downside to chillers

I used to have a 1/4HP chiller which was loud, put off a lot of heat into the room and was expensive to run. After two seasons of experimenting with fans I sold it and purchased a autotopoff system and RKL controller with the money. The tank still stays the same 79-81 year round and the inhabitants are happy. Two 120mm computer fans in the totally enclosed canopy and a Wal Mart clip on fan over the sump do the trick.
Evaporation does go up so an ATO is almost a must, I wouldn't do it without one.

 

Fans are great when you can keep your house that cold. Keeping your house in CT at 72 isn't a problem. Doing so in a warmer clime (he mentioned temps get to 40C) is a non-starter. He would pay for a chiller in one month worth of power bills.

In FL I keep my house at 76F and my power bills run $650 during the summer.

 

I have 6 chillers running. I don't hear any of them except the old drop in that's in another room. Some models are louder than others.

 

My home is 76 when we are at home and we have a digital setback thermostat on the AC which goes up to 78-80 all day while we are at work. No problems with only the fans. I took two full summers of testing before I pulled the plug on the chiller just to make darn sure though, it was scary!

 

I've tried without the chillers.... I don't like my tank to hit 80. Happy with 79... 80 is too much for me.

I find the noise of fans deafening as well.... there's no such thing as a quiet fan unless it's in your sump.