Why are chillers so expensive?

[sushi]

Why do chillers cost so much when a mini fridge is like 100-200 bucks? Aren't the components the same? Is it because of the titanium or something?

[ReefDiving]

Mainly the fact that it is a safety feature for your aquarium and the fact that the industry knows that people have to have them during the summer, kind of like why gas goes up so high in the summer time.

[jason142]

I think also because a mini fridge does not have salt water flowing through it so there is added components and tubing.

[Jarederaj]

Supply and demand

[sushi]

I bet I could rip my mini fridge apart and coat the expansion tubes and stick em in something for the water to flow around... hmm...

[Kris]

I bet I could rip my mini fridge apart and coat the expansion tubes and stick em in something for the water to flow around... hmm...

Your beer would get warm, but it could work. What kind of tank do you have?

[Redryder87]

What if you ran a long tube from a pump, drilled 2 small holes in the mini fridge and wound the tubing from the pump, into the fridge and back out into the sump? Could work lol, kind of like a jockey box.


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[Jarederaj]

What about having an air pump in the freezer with a long airline tube to the tank so it brings in cold air?

[kayakNCSD]

Automated Temp regulation is pricey

[Whiskey]

What if you ran a long tube from a pump, drilled 2 small holes in the mini fridge and wound the tubing from the pump, into the fridge and back out into the sump? Could work lol, kind of like a jockey box.


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I tried this once, it didn't really work. I couldn't find a good way to conduct the heat from the coiled up tube to the coils of the fridge. Even though the coils sat in cold air the air is a better heat insulator than a conductor. Think of how long it takes to cool down a hot beer when you put it in the fridge.

Whiskey

[greg619]

Try more coils and different materials. Copper ain't cheap but does the trick for beer.

The fan I just set up is working better than expected.


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[Redryder87]

Aww. Yeah. I guess a jockey box works because it's copper surrounded by ice.


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[Whiskey]

Try more coils and different materials. Copper ain't cheap but does the trick for beer.

The fan I just set up is working better than expected.


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It does, but the copper corrodes in salt water and will poison all your coral. I always wondered if I could somehow immerse the coils in water, then use titanium coils for the salt water, but after pricing that out it was not cost effective. I'm also told that the compressor on a fridge is not as powerful as even a small chiller so it might not even work then.

Whiskey

[kayakNCSD]

Thermostats are expensive. How will you accurately gauge the water temps coming,through a mini fridge

[sdnd]

there is a DIY of turning a 100 mini fridge into a chiller...saw it on youtube before think by mr diy saltwater tank i think or something...just google it...i think they used a garden hose as line inside the fridge to keep the water chilled...but check it out...

good luck!