Pump for chiller

Well I am in the market for a chiller for my reef (check out my signature). I'm currently using fans for cooling, but since I live in Vegas where the average temp in summer is over 100 degrees, I need soo much evap cooling to keep temp down. That means I have to top off about a little over 1 gallon per day. That isn't my problem though. My problem is salinity due to evap. It's hard to stay consistant with such a small system. I want to minimize evap. Now, I am limited for space in my cabinet, and I belive a chiller should be well ventilated anyways. So I am planning on placing the chiller in a remote location 8 feet from the tank on floor level equal with the sump. I will plumb it using PVC. I'm looking at a Current USA 1/15hp chiller. I want to use an external pump to not clutter up my sump. Current recommends 100-350gph flow for proper operation of the chiller. Now since the chiller is about 8ft away, do I need a pump with 16ft of head to pull the water from the sump to the chiller and back to the sump even though the sump and chiller are at the same level? Also let me know if this chiller setup is a good idea.. Your opinions are welcome. Thanks in advance

 

Also, I like Mag Drive pumps. Would they work good as an external pump for this situation?

 

I dont have experience with chillers, but there is this valve that you can buy which makes sense, but is a little pricy. It senses flow, and if incase your pump stops, or slows alot, or what ever case where flow is slim/not avaliable it shuts off the chiller so water doesnt freeze and break the coils.

 

That sounds good, but I don't want to go over or under on pump specs. I am trying to get close to 250gph.

Anybody have any ideas on how strong of a pump I will need?

 

If the pump is going to set in the sump just get a Mag 5 and some tubing for the connections to the chiller. Don't overload your self with flow worries it will be fine faster just menas less temp drop across the heat exchanger slower flow mean more drop up to a point at the end of the day with these little chillers its all the same ..

 

How do you feel about using the Mag Drive in-line externally? I don't want to run it in-sump because of limited space..

 

If you are running an external pump now ? why not just feed off of that one ? all you need to do is push a small steady amount of water through the exchanger.. Just use the fluval to do the job put the chiller in between the pumps out to tank and the tank it's self. If its to chill the 24 gal. tank then you will be fine , the existing tuding should be about the correct size also

 

If you able to maintain good water temp using fans. Why not invest in an auto top off system for a lot less money than a chiller. just my 2 cents

J

 

I thought about that already, but fully automated top off kind of scares me. I'm sure you can recall a couple of people on 3reef that have had there systems die due to mechanical failure of their auto top off. I'm not ready for that.

 

Wow, I never thought of that, Tangster. I could pretty much place the chiller next to the Fluval, have the intake take the water from my display through the chiller, then into the Fluval, through it, and back into the display.. Does that sound like it would work?