Reef Discussion

[daveH]

Has anyone ever seemed to think whether their chiller starts to loose its cool after say 2 or 3 years?
Mine seems to take a lot longer to knock a degree off the temp lately.

 

[KoNP]

Might be a leak in the coolant loop (i.e. the tubing containing the R134a gas). With a perfect seal the chiller should keep working well until it completely packs it in.

Mine is second hand, had it for nearly 5 years. Don't know how long the guy before me had it for. Still cools as well as the day I got it.

Get an aircon tech to have a look, see if there's a pinhole leak somewhere.

 

[RobbieMVFC]

Chillers are in essence a fridge that has water passing through it. In other words it should last year's. I know you have been around for a while so I don't want to insult you so forgive me for what about to say. Is your chiller in a well ventilated area away from your tank?

 

[daveH]

Chillers are in essence a fridge that has water passing through it. In other words it should last year's. I know you have been around for a while so I don't want to insult you so forgive me for what about to say. Is your chiller in a well ventilated area away from your tank?

The chiller is in the cabinet next to the sump and has 2 exhaust fans at the back which come on when it does to draw the heat out.
There is also enough intake area at the front and the filter is regularly cleaned.
It's been in this configuration for quite a while now - just seems to be a bit down on cool lately.
(Haha . . no chance of offending me mate)

 

[Franklin Dattein]

It shouldn't happen and they should last 5-10 years.

I don't think it is coolant leakage, because it would leak completely really fast and the chiller wouldn't chill at all.
My bets are the external filters are clogged and allowing the same level of ventilation as before, or the internal fan is full of hair or went caput.

 

[192k]

Sounds like the chiller needs a vinegar soaking. Calcium builds up inside and slows the flow rate along with the cooling capacity.

If possible, take it offline and fill it with vinegar for a day. It should only take a few litres. Give it a good backwash with a hose, but don't use too much pressure as the holding tank seams will crack under high pressure.