After using my Grizzly 400 for a week, I was impressed at how well it held temperature. It only rose about 4 degrees overnight, so I could put 10 lbs of ice in daily to maintain. But when I change the water it takes 100lbs of ice to get to 50 degrees. I want lower temperatures and lower maintenance, so I've done some research and I'm starting to build a system.
I haven't received the ozone unit yet, but I've assembled a quicky prototype to test out what I have so far. I kept the connections very short, screwed the pump right into the filter, and minimized the number of fittings.
I read that people have trouble with the ActiveAQUA fittings leaking, so I pulled out the rubber gaskets and coated them in petroleum jelly and reassembled. I hand tightened them, and had to snug one up a little to stop a drip, but the old Vaseline trick seemed to work well. All threaded connections were sealed with Tru Blu thread sealant, which I picked because of the vibration that the pump and chiller will induce into the system.
This setup will be outdoors, so once I get the ozone in place and test everything, I will build an enclosure of some kind to protect the equipment from the elements. I've been looking at deck boxes, but the wooden ones are pricey and the plastic ones seem hard to mount things into. Stay tuned, I'm sure I'll come up with something…
So far, I started the chiller about 5pm yesterday and the water was around 60*. By 9pm, it was down to 46 with the set point at 45, and the Boost function on. I turned off the boost at that point, and it has maintained 45-46 ever since.
One thing I noticed: With just the pump and filter, the flow was VERY robust. Adding the chiller slowed it down to maybe half or less. I will measure the flow rate soon, with and without the chiller, and post results. The ActiveAQUA 1/4 hp is rated for 396-925 gph. Their 1/2 hp model is double that. So, if you want a lot of flow, get the 1/2hp. If you get the 1/4 hp, you probably should choose a pump with a lower flow rate. My Danner 950gph is pushing more than the chiller can take.
One other note: I used a readily available 1" bulkhead fitting because the 1.5" wall thickness on the side of the Grizzly was too thick for the standard 3/4" bulkhead. I found a 1" MPT x 3/4" tubing adapter, so that worked out well.
