Any Reason to Run the Chiller in the Winter?

[baseballkid5]

I have a Chiller set up and ive been running it for over a year. It still kicks on when the temp get to 80. It stays between 76-79 with the chiller coming on when needed. Im wondering if there is any ill effects of just turning it off and letting it go without the chiller till spring/summer? Is it better to have it running all the time? Any Advice?
Thanks
Scott

 

[lizardarm]

Other than the loss of temperature stability probably no direct ill effects. I leave mine up and running because it still kicks on a couple times a week even in the winter. My tank is probably not going to get above eighty right now even without it, but why not just keep it as stable as possible.

 

[estanoche]

i have more temp issues in the winter than the summer - in the summer my a/c keeps the house pretty cool and my temp is stable just below 78

i've noticed this winter on the days when my furnace runs and keeps the house temp at 72, my temp's been spiking to 80+

I would keep it running all the time, better to be safe than sorry.

 

[roscoe]

I don't see a reason to run a chiller in the spring, fall or winter in Washington state. A couple samll fan can easily cool a tank down in those time. Fans uses a whole lot less energy than a chiller. On my system I have fans on a controller. Once my tank gets over 79 degrees my fans kicks on and keeps the temp from rising any higher and cools the tank back down in a few hrs.

 

[apollothesun]

try running fans and if you have a controller; have the chiller kick in when your tank temp gets to 80.8 degrees.

 

[HumblePie]

I run my chillers all year 'round. My 29g has a 250w halide (about 10in from the water) that gets pretty warm. If I turn off the chiller my temp jumps quite fast. If I add fans I accelerate my water evaporation. Keeping the chiller on really helps me strike a good temp balance all year long.

 

[sunny_mittu]

turn off chiller when using lights ....

 

[HumblePie]

turn off chiller when using lights ....

Sorry. Not sure I follow... The lights are one of the sources of heat. If I leave the chiller off, my tank can easily soar to over 80F during the day. Leaving my chiller on allows me to keep a consistent +/- 1F throughout the day and night.

 

[roscoe]

turn off chiller when using lights ....

You are a waste of time. Take your non sense some where else. Like killing 200+ fish. The lights is one of the main contributors for heat issues in the aquaria so I don't know why you would advise someone to turn thier chiller off when the lights is blasting heat into thier aquaria! You make no sense what so ever!!!!

 

[dragoneggs]

turn off chiller when using lights ....

Hopefully there is a 'lost in translation' issue here. I think one aspect of the question is whether the chiller longetivity is affected by sporatic rather than regular use. This would be important to me as chillers are a big capital expense. Some equipment are better off in the long run by running frequently vs. shutting down for a a season or two.

 

[HumblePie]

Hopefully there is a 'lost in translation' issue here. I think one aspect of the question is whether the chiller longetivity is affected by sporatic rather than regular use. This would be important to me as chillers are a big capital expense. Some equipment are better off in the long run by running frequently vs. shutting down for a a season or two.

Could be. I bought an AquaLogic 1/4hp in 2004 that was used from someone on this board. I haven't done anything with it (cleaned it, etc.) since I bought it and it's been running great. My thoughts were that this thing was going to go South and I would need to buy something else but that hasn't happened. I've run it from a dual Medusa controller (from the same gent) for just about 6 years now and never experienced any issues. Maybe it's the model. Maybe it's dumb luck. Either way I've been really happy with the hardware and the current setup.

 

[lizardarm]

Maybe it's the model. Maybe it's dumb luck. Either way I've been really happy with the hardware and the current setup.

Maybe it's just that Aqualogic rocks! I've got one, best chiller I've owned.