JBJ 1/10 Chiller for AP12

[I2eefer]

I just picked up a JBJ 1/10 Chiller (awesome deal i couldn't pass up!) for my AP12 HQI today and I wanted to get some ideas as to how to plumb my tank. I was thinking of just tapping into my MJ-1200 that's currently running my filtration system. Or should I run a separate external pump? Pump recommendations (matching my existing pump's GPH of course). Anyone who has an AP12 or similar, please reply with your set-up or ideas. Thanks!

[Phixion]

Honestly I'd run it off a seperate pump. Running it off the main pump will reduce its flow some due to all the curves and bends it goes through inside of the chiller plus adding in the head loss due to tubing length and such. You won't have a satisfactory return flow into the display. Get an MJ900 (or a 1200 if you wish) and just stick it say in chamber 1, and have the return going into chamber 4. External wise, I'd get either a Quietone 1200 or whatever Magdrive pump is equivalent. Good luck! Oh BTW, MaxiJet pumps can be plumbed externally, I did so with one in a closed loop configuration that powers my UV sterilizer and Phos-Ban reactor. Works like a charm and best of all does not leak!

[I2eefer]

Honestly I'd run it off a seperate pump. Running it off the main pump will reduce its flow some due to all the curves and bends it goes through inside of the chiller plus adding in the head loss due to tubing length and such. You won't have a satisfactory return flow into the display. Get an MJ900 (or a 1200 if you wish) and just stick it say in chamber 1, and have the return going into chamber 4. External wise, I'd get either a Quietone 1200 or whatever Magdrive pump is equivalent. Good luck! Oh BTW, MaxiJet pumps can be plumbed externally, I did so with one in a closed loop configuration that powers my UV sterilizer and Phos-Ban reactor. Works like a charm and best of all does not leak!

 

Thanks Phixion! Yeah, I was leaning more towards plumbing my chiller with it's own pump, and run it external for sure to eliminate any additional heat into the tank. The MJ-1200 and Tunze put out alot of heat as it is! I also just ordered the JBJ Chiller Installation Kit to make my installation a bit easier...

[Phixion]

I really should get that kit for my 1/20th JBJ chiller I have...

 

Let me know if you need help with if you decide to go the external MJ1200 route.

[I2eefer]

I really should get that kit for my 1/20th JBJ chiller I have...

 

Let me know if you need help with if you decide to go the external MJ1200 route.

 

cool..thanks! btw, how do you currently have your input/output tubing plumbed into your tank?

 

i may go with a quietone 1200...they're on sale at drs f&s for $19.99!

[Phixion]

cool..thanks! btw, how do you currently have your input/output tubing plumbed into your tank?

 

i may go with a quietone 1200...they're on sale at drs f&s for $19.99!

 

For my chiller, I'm using an MJ1200 submerged at the bottom of the skimmer chamber of my tank (Finnex 30g) and about '3 feet of black vinyl tubing going to the chiller which is placed on an Ikea table of a sort next to the tank. Then for the return, I have another about '3 foot black vinyl tubing going back to the tank where I just have the open hose end going into the main return pump chamber of the tank. I jammed the tubing as far into the chamber as possible so it can be as close as I can get it to the return pump for the quickest distrabution of the cool chiller water. It works out pretty good this way actually.

[scokill]

I used MJ1200 in chamber 4 of AP12. It's was a tight fit, but I got it in. I tried mag pump externally and it was too loud. I used the JBJ installation kit S tube, J tube and tubing that came with the kit. Worked well.

 

BTW, you have to slide the pump all the way to the false bottom space of the 4th chamber strainer down, then turn flat where the strainer is sticking inside of the space at bottom, rotate nozzle up. PITA for maintenance, but I got better taking it in and out after several months. Two ways to attach tubing to pump, slide it on before you put it in and just crimp it as you are installing, or install and try and slide it on in chamber. If you have small hands, method 2 can work. I have scraped my knuckles many times doing. Also, put a ball valve inline with your pump inlet tubing. This way you can stop siphon during maintenance.

[I2eefer]

Also, put a ball valve inline with your pump inlet tubing. This way you can stop siphon during maintenance.

