Build Log: Grizzly 400 "Modplunge", AA 1/4 Chiller setup.

wintermute

Had a setback with the flex tubing, might switch to regular PVC pipe and try my luck heating and bending it. I still don't want to use fittings unless I absolutely have to.

acfbob

wintermute I am waiting on my Grizzly to arrive. Going same exact build. What kind of setbacks with the flex?? Mod-Plunge seems to have figured out how to use flex the whole way thru and I would like to do the same.

acon

Thanks for sharing your build plans.

Mind sharing your thoughts about ozone? I was looking at the diycoldplunge ozone + venturi approach, which seems reasonable, but I hadn't decided if it's needed or not (many plunges don't have ozone and seem fine?).

wintermute

acon I was planning on buying a smaller LLDPE cooler, filling it with water, and pumping ozone in 24/7 in order to see what happened. However, I saw that the Modplunge guy is currently doing the same test to see if any problems develop. So the plan right now is to wait to see how his testing goes.

If I do use ozone I will not plumb it in with a venturi. I will most likely buy a generator with an air pump and then drill a hole in the lid for the ozone tube.

wintermute

acfbob It was just a problem with the order. I'm still waiting to receive it. Flex tubing will be quite convenient to use. Especially because with how I am going to build my plumbing it will allow me to move components around if I want to.

wintermute

acfbob By the way, I hope you make a build log or at least a completed build post so I can see it!

wintermute

I forgot to add one fitting which connects the bulkhead to the union:
3/4 MPT x 3/4 MPT OR 3/4 MPT x 3/4 Slip (bulkhead to union)

wintermute

Component connection progress. To the right of the filter housing is the bulkhead plus the exterior connection. To the far right are the two connections for the water chiller that just thread on.

wintermute

Drilled and installed the bulkhead. Look at that perfect fit. 1-3/8 hole saw.

wintermute

All done just waiting for the flex tubing. UPS hasn't updated the tracking in 4 days.

acon

Thanks for your updates. I'm a couple weeks behind you (cooler freight delivery is slow), but will be largely following what you've done. Any tips/lessons you learn along the way would be appreciate — all the plumbing stuff is new for me.

wintermute

acon I would recommend practicing gluing PVC together a time or two before you use your build parts. I would also recommend doing your gluing outside if possible, the solvent smell is extremely strong. If you're hung up on any specific thing let me know I can talk you through it or maybe even show you a video. The true test is the leak test which is still to come!

Jdlh

wintermute did you have any quality issues on your Grizzly 400? I had quite a few

wintermute

Jdlh The only thing I noticed is that the drain plug wasn't perfectly parallel but I don't think it will affect anything. What issues do you have and did you contact grizzly about them?

polarB

I did the same build been using for a couple of weeks I'm pretty happy with it. Even the same color.

wintermute

polarB Hey Joe! I love your build man, your idea with the 2 bulkheads high up on the side is really cool. I actually posted on your YouTube video linking to this post but it was deleted so I figured you didn't want to chat about it 🙁 . You should make your own post on this forum just for your build/video and maybe any additional insights that you have! We can keep in touch and compare long term maintenance, electricity costs etc.

wintermute

Some things I learned during leak testing:

The threads on my active aqua chiller are very rough. I put some teflon tape on them to smooth them out and then put thread sealant on top of the teflon tape.
The threads on the danner pump seem straight, not tapered. On the output I'm using teflon tape and then thread sealant on top in order to try to get a seal.
I put my pump on a remote control so that I could quickly turn it on and off if needed. Very helpful.
Threaded fittings suck. For my filter housing I would prefer 1 inch MPT to 3/4 spigot instead of the threads.

wintermute

All plumbed up:

Adding tubing insulation to help with condensation:

wintermute

I filled up the tub a few inches above the drain for a leak test. Then I flushed out all that water and filled it back up. I added 100 pounds of ice to help out the chiller and that ended up getting the water down to 40 degrees before I even turned the chiller on.

In order to help protect the chiller I am using a special surge protector that has a master plug. When the master plug is off then all the other plugs get shut off. I plugged the pump into the master plug. The chiller should technically also turn itself off if a temperature sensor inside gets too high.