Jack-the-reefer Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Are there any chiller experts out there? Mine powers up and the display works, it just doesn't actually cool the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas_one Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 Does it make any noise when it's powered up? Check to see if the fan is spinning and you should be able to hear/feel the compressor spinning too. If the fan and the compressor are spinning and the chiller is not cooling the water, your refrigerant has likely leaked out. You would need to get the leak fixed and the system recharged. I think JBJ still does repairs on their equipment, it's real pricey to ship a chiller though. Maybe you can get lucky and find a place that does automotive AC and get it done there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack-the-reefer Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 Nope. No noise at all. And the fan doesn't move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Couple things I can think of off hand are either a thermostat failure (doesn't correctly read the water temp) or a low pressure safety shutoff. The latter keeps you from burning up the compressor if you run low on refrigerant. Does it display an accurate temp? If so, the second option seems most likely as I doubt these would have two separate temp senders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack-the-reefer Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 It does display the correct temperature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 What chiller are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 3 minutes ago, Jack-the-reefer said: It does display the correct temperature. Sounds like a low pressure safety shutoff could be an issue then. Can you tell if your unit has test/fill connections on the refrigeration loop? If you have ever looked at your car AC you might know what these look like - metal snap-fit connections typically. I ask because, if you do, it's possible to get compressed cans of refrigerant that you can snap on there to refill the system easily. Which might be worth a try. You would have to crack the case open for this so not sure it's up your alley. Unfortunately it seems a lot of these don't have the test/fill ports and the lines are just crimped off at a fill T... which means a more expensive trip to a refrigerant specialist (insert sad face here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack-the-reefer Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 Here's the chiller. It's an old one that has been passed around a few times, so it's definitely possible that could have lost some coolant. I'll have to pull it apart tomorrow when I have some more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snappy Posted June 29, 2017 Share Posted June 29, 2017 Did you ever figure out the chiller problem? Wanting one of my own, but not sure how problematic they can be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack-the-reefer Posted June 29, 2017 Author Share Posted June 29, 2017 I never got it figured out. I think chillers are usually pretty reliable though. This one is just old and has been passed around a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas_one Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I think that's a peltier style chiller, if the fan is not working it might automatically shut off. I'd like to tear into it if you plan on throwing it away, let me know. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_cooling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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