need input: Current USA or PCI chiller?

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lizardarm

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May 7, 2004
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hey everyone,

i'm looking for any input you might have.
the two chillers that i'm looking at are the PCI CL-650 (1/4 HP)
and the Current USA 1/4 HP Prime Tower chiller.

my aquarium is 120 gallons. i will be running 500 watts of MH and another
150ish watts of PC lighting.

if anyone has experience with either or both of these chillers, i'm largely interested in hearing what you have to say about- 1) noise level, 2) accuracy, and 3) reliability

thanks in advance,
chris
 
lizardarm said:
hey everyone,

i'm looking for any input you might have.
the two chillers that i'm looking at are the PCI CL-650 (1/4 HP)
and the Current USA 1/4 HP Prime Tower chiller.

my aquarium is 120 gallons. i will be running 500 watts of MH and another
150ish watts of PC lighting.

if anyone has experience with either or both of these chillers, i'm largely interested in hearing what you have to say about- 1) noise level, 2) accuracy, and 3) reliability

thanks in advance,
chris
Click to expand...

I have the Pacific coast. The built in controller is dead on after setting the offset. I had problems with the condenser fan until I found a good replacement. Other than that it does a good job at a fair price.

Don
 
I currently have the PCI CL-650 on my 75 gallon system. Its too big for my needs and consequently cycles on/off frequently. I'm looking at buying a Current USA Prime Modular chiller for the tank. I will be going with the 1/10th hp unit.

Personally, I would suggest going with the Current USA unit, although I have to admit, PCI's customer service is fantastic.

I dont like how the CL-650 is designed. The inlet/outlet design constricts flow through the chiller so much that it really makes it difficult to hit target flow rates...which means the chiller short cycles. This will cause the chiller to go through fuses more frequently. Interestingly enough, these fuses are not the type you can go buy at HD or Lowes....so a blown fuse is now a bigger deal than it should be. After a long conversation with Current USA, the fuses they use are readily available.

Nick
 
I have that chiller on my 150 with 750 watts of MH and it works great other then the same fan problem Don had. Just make sure you oil the fan every 6 months and it is a great chiller.

Chris
 
I have the CL-650 on my system, and think it is great!!!

The reason that I purchased a Pacific Coast Chiller... is because of the AWESOME customer service they showed to another local reefer here in Kitsap County. He purchased his chiller USED... and didn't know how to set it up. He looks up their phone number online, calls them... explains that his unit was purchased USED... they OVER NIGHT him a manual... then once he has that manual, he finds out his chiller is the old style... 4 degree variation in temp, vice the 2 degrees they make now... calls them, and they again OVER NIGHT him a new control board!!! All of this, was NO CHARGE, to someone who purchased a used unit!!!

Now... THAT is customer Service!!!!
 
I wish I could say the same about the service. I lost my receipt wihile the chiller was under warranty. Even though I had a previous fan problem and warranty part sent out they would not send me another fan unless I could produce the receipt. But its not their responsibility to keep that stuff on file, so my loss.
As far as blowing fused goes? Well thats excessive amperage draw and should have nothing to do with cycling. Off the top of my head I'd say bad compressor. Excessive cycling may have damaged the compressor but a slower flow should easily cure that problem.
All in all I still thing the PC is a good chiller for the bucks.

Don
 
alrighty, great input everyone, and thank you.
unfortunately, i'm hearing great, reasonable arguments for both chillers,
so i'm not entirely sure if i'm closer to a decision based on anything more
than aesthetics; i like the look of the current usa chiller more.
but on the flip side, there are a lot of people running the Pacific Coast chillers that really seem to love them. i'm always willing to learn from other peoples experience.
-customer service obviously goes a long way, but only if you have a problem.
-ready availability of replacement parts also goes a long way, again though, only if you have a problem (going to slowes for a new fuse seems preferable to waiting on the manufacturer to send a new part.)

has anyone else noticed a problem with flow restriction (cl-650) that maxx aluded to?
and what about decibels? do any of you find yourselved turning the t.v. volume up when your chiller kicks on?
 
Noise level isnt too bad, I have my tank in my basement and I can hear the compressor when it "chunks" off, but thats it. Its really not that noticable.

As far as the flow restriction thing goes, do a search here for PCI CL-650, you should turn up another thread about them which discusses this. I found a related thread on RC about it. What people began doing was taking 1 inch threaded fittings, wrapping ALOT of teflon tape around it, and screwing it into the inlet/outlets of the chiller. The 1 inch fittings dont really fit perfectly as the chiller's fittings are slightly oversized. But with a good amount of teflon tape in place, you should be good to go based on what I've read. I'll try to fins that thread on RC for you.

Regarding the fuses, just have PCI send you several in advance and you should be okay. When you start running low, send off for more. In the two years I've had the chiller, I've only needed to replace the fuse once. And it was the one in the chiller when I bought it...used. So its not like it happens on a regular basis...

Nick
 
That is an old thread Nick, I wonder if PC has fixed that problem or does everyone have to replace the fittings to 1"?
 
Thats odd. I'd question the consistancy of the TI coils being used. I started with a mag 9 and slowly cut it back to about 550gph using a can and stop watch to measure. Wide open connected with 2 ft of hose I got real close to 900 gph. At 900 the unit cycled every 2 minutes at 550 its just a few times aday depending on how hot it is.

Don
 
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