Quote:
Originally Posted by RuGlu6
Yes, what you say makes a lot of sense, and i respect your opinion i do.
Agree wit a lot of what you saying:
2 buck system yes,
Inefficient not so much , it is efficient and it works. (how would you know if you don't try? when i built it i didn't know until i did. Now that i know it works i can share it with people "open source idea" sort of thing)
Automated; yes chiller is more automated however, because it is more complex it is less reliable. My system is less automated, But its automated enough to keep steady temperature. I have flow valve for flow control and "automated" heater in the sump which will turn on when water gets too cold. So it is efficient cooling and semi-automated. I get flow valve closed just enough to not get it too cold to prevent the heater to turn on too frequently.
My system with no moving parts is so simple and therefore way more reliable then a chiller. Plus its absolutely silent compare to a chiller that can be pretty noisy and chiller will expel heat in to your room that is already hot.
I am actually very proud of this idea its simplicity, reliability, cost effectiveness and its being environmentally friendly.
Outside temp does not go from +30C to +18C overnight in that regard this system is pretty good and stable once you set it, its good for a week or so.
If you out of the house for a month its a different story.
I also respect your choice in having a chiller there is absolutely nothing wrong. Some people build huge tanks in to their houses and spend close to 100k on it, there is nothing wrong with that, but is it a good model for everyone?
My choice is not to have a chiller and there is nothing wrong with that ether.
I wold like to thank some people on here who do like this DIY idea for support and also thank you for a PM.
So if you decide to try this, use about 25 feet of tubing (to make a coil) for every 50Gal of water volume to make a coil in the sump. If you look at the picture of the 25 foot coil it takes very little room in the sump.
For emergency cooling you don't even have to have a sump , you can submerge the heat exchanger coil tubing in the display tank for a week or so when it gets too hot.
The important thing is to have heat exchange tubing coiled loose, to have it all completely submerged, and to have it in a highest water flow area if possible.
Cheers.
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This idea has my interest. My chiller ran a lot last summer, and undoubtedly contributed significantly to my hydro bill. I have an Apex incl temp probes, an IO Breakout box and a couple water solenoids. So I could completely automate a cooling system, just like my chiller.
But I don't have a lot of room in my sump. I assume your tubing was just standard RO type. I wonder if there is another thinner wall type tubing available from somewhere that would take less room and maybe even better heat exchange capabilities?