New Resun Nano Chiller

[bezz]

In my search for a suitable nano chiller for my nano tanks I came upon this new Resun Chiller which just arrived in Singapore:

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/inde...howtopic=44910

Its running on 85W nano compressor, which makes it very economical when compared to other higher capacity chillers. Thinking of investing the $$ to get one

[FC]

Hi Henry,

It is small and Peltier based. It has large Peltier heat sink and at 85 watts, it is equivalent of 4" fan x 2 pcs. IMO, very sensible for small tanks as it provide less/no evaporation and surface aggitation (as compared to fan cooled). And neat solution as it can be kept in cabinet.

However, such technology has limited cooling power which deployed merely to balance off/counter heat produced by the lights. So, with this size used on 60L tank or larger, do not expect the water temperature to be 25 degree or lower when the ambient is more than 27 degrees celcius during lights on period.

[turaco]

Ok, here's my sacrifice, wanting to know if it works on my 100L tank.



Here's how it looks like inside.



After hooked up with my filter.

Well, guess I'm too hopeful, this small chiller is not capable of lowering the temperature of my tank at all(recommended for 60L & below). In fact the temperature rises after operating for sometime. I will try it on a smaller tank next. I guess the most important factor for a peltier chiller to work is to be able to expel the heat efficiently, otherwise the heat will return back to the cool part. Keeping the chiller in the cabinet was also not a good idea.

[RonWill]

Hi all,
I really hate to be blunt here but let's be realistic.

Anything that exchange chill for heat , will need to have the warmth dissipated elsewhere. If the chiller remains in an enclosure or even a poorly circulated area (nevermind if it's a cabinet), then what goes around comes around, and it isn't gonna get any cooler. Ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

I'm sure the cost is worth the sacrifice, but let's give it the proper recommended conditions to work (as intended). Hook it up to a appropriate size tank and update us, please. Further results should be more pleasant.

[FC]

Hi Gan,

I understand the temptation but it has only the cooling capacity for tank smaller than 60 litres. When it (like any product claims) says it can cool up to ** size, it was often refer to acheivement done under ideal conditions which rarely occur under actual applications.

First, try it on a pail of water to check if the peltier is working...

Ron is right, it is a form of heat exchanger that extract heat out of the water (hot travels towards cold). Certainly, the ambient temperature is crucial to this operation's efficiency. I am not trying to pull your legs but I happened to have cabinet which has large opening at the back's top side, so comes the idea.

[turaco]

Ok, I tried it on those plastic killi tank(less than 1ft) today. Hose was a meter long(both input & output), a small water pump was use for circulation. Best result achieved was 24C(from 27C).

Do note that the fan is LOUD during operation. Thought of changing it to one less noisy. There are 4 rubber stand, I find that the gap between the floor & the fan, which is under the unit, too low, limiting air intake.I use 4 blocks of wood to raise the unit up for better ventilation.

For $200, this chiller can only cool the water to a limited temperature & restricted to small water volume, I think one might as well invest more $ on a condenser chiller or just make do with the trust worthy fan.

[FC]

Gan,

Before you invest in new fan (you can find good choices at Sim Lim Tower 3rd floor), check the air flow direction. I think it is blowing on the heat sink. If so, if mounting allows, reverse the fan. It should then cool better and lessen the noise. Not by big margin though.

[turaco]

Changed the fan to my favourite AC one(original fan is 24VDC), this fan is definitely less noisy. There goes my warranty..
Freddy, are you saying blowing the air away from the heat sink will cool better & create less noise? I would think blowing on the heat sink will be a better choice. Noise wise, blowing away from the heat sink will be quieter or not of much different

[bezz]

Gan,

I have experimented with my DIY Peltier chiller and from my lab tests conducted at my office (ambient temp 22C) and with the fan was blowing on the heatsink i only managed to cool a bucket of water to 15C. When I reversed the airflow of the fan and make it blow away from the heatsink (i.e suck) the water temp dropped to 12C.

Experiment abit with the airflow

[whuntley]

Any fan produces heat. The Watts is a clue as to how much (since they are not too efficient at converting Watts to motion of air).

Blowing at the heat sink means the fan heat is added to the ambient air heat before the air strikes the fins, so the temp. difference (the real cooling factor) is always going to tend to be lower.

Noise is probably different for different designs, but I can make a lot more noise by blowing past an open bottle top than by sucking. Blowing may tend to produce more turbulence (the noise maker) than when run the other way. Pure laminar (smooth) flow may be less efficient for heat transfer than turbulence, but probably not a very significant difference.

The biggest factor of all may well be how effective your setup is at getting the warmed heat-sink exit air away from the tank area.

Wright

[FC]

Gan,

Wright said it all.

Try this simple experiment. Place the back of your hand (the skin there is more sensitive to temperature) close to you lips and:
1) Blow air at it
2) Suck air from it

Which one you (the hand's skin) feel cooler?

[RonWill]

Changed the fan to my favourite AC one(original fan is 24VDC), this fan is definitely less noisy...

Gan, is there any improvement? How's the temp now?

[turaco]

The AC fan is as powerful as the original DC one only much less noisy. I have yet to hook it up for testing with tank water again but I think the result will be the same, only good for small tank.

As for operating the fan the other way round, that would mean I will have to dismantle the unit again, which is pretty troublesome .

Thinking hard, as we know hot air rises, if the design of the chiller was such that the fan is above the heatsink, blowing air away from the heatsink instead of blowing on the heatsink, will logically cool better. Looking at the design of this chiller however, the fan is right below with the ventilation slots at the side on the cover, blowing air away from the heatsink will have limited said advantage?? Pretty complicated issue, I might just try it & let you guys know .

[madscientist]

do it like in pc? add another fan to blow out through the ventilation slots

[BFG]

Please check the date the last poster had posted before you post. It was a 3 year old thread mind you.

[EddyTing]

BFG, his nick is "madscientist". Anything concerns science, despite the age of the topic, he's on..... Sorry, no hard feelings-ya madscientist.

[madscientist]

3 years and the technological advancements are amazing, :P

[BFG]

3 years and the technological advancements are amazing, :P

What talking you? TEM/Peltier chiller technology existed way before planted tank was on the rage. Technology advancement is one thing but whether the technology is useful or not is another matter. With rising electricity cost, efficiency will set the standard. And since our little island is very near the equator, you'll know you need your equipment to perform fast and quickly bring down the temperature than having to wait for a long time to bring down a couple of degree. Temperature fluctuation is an important thing to take note and the ability to have a stable temperature to keep the creature living in comfort is every aqua enthusiast target.

This thread also shows the inefficiency of that technology in that the poster is having problem bringing down the temperature. The temperature even rises instead of going down too although he has a larger volume of water than the chiller capacity. He also says that by placing that chiller in the cabinet, it didn't perform well.

It's like comparing between a bicycle and a car. Yes, both will take you from point A to point B but travel in the car will be much faster and shorter time spent on travelling the same distance than with a bicycle. The car, compared to the bicycle, could do the route a few more times than it takes the bicycle to cover the same route once.

Hope this helps!