 

 

thanks, great tip! when you do maintenance, do you turn the chiller off first, then the pump before shutting off the ball valve?

[Phixion]

I gotta ask why you put the chiller pump in chamber 4. Logically it doesn't make sense to put it there. You'd really want it in chamber 1 where it'll pick up the warmest water. With the pump in chamber 2, where does the water return back to? Again, you definitely don't want the return water going into the same chamber as the intake to the chiller, it'll cause issues with the chiller detecting incorrect temperatures and running when it shouldn't be or worse not not running at all or for too short of a time. The chiller intake should always be as far from the return line from the chiller as possible.

[I2eefer]

I really should get that kit for my 1/20th JBJ chiller I have...

 

Let me know if you need help with if you decide to go the external MJ1200 route.

 

phixion..i ended up buying another mj-1200. i should be getting my installation kit tomorrow. how did you install the pump externally? i'll definitely need some hose-clamps for piece-of-mind too! do you install the pump on the inlet or outlet tubing? thanks in advance...

[r20crazy]

you're listening to matt?

[Phixion]

phixion..i ended up buying another mj-1200. i should be getting my installation kit tomorrow. how did you install the pump externally? i'll definitely need some hose-clamps for piece-of-mind too! do you install the pump on the inlet or outlet tubing? thanks in advance...

 

I mounted some plumbing pieces to the pump and made sure everything was sealed off well with PVC cement. I leak tested it and it worked like a charm! I'd put the pump on the intak side so that it's pushing the water through rather than trying to pull it. Just slip some "1/2 I.D. tubing over the outlet of the pump, and for the inlet, I put the long cone shaped I guess gravel filter piece on and then slipped a "1/2 inner threaded on one side slip joint over the cone piece and cemented them together as well as cemented the cone permenantly onto the pump inlet. And don't listen to R20 below, he can't stand when I give good unique advice that works. Again I'll try to get you a pic of how I have my MJ1200 setup like this.

[scokill]

I gotta ask why you put the chiller pump in chamber 4. Logically it doesn't make sense to put it there. You'd really want it in chamber 1 where it'll pick up the warmest water. With the pump in chamber 2, where does the water return back to? Again, you definitely don't want the return water going into the same chamber as the intake to the chiller, it'll cause issues with the chiller detecting incorrect temperatures and running when it shouldn't be or worse not not running at all or for too short of a time. The chiller intake should always be as far from the return line from the chiller as possible.

 

How would chamber 4 not pick up warmest water? Does the water cool itself going from chamber 1 to chamber 4? Perhaps I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but the MJ1200 fit nicely all the way in the bottom of chamber 4, and the return was directly to the tank in the corner, so the cooler water was dumping in the tank as far as you can get from the return at chamber 1. There is more than one way to skin a cat....

[Phixion]

The display should be the warmest water... Not the main return pump chamber (#4). So the chamber receiving the warmest water would be #1, which is the intake chamber. Then you'd want to dump the chiller return into #4 as that's where the main return pump is and also the most direct injection of the chilled water back into the display. I think we're both on 2 different pages on this though, hard to explain through a keyboard.

 

In your explaination, do you have the main return pump AND the chiller pump in the same chamber, or are you using the chiller pump as the main return pump? In that case how you described should work fine. But if using a different pump for each, then the way I described would most likely be optimal...

[scokill]

I was being facetious on the temp difference question from chamber to chamber....regardless, if you have a 12g tank, that has 40x turnover in an hour, thermodynamics will take care equalizing the temp throughout the tank and chambers. I would argue that themp difference between the main tank, and the chambers regardless of how you set it up would be negligible, and if not it would be such a short duration not to impact the chiller. Just my 2 cents.

[Phixion]

True it should really be uniform throughout, but with a chiller, there will be a differance at the point of where the water is returned. You definitely don't want to intake water to the chiller in the same spot you're returning to as it will give false temp information to the chiller as the chiller will think the water in the tank as a whole is cooler than it really is thus casing it not to run when it should or not run at all. I've experienced this personally when the ICA chiller I had in my AP12 would cause my heater to falsely be activated because cooler than normal water was hitting it. I had to adjust the temp down on the heater by 5 degrees to compensate for this and still have it work correctly when the actual tank temp would drop below where I'd want it.