up my chiller game".

so here we are again.. when i plumbed it up i got a leak from somewhere so i pulled it out and have to go over it.

can anyone confirm ahem*steve*ahem which one is the in and which is the out?

http://www.mayberryhq.com/images/otis/c2.jpg

http://www.mayberryhq.com/images/otis/c1.jpg

thanks

doesn't look like it matters on that one much, I would use the the side closest to the coper lines as your out.

Steve

great, thats how i had it.. no to find the damn leak :cry:

http://www.mayberryhq.com/images/otis/c2.jpg

it seems that the source of my leak (guess) is coming from where the black compression nuts attach to the pvc tank. if you look down under the long copper pipe you can see a lot of white residue. it feels like the black nuts have a little play in them. im kinda scared to pull them out because i don’t know what’s behind them and if i'll be able to get them back in. if i coated the joint with silicone and tightened up the nut do you think that would work?

If it's leaking at the refrigerant lines to the PVC condenser body, forget it the refrigerant has probably already leaked out. Is the chiller cooling at all. The refrigerant lnes are under considerable pressure so no, silicone would be of no use.

i haven’t used the chiller in 2 years, it did cool fine when i pulled the tank down. i basically ran it for 10 mins before i saw the water leak and pulled it out. it looks like it might have been slowly leaking for awhile judging by that white residue mark on side of it.

the refrigeration compression fittings look tight inside the black screw nuts so i don't think its that. its where the housing for that compression fitting enters the pvc tank. i think what’s leaking out is salt water.

the powder is all white no collor to it then its water not freon . the fittings into the chiller barrel if let sit will dry out and leak . clean up the stain before it eats your condenser up. pm me if you need some more help with .