chiller question

[Bblinks]

I have a chiller question, sort of. I am running a chiller off my apex controller with the pump. It would kick in once a while, but for the most part it is off. So my questions is, is it bad to have the water sit in the chiller for a couple of days while its shut off and having the water circulate back into the main system when it turns on. The reason I ask is when I was setting up my calcium reactor, I had to disconnect the chiller hose, the water came out of there smelled like poo.

I am not sure if anyone have the similar setup where the chiller pump would pump from the sump through the chiller then back to the main display which ties into the whole return system. I really don't think it is good the way its set up right now, so if anyone have any ideas or way to do it better please let me know.

The only way I can think of right now is to keep the pump running all the time, or replumb it, so it will become stand alone.

[Aquattro]

I run my pump full time, water sitting for days can't be good.

[cwatkins]

Last year I shut off my UV sterilizer for a week or so while I got a new bulb for it (the way it's built I could have left the water running though, which I did not do). Anyway when I drained the stagnant water out of it I almost died from the horrid smell.

So the moral of the story is leave the water running!

[Bblinks]

Thanks for the reply guys, running water is good water, gotcha.

[lastlight]

each time your chiller kicks in you're dumping a big blast of zero-oxygen water into the tank i imagine.

[sphelps]

Yeap the stagnent water in the chiller will become depleted of oxygen which makes it possible for sulfide production which isn't something you flowing back into the tank.

[Bblinks]

I have the pump running full time now. Thanks for everyones input. I have just one more question. How often do you guys clean out your chiller? Is it okay if I hook up a pump to it with a bucket of water and vinegar, run it over night to clean out all the junk in it?

[sphelps]

Sounds alright to me, not sure what else could be done.

[Aquattro]

I figure if the water is running full time, there isn't anything to clean out. I've never cleaned mine. It just runs.

[Bblinks]

I figure if the water is running full time, there isn't anything to clean out. I've never cleaned mine. It just runs.

What kind of chiller are you running and how long has it been in operation?

[Aquattro]

Right now I have a new auqalogic 1/2HP, but I ran a Pacific Coast 1/4HP for 4 years straight. I had to replace a fan motor, but that's it.

[sphelps]

I'm no chiller expert but would think cleaning would be necessary to maintian peek performance. I've replaced and removed plumbing from many tanks in the past and it doesn't take long to form a thick layer of calcium and crud on the inside of the pipes. I suspect this probably works as a farily good insulator which would decrease the efficiency of a chiller. Flushing it out with vinegar sounds like a good thing and if you plan ahead it should be a very easy task.

[Bblinks]

I am gonna pull it all apart and clean it this weekend. I'll try to take some before and after pictures of the water and see what kind of stuff come out of there. :smile: