CapsAzN Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 So my girlfriend is housesitting for her parents while they are out for the next couple weeks, and last night their chiller seems to have quit on her. JBJ Arctica 1/4 HP on a Red Sea Max 250, I want to say mag 9.5 pump. Since last night, the temperature as shown on the chiller controller has gotten up to 81 degrees from the setting of 77 degrees and the lights haven't even come on yet. Every 30 seconds or so it seems to make a clicking sound then a popping sound, coming from the chiller itself. Anyone have any experience with this? Any local shops work on these things? I can do some basic troubleshooting when I get down there, any suggestions? Thanks in advance for all the help, sorry I haven't been around much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 So my girlfriend is housesitting for her parents while they are out for the next couple weeks, and last night their chiller seems to have quit on her. JBJ Arctica 1/4 HP on a Red Sea Max 250, I want to say mag 9.5 pump. Since last night, the temperature as shown on the chiller controller has gotten up to 81 degrees from the setting of 77 degrees and the lights haven't even come on yet. Every 30 seconds or so it seems to make a clicking sound then a popping sound, coming from the chiller itself. Anyone have any experience with this? Any local shops work on these things? I can do some basic troubleshooting when I get down there, any suggestions? Thanks in advance for all the help, sorry I haven't been around much. see if tge fan turns on or if the coils get cold. Not many people work on these. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 I'd ask around and see if anyone has one they will loan/rent you. Like Bio said, youre probably going to have a tough time finding someone to work on this, but you might give some of the commercial refrigeration guys a call (think people who fix HEBs refrigerators) to see if they can help you or point you to someone who can. In any event, if it's 81 at night, I'd crank the house AC down to try and mitigate this as best as you can (I'm talking like 72) and see if that gets you where you need to be. If not, you can turn the lights off until you can get a loaner or replacement chiller. If they're not already employing evaporative cooling, you can put a box fan to blow over the sump, and that should keep you in the low 80's as well, you'll just need to keep an eye on topoff water. I'd guess that all of the LFSs have 1/4 HP chillers in stock, so you might put a feeler out to the GF's parents and let them know that it might be a good time to think about replacing the non-functioning chiller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapsAzN Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 it looks like the pump for the chiller system needed a reboot. got the air out of the lines now. when the chiller is working hard, should it be making a popping noise often? it sounds like it keeps tripping a switch still. thanks for the ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 some do that when the relay closes to actually start the chiller. still, it shouldn't be noticeably loud and may be a sign that preparations should be made for a backup of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Does the fan/compressor come on at all? Relay was my first guess based on the description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapsAzN Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 From what I can tell, the fan is coming on but I don't think compressor is. Cool air is blowing through the unit. I would think if working properly the air would be warm at least. So temp just went up a little, guess I need to find something in the interim. still clicking every 15-30 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 the relay or capactitor is out in it would be my bet with that click, its trying to roll over but isnt. FYI there isnt anyone in ATX who works on these, they are so small often dont have recharge ports (or have to be installed to do work which ends up making a new one cheaper) Chill king out in Bastrop is a chiller manufacturer but they arent goiing to touch it, there gonna say buy a new one. I'd start getting water bottles and freezing them, you can float them in the rear of the RSM to keep temps down, or get a stainless steel coil (wort chiller if you go to home brew) and a bucket of ice. take the pump off the chiller and direct water through the stainless steel coil in the bucket of ice. then return the water to the tank. Careful though as this can drop the temp beyond what you want. and yet another option is to route the stainless steel around a fan and allow it to exchange air with the house air, but you'll need to lower the whole house temp to get a good enough differential to do anything really worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 how is the chiller controlled? is it plugged directly into the power outlet/surge protector? or is it plugged into a controller like an apex/reefkeeper? It sounds like a relay based on your description. To eliminate the obvious, I would run an extension cord from across the room directly to the chiller. By doing this, you're attempting to put the chiller on its own circuit and bypassing any controllers. Has anything changed/added to the electrical loop since it ran last? Remember on startup is when chillers pull the most current. A vornado fan or something similar aimed at the tank will help cool it down a little ina pinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 how is the chiller controlled? is it plugged directly into the power outlet/surge protector? or is it plugged into a controller like an apex/reefkeeper? It sounds like a relay based on your description. To eliminate the obvious, I would run an extension cord from across the room directly to the chiller. By doing this, you're attempting to put the chiller on its own circuit and bypassing any controllers. Has anything changed/added to the electrical loop since it ran last? Remember on startup is when chillers pull the most current. A vornado fan or something similar aimed at the tank will help cool it down a little ina pinch. Yea evaporative cooling is another option. But watch the salinity level and top the tank off with RODI water or by the time the parents get home the tank will be really salty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 one would hope they have an ATO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 one would hope they have an ATO. Yeah I was just trying to cover all bases Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapsAzN Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 It's looking like the compressor is overheating, failing to start. It's out of warranty so we had a look around. It seems there's a motor protector sensor clicking it off every time it tries to start the compressor. We could hear the click of the relay and the thermal overload sensor pops as it clicks it off 1-2 seconds later. The compressor is getting really hot really quickly when trying to start up, coils staying room temp, so it's not moving freon. Guess he needs a new chiller, these units don't appear very easily serviceable. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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