DIY chiller from window A/C

KING_KONG_KOLAS · Jul 12, 2010

monkeybone said:
Love the improvised chiller thread, keep it going :)

I found this 'Bait Chiller' on fleabay: its new, 1hp and chills up to 1000 gallons to 35 degrees.

Item number: 120536160621

http://i.einvalid.com/14/!BpdYzWwB2k~$(KGrHqEOKjMEuZ0)y)M3BLrh2FKiHg~~_12.JPG

Here is the description:
Unit are new and have been in storage Unit sits on top of tank. Unit has been test and is in good working condition. Chill water from 35 to 70 degree F

Aerates water from the bottom
Heavy duty construction
Unit made for chilling water for bait ships. it's made to sit on top of a tank. Unit works in Hydroponics, Aquariums, Industrial, bait ship, lab, etc. Pulls water from the bottom, in the process the water is chills and aerated. It's construction is of non-corrosive materials. It can be used in salt water. Unit made in 1996 , but never used, Has been storage. Unit original cost over $4,000 1in 1996. Power by 120 VAC, very quite unit.
It's called a workhorse, chilling up to 1,000 gallon.
It has a built in thermostat
========================

Whats cool with a chiller like this is the large volume of water you could chill in one tank, pump all your hot water to a separate tank that sits and cools until your 12 hour light cycle is over. Then its pumped in to top off your chilled tank.

The bad part of a chiller like this is you have to live close to Harrah, Oklahoma to pick it up or have it shipped :) Thought I'd share the find as it also aerates and might be perfect for one of you guys. He has a couple of them btw and I don't know him from adam so make sure to check it out thoroughly.

They were $4k in 1996.. whats the ticket on them today? Can it be converted to 240v?:character0053:

Ruff Ruffman · Jul 12, 2010

Vertstyle this is a great thread, thanks chap

RMCG · Jul 13, 2010

kmk4eva said:
wouldnt it be the same as putting the condender from the window mount just alot bigger badder cooling power

While I ~suppose~ it could be the same thing. Not sure I would skimp out on a few hundred bucks to use a Central A/C over the Jandy heat pump.

Jandy's are meant to do this, have decent controls (EWT/LWT display, NoFlow/NoGo, low ambient kit) etc.

Plus, it could be mounted outside without looking too funny vs a torn apart unit dunked into a barrel of water.

In the end though, I am not sure you will save a whole lot over the self-contained 5T chillking unit.

If you go the Jandy route, you will need to add a large Flotec pump, insulated 25g res, possibly some pressure regulation tanks, air bladders, etc.

Will it add up to 2k? Doubt it, but maybe you save a grand vs. having a turnkey system. Other than the crappy Chillking warranty, they look like decent units.

The 'Heat Siphon' 3.25DX (cools to 50*) 65k BTU model is $3100 delivered.

aSilvrHaze · Aug 9, 2010

Fred Flintstoned said:
Is a manual thermostat absolutely necessary? I have a 10.5K unit with dig.
Can I buy a manual control at the hvac parts house and convert it?
Fred

does anyone know whether or not you can use a unit with an electronic panel instead of the manual knobs?

dxco · Aug 26, 2010

Cool -I was just posting an idea for cooling lights with a window unit in another thread. Do you think the thermal transfer obtained with a coil of PVC is efficient? I guess if you're only running 5-min/hour it's good enough.
What do you think about using a variation of this system to cool your lights? Same deal, evaperator coil submerged in water and just pump that water through your cool tubes or heat exchangers.
Almost makes me want to buy a window chiller unit & disect it to see what the engineers did!

DXCO

bobby bongwater · Aug 27, 2010

imho

i know it's a little off topic but i was at AN's site and they have a glorified heater core they sell for 500 bucks that you exhaust your cool tube into to remove the heat. if one were so inclined one could use the same reservoir cooler to cool down there h2o that they recirculate through a heater core or small rad.

my .02

RMCG · Aug 27, 2010

bobby bongwater said:
i know it's a little off topic but i was at AN's site and they have a glorified heater core they sell for 500 bucks that you exhaust your cool tube into to remove the heat. if one were so inclined one could use the same reservoir cooler to cool down there h2o that they recirculate through a heater core or small rad.

my .02

BestCoastGrowers sells their Heat X-tractor. You could use an IceBox too. Same principle.

500$ item from AN? Shocking. Harley Davidson of the growing world...

bobby bongwater · Aug 27, 2010

really

its not a harley. it's a scam. on their web page in the fine print they admit you need one per kw light. it's bs. get a small rad or heater core and you've achieved the exact same thing. as usual AN's marketing heavily for nothing special

peace

Kuntjoose · Aug 30, 2010

Awesome diy!

Vertstyle this is an excellent do it yourself alternative to buying a chiller. Alot of people have old a/c's layin around, I know I do. I have been thinking about ways to improve it since you posted it. One idea I came up with would be to use a mineral oil instead of water in the cooler. Or better yet use a low viscosity silicone fluid excellent stuff, but a little pricey. It would allow you to seal the cooler so that you wouldn't have to change or clean or even worry about it. No rust issues. Plus it has much better thermal conductivity. Anyway great idea man good job.

DIY chiller from window A/C

DIY chiller from window A/C

KING_KONG_KOLAS

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Ruff Ruffman

RMCG

aSilvrHaze

dxco

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bobby bongwater

RMCG

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Kuntjoose

DIY chiller from window A/C

DIY chiller from window A/C

KING_KONG_KOLAS

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Ruff Ruffman

RMCG

aSilvrHaze

dxco

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bobby bongwater

RMCG

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Kuntjoose

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