Chiller won't turn off !?

[Jan]

This morning when I got up I was surprised to find the chiller running. Now it's 10:38 pm, the halides have been off for hours, and the chiller is still running! (It did turn off once or twice today but I still feel there's something very wrong.)

Tonight I installed my new Johnson A419 single stage temperature controller and both heaters are plugged into it. The controller has a set-point of 76F degrees and the faceplate indicates that it's 75F in the tank right now.

My Aqualogic single stage controller is set to keep the tank at 77F, to turn on at 78F and off at 76F. Right now its faceplate indicates the tank is at 77F (it pretty much always indicates that, which I took to mean that it's working).

Anyway, I'm worried...any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this problem. I need to find my manual for the Aqualogic chiller controller but haven't put my hands on it yet.

 

[Jan]

okay I found my manual and increased my set point on the chiller controller (Aqualogic) to 79F, saved that setting and the chiller immediately turned off.

Now my chiller probe reads 77F and my heater controller probe reads 75F. This is the disadvantage of having two single stage controllers instead of one dual stage controlling both things.....

hmmmm

 

[Holygral]

I am looking for a chiller for my 75 this summer, anyone have suggestions on type and model. I will probally also be up-grading to a 120 also.

thnaks

 

[Scooterman]

okay I found my manual and increased my set point on the chiller controller (Aqualogic) to 79F, saved that setting and the chiller immediately turned off.

Now my chiller probe reads 77F and my heater controller probe reads 75F. This is the disadvantage of having two single stage controllers instead of one dual stage controlling both things.....

hmmmm

My Aqua-logic probe seems slightly higher than other temp. probes I use. I do have it set to 2 degree swing rather than just one, which makes it run less. It might be since it warmed up some your tank needs more cooling, do you have a large fan blowing across the water surface?

 

[Jan]

Scooty, I have two 3-inch fans in the canopy that are timed to run while the halides are on.

The Aqualogic now has a 2 degree differential but before yesterday it only had a 1 degree differential and I think that may have been why it was running so much...but then again it didn't run that much (during the dark hrs of evening and early morning) last summer so I still don't really know why it started doing it yesterday...

 

[Scooterman]

Do you have one blowing like I do in the top pick of this link? Makes a huge difference if you don't I'd highly recommend you add one, I don't need any other fans & hardly every use the chiller now & my 250 MH's are 6" off the water.

Fan

Have you ever clead your temp. probe?

 

[Jan]

nope, I don't have a fan like that but it's a v. good idea. And no, i"ve never cleaned my temp probe. My AC Jr temp probe was irratic ever since I got it, and then one day it started to read a constant 122 degrees. I figured it was dead...

how do you clean them? Just fresh water or vinegar?

 

[Scooterman]

Jan, that one fan blows across the entire water surface & does more cooling that anything else I have, including my aqua-logic 1/4h.p. chiller. I would highly recommend placing a fan similar to cover the water surface, evaporation will increase but energy savings makes it worth it. I have to put it on a timer otherwise the temperature will go down too low over night.
Yup, just soak the probe long enough to clean off anything on it, it is very important to keep it free to coralline, detritus etc. also the top of the probe should not be submerged, so leave about a 1/2" out of the water.

 

[Jan]

Scooty, do you ever have issues with the increased evaporation in warm weather causing so much RODI top off to come in, that your system salinity gets lower than you want?

I didn't know that probes should have their top portion exposed to air. I've always had them laying on the bottom of the sump. What is the benefit of having the top above the water line?

 

[Scooterman]

Only the type probe used on the chiller or ranco, the other probes should be submerged, different type. I just read that in the manual about the aqua-logic probe, to me it reads temp. better that way.
My top off will only add water as it is evaporated so it isn't a sudden dump of ro water, it actually is very stable.

 

[veralteaquatics]

Jan, make sure and clean off the cooling blades or back of the chiller with a vaccum. Dust,dirt and pet hair are often the cause of the chiller having to over work. If the chiller is having a hard time displacing the hot air it will continue to run as well. +1 on the probes. A piece of foam works well for floating the probes with just the tips/ half the probe in the water..

 

[Jan]

Jan, make sure and clean off the cooling blades or back of the chiller with a vaccum. Dust,dirt and pet hair are often the cause of the chiller having to over work. If the chiller is having a hard time displacing the hot air it will continue to run as well.

Well, we don't have any pet hair at our house so that can't be it. :lol:

 

[Scooterman]

Dust alone will eventually cause your unit to work harder, also the amount of air flow through the unit, so make sure it is clean & air can move easily through it front to back. Also, the tubing inside the chiller needs to be cleaned out, aqua-logic had the procedures on-line at their website.

 

[Jan]

great...thanks very much for the info.