Reef nutrition

Chiller keeps turning on.

Oswaldo55

Oswaldo55

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Hello everyone,

Beginner reefer here!

The chiller I have is turning on at least 15 times each hour.
I’m not sure if that is normal seeing that I don’t believe my tank changes in temperature that quick.
Plus it will bring up my electric bill.
Is there anyway to fix this? Or any suggestions on what I should do? It there a way to reset the chiller?

I thought it was the heater that was the one not working so I switched it but the chiller still keeps turning on.
I also believed it was because it gets hot in the morning- my house stays at 77 degrees, and the chiller turns on over night with all the lights off. I even turned off the lights for the refugium just to see if that was warming the water up but it wasn’t.
I have an extra thermometer in the tank and it reads at 78 degrees.

So I believe it’s the chiller that is just turning on.
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My chiller turns on pretty often but not that often. I know cars compressors turn on constantly if theyre low on refrigerant maybe its low?

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Chris_RD said:
My chiller turns on pretty often but not that often. I know cars compressors turn on constantly if theyre low on refrigerant maybe its low?

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Chris_RD said:
My chiller turns on pretty often but not that often. I know cars compressors turn on constantly if theyre low on refrigerant maybe its low?

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Click to expand...

That could be a possibility. I bought it a year ago from a guy, so it’s used. I didn’t know you had to change the refrigerant.

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Would it go inside the ball looking thing?


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You want a certain flow rate through it. If it’s too fast could be why it’s cycling so much.
Look up what the recommend flow rate is and measure what’s coming through your return nozzle.
 
Oswaldo55 said:
That could be a possibility. I bought it a year ago from a guy, so it’s used. I didn’t know you had to change the refrigerant.

View attachment 15266

Would it go inside the ball looking thing?


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Click to expand...

You don’t open the compressor at all; depending on the type of gas inside the compressor, you might be asking for trouble if you do attempt to look inside it.
I believe the round piece contains the compressor, oil and the gas. Normally there’s a label/sticker indicating the amount and type of gas it takes.
Some new small refrigerators use a highly flamable.
There are “kits” available for DIY’ers to refill the compressor with the proper gas; they come with a piercing valve that attaches to one of the copper lines (pople do it at their own risk); still, you need to know how much refrigerant the compressor takes.
Maybe bringing it to an appliance repair shop to have it refilled (assuming gas is low) will be the best bet since they have the proper tools for the job.
Refrigerant compressors have a low and high sides/lines; if I’m not mistaking, the refill is done in the low pressure line just as you do with cars’ AC units when refilling.
 
xcaret said:
You don’t open the compressor at all; depending on the type of gas inside the compressor, you might be asking for trouble if you do attempt to look inside it.
I believe the round piece contains the compressor, oil and the gas. Normally there’s a label/sticker indicating the amount and type of gas it takes.
Some new small refrigerators use a highly flamable.
There are “kits” available for DIY’ers to refill the compressor with the proper gas; they come with a piercing valve that attaches to one of the copper lines (pople do it at their own risk); still, you need to know how much refrigerant the compressor takes.
Maybe bringing it to an appliance repair shop to have it refilled (assuming gas is low) will be the best bet since they have the proper tools for the job.
Refrigerant compressors have a low and high sides/lines; if I’m not mistaking, the refill is done in the low pressure line just as you do with cars’ AC units when refilling.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much!
I’ll have to find someone who could do that. I don’t want to touch anything.


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xcaret said:
You don’t open the compressor at all; depending on the type of gas inside the compressor, you might be asking for trouble if you do attempt to look inside it.
I believe the round piece contains the compressor, oil and the gas. Normally there’s a label/sticker indicating the amount and type of gas it takes.
Some new small refrigerators use a highly flamable.
There are “kits” available for DIY’ers to refill the compressor with the proper gas; they come with a piercing valve that attaches to one of the copper lines (pople do it at their own risk); still, you need to know how much refrigerant the compressor takes.
Maybe bringing it to an appliance repair shop to have it refilled (assuming gas is low) will be the best bet since they have the proper tools for the job.
Refrigerant compressors have a low and high sides/lines; if I’m not mistaking, the refill is done in the low pressure line just as you do with cars’ AC units when refilling.
Click to expand...

Would you know any appliance repair shops that would know how to refill the gas?


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In San Francisco yes, Rancho Grande on Cesar Chavez and another shop on 16th Street close to Harrison St (can’t remember the name) I’ve used this one in the past for a fridge that needed gas refill. Rancho Grande they are rebuilders/recyclers so they might service as well.
 
Coral reefer said:
You want to weigh it first and see if it’s full or not. Not gonna be a cheap fix to have it refilled.
Click to expand...

Okay, so I will search up the recommended flow rate. How would I measure the flow rate?
And by measuring the flow rate that’s how I would figure out the weight?


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Coral reefer said:
You want to weigh it first and see if it’s full or not. Not gonna be a cheap fix to have it refilled.
Click to expand...

He’s right on that one. The way a tech checks for the “weight/amount” of refrigerant, is with a pressure gauge and the specifics of the compressor size/power rating.

@Oswaldo55 there’s gotta be some data online about the chiller you have, maybe some labels inside the chiller
 
xcaret said:
He’s right on that one. The way a tech checks for the “weight/amount” of refrigerant, is with a pressure gauge and the specifics of the compressor size/power rating.

@Oswaldo55 there’s gotta be some data online about the chiller you have, maybe some labels inside the chiller
Click to expand...

Okay I will do some research on the chiller. I didn’t see a label inside but will check again.


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If you need a temporary chiller while yours is in service or waiting for repair you may borrow one I have but it needs to be connected to a temperature controller as it’s not built-in controller
 
xcaret said:
If you need a temporary chiller while yours is in service or waiting for repair you may borrow one I have but it needs to be connected to a temperature controller as it’s not built-in controller
Click to expand...

Thank you I’ll keep that in mind!


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Mike’s making a crucial point; if the flow through the chiller is not within the recommended amount, the chiller will not do its job; too much flow will not cool the water therefore the chiller will keep turning on constantly trying to keep up with the thermostat reading
 
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