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EvolutionZ, try replacing the long coils of tubings with a radiator of some sort which will be a better heat exchanger.
Eg.
Pic Courtesy of VR-Zone
Do note the potential risk of copper......
Regards,
Peter Gwee
i have bad news. my temp now is 27C. even though my thermostat is at 5. i am now trying full power..when i open the fridge.. the fridge is not even cold. guess that fridge is too old liao... no cold air inside the fridge at all i can feel..
think i will call this a failure if my temp never go down 23 - 24C even when my thermostat is at full power....
previously it was 23C because of the cold morning.. now is hot.. it went up 27C..
EvolutionZ, try replacing the long coils of tubings with a radiator of some sort which will be a better heat exchanger.
Eg.
Pic Courtesy of VR-Zone
Do note the potential risk of copper......
Regards,
Peter Gwee
Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
i wont risk this type of things in my tank.. cant afford to lose everything if theres copper leak.
the tub of water in the fridge is also 27C same as my tank's temperature
anyway.. base on my father.. he insisted that i should just leave the pipe inside.. without the tub of water.. so i let him do it..
turn the thermostat back to 3 instead of 7 at full power..
i'll see how it goes.
Yippie!! Reptiles and Fishies!
check the gas... may be low..thats why got cooling deficiency.
how do i check the gas? anyway.. my father turned the thermostat to 7.. full power.. and i feel only little bit of coldness in the tank..
I don't think fridges are meant to be pushed as hard as chillers. Our typical fridges just cools our food inside it till a suitable temperature and then switches off. Insulation ensures atmospheric heat doesn't get to the cold food inside. Running a fridge like a chiller is really almost the same as running the fridge with its door open.
Even if it does work, pushing it that hard will shorten its service life.
Yippie!! Reptiles and Fishies!
You can actually bring the unti to bioplast and ask them to check.
There are actually many examples online that already proved that the bar frigde works as a full time chillerOriginally Posted by KeIgO86
I don't think fridges are meant to be pushed as hard as chillers. Our typical fridges just cools our food inside it till a suitable temperature and then switches off. Insulation ensures atmospheric heat doesn't get to the cold food inside. Running a fridge like a chiller is really almost the same as running the fridge with its door open.
Even if it does work, pushing it that hard will shorten its service life.
yea. you guys are right.. maybe if it works.. can put a timer.. like every 3 hours.. let it rest for half an hour..
can probably bring it to shop that service air-con
top the coolant gas (if this is the correct term) and your chiller will run more efficiently..all refrigeration unit including the home fridge to do this servicing once in awhile.
joys of keeping fishes
Great effort EvolutionZ!
My diy chiller, similar to yours, is cooling down my 2ft tank to 23C with thermostat at < 1 (Defrost setting). I believe yours should be able to do so too.
I think your fridge might be out of gas, do send it for a check or get someone to service it.
wah.. thermostat 1 can chill to 23C.
anyway.. do you guys think warping aluminium foil around the tubing that are outside the fridge helps?
i warped all the tubes outside the fridge.. canister filter tube. tube going in and out of fridge.. all wraped.. will it help to prevent heat lose?
now my thermostat is at 4. water inside the tub is at 23 - 24C. while my tank's water is 25 - 26C.
anyone know if i need to dismendle everything if i ask the service man to come and check the gas?
Have you tested the fridge before you started your diy project? Was it working?
I think wrapping the hose outside the fridge do help but not much especially if your hose are short. I have not done that yet. You should try to use air-con insulation tubing instead of aluminum foil if you want to try.
Do you see a layer of icy frost forming in the freezer compartment after running it for a few hours? If you don't, I think the fridge really needs a servicing. It is better to at least empty the tub of water in the fridge in case the service man accidentally move the fridge too much and spill it inside the fridge.
yes, before i start diy-ing. its working. and yes, there is ice forming on the ice making compartment. anyone know rougly how much if i ask the service man to come and top up gas?
If ice formed, it may not be the gas issue. I think the big tub of water and the length of the hose may be too much for the bar fridge to cool. Try putting some ice cubes in the tub and leave the fridge door close and not open it for as long as you can. It takes quite a long time to cool the tank initially.
As for the charges for toping up gas, I think I read before something like in the range of $20-$40. Anyway, you can call and ask them. If too expansive, you might want to consider getting another 2nd hand fridge.
Wish you luck!
maybe as time pass by. the frdige will get colder and colder? when i open up and see what temp the water is.. i can feel little coldness in the air only..If ice formed, it may not be the gas issue. I think the big tub of water and the length of the hose may be too much for the bar fridge to cool. Try putting some ice cubes in the tub and leave the fridge door close and not open it for as long as you can. It takes quite a long time to cool the tank initially.
As for the charges for toping up gas, I think I read before something like in the range of $20-$40. Anyway, you can call and ask them. If too expansive, you might want to consider getting another 2nd hand fridge.
Wish you luck!
will it help if i top up the colent gas?
as in after top up of gas.. i set thermostat 1 and it will be able to chill my tank to 23 - 24C?
My personal experience tells me that the temperature you can achieve depends on the fridge. I can get mine to go slightly lower but the compressor will start running non stop. So is like balancing the settings so that you get good temperature for your tank, don't stress the compressor too much and the electrical bill.
If my shrimps shows that they are doing much better with a chiller, I will be modifying it to improve its efficiency. If not, I will drop the diy project.
So far, the survival rate of my first 2 pregnant CRS was not good even with the 23-24C temperature. Maybe I have something else missing...
bro. what brand of fridge are you using? mine is cornell.. some unkown brand.. how many M of tube do you coil inside?
i saw a LG one in "Best Den." is about $202 and another one $203 ( think is japanese brand) and there is one less than $200
I am using Samsung. LG is very common, saw many 2nd hand ones when I bought mine. I think they should be the same in terms of performance. Not point getting a new one for diy or experiment.
I am running 4*2m of fine tubings (air line tubing size) in the fridge for the start. I am planning to increase to 6*2m later on if my shrimps are doing well as 4*2m is slowing down the flow rate too much.
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