rickjg Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I finally got around to installing an ICA 2.0 - Hang on Tank chiller onto my NC6 before we hit any summer heat waves. I have 72 watts of PC lighting on my NC6 & two pumps, so heat is a big issue with my little reef. The NC6 is setup in my office and the temps run 83/83 during the day, but the office AC is turned off on weekends and tank temps can climb much higher. I had a major problem last summer during the July heat wave when my tank hit 90 degrees on a couple of weekends. The NC6 hoods are small & mine is already packed with lighting & fans, so I ordered a hang on ICA from Nanotuners. I drilled two holes in the side of the hood to mount the ICA and ran the intake & return hoses thru the splash guard with the extra pump in chamber 3 along with the other two pumps and the return in chamber 2. I've only had the ICA running for a couple of hours, but with all lights on and three pumps running the temps are staying at 80 degrees, with the heater set at 80. Link to comment
thejanitor86 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 what pump are you using, and how did you get the 1/4" tubing to fit with the outlet of the pump. i can't find a pump that has a 1/4" outlet. Link to comment
rickjg Posted June 9, 2007 Author Share Posted June 9, 2007 what pump are you using, and how did you get the 1/4" tubing to fit with the outlet of the pump. i can't find a pump that has a 1/4" outlet. I'm using the ViaAqua 90 that Nanotuners recommends for the ICA 2.0, the 1/4" silicone tubing plugged right on. I've got to say the fan provided with the upgraded TEC power supply was just too loud for me, so I switched the 12V 500mA AC adapter for a 7.5V 500mA AC adapter and it slowed the fan down enough to make the sound level tolerable. I’m hoping it still provides plenty enough airflow to cool the ICA, we’ll see how this works out. Link to comment
thejanitor86 Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 what power source are you using for the TEC i am using the 12v 500 mA on that not the fan. the fan has just the regular 12v adapter on it. Link to comment
rickjg Posted June 10, 2007 Author Share Posted June 10, 2007 what power source are you using for the TEC i am using the 12v 500 mA on that not the fan. the fan has just the regular 12v adapter on it. You should double check your power supply because the standard ICA power supply is 8.4V 2500mA and the upgraded power supply, which I’m using, is 12V 4500mA. The standard fan power supply is 12V 500mA. Link to comment
eklikewhoa Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Are you running the ICA constant or do you have it on a timer? Link to comment
thejanitor86 Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 not completely hooked up yet. still looking for braket to mount it. Link to comment
rickjg Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 Are you running the ICA constant or do you have it on a timer? I have my ICA fan & pump on the same timer as the lights, but the actual power supply to the ICA is on a separate timer, which is programmed to startup ½ hour after the lights come on and shut down ½ hour before the lights go off. If you run an ICA on a timer the fan (& pump) should continue to run for at least 15 minutes to prevent damage to the unit. Link to comment
eklikewhoa Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 Well right now I have my ICA turning on 15mins after the HQI but the fans come on hrs before with the actinics. The ICA then turns off after the HQI and the fans later then that. I am asking cause I want to run the ICA like it were a normal chiller but don't know how. Link to comment
rickjg Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 Well right now I have my ICA turning on 15mins after the HQI but the fans come on hrs before with the actinics. The ICA then turns off after the HQI and the fans later then that. I am asking cause I want to run the ICA like it were a normal chiller but don't know how. You need a temp controller to run an ICA like a chiller. It could save money on electricity because your heater & ICA would not be running at the same time. Link to comment
eklikewhoa Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 You need a temp controller to run an ICA like a chiller. It could save money on electricity because your heater & ICA would not be running at the same time. Yeah but that doesn't address the issue with the fan running to cool off the ICA as per NT's instructions. Might just run the fans 24/7 and then use the temp controller to on/off the heater/ICA. Link to comment
Phixion Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Just run the ICA 24/7... it really shouldn't even dent your electric bill, mine didn't anyways when I ran it 24/7. Heck, my 1/20th Nano chiller I have now barely dents the electric bill. But due to the size and design of the ICA, it can't be efficiently controlled like a true chiller. Link to comment
rickjg Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 Just run the ICA 24/7... it really shouldn't even dent your electric bill, mine didn't anyways when I ran it 24/7. Heck, my 1/20th Nano chiller I have now barely dents the electric bill. But due to the size and design of the ICA, it can't be efficiently controlled like a true chiller. I took my ICA off the timer and now run it 24/7. I was concerned that the timers would get out of sequence, which could leave the power supply to the ICA running with no fan to cool ... can you spell "meltdown"? Besides that we have west facing windows in the office and it can really heat up on weekends and stay that way until the AC starts up Monday morning. Link to comment
thejanitor86 Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 i finally got mine hooked up. my tank was 81F, 4 hours later its 77F. Link to comment
rickjg Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 not completely hooked up yet. still looking for bracket to mount it. i finally got mine hooked up. my tank was 81F, 4 hours later its 77F. What did you use for a bracket to hold the hang-on ICA? Link to comment
thejanitor86 Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 i drilled my hood so it sits on top, the nozzles are the only things that hang into the tank. Link to comment
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