alcohol in water chiller?

[geoffsthaboss]

totally have 0 experience with this but this is how you learn,
i own a PolyScience KR-30A Water Chiller. now being that it is just that, a water chiller, 33 is as low as it will go without a load.

so simply changing the liquid in the system would yield the same results, no?

[ericFX1984]

totally have 0 experience with this but this is how you learn,
i own a PolyScience KR-30A Water Chiller. now being that it is just that, a water chiller, 33 is as low as it will go without a load.

so simply changing the liquid in the system would yield the same results, no?

the fluid will not change the temp, however you might be able to hit lower temps by moving the temp sensor to a hotter place (assuming your unit has one)

if you do this I would recommend using winter windshield washer fluid as you might hit freezing temps

[JWB]

Hi Geoff,

Yes what Eric said is right. What happens is that if your system has a thermostat it will measure when your water temp hits its target temp. You told us that is only 33F (half a degree celcius right?). Once it hits that temperature then the system will turn itself off until it reaches another higher temperaute and then it will turn back on again. What you can does move the thermostat to somewhere hot (if your system has a compressor then at the bottom of that would be best) then it should stay on permanently because it thinks the water hasnt got cold yet. Alternately you can cut the thermostat off and just connect the wires together and it will stay on constantly that way. Hopefully I havent worded that too complicated lol. Let us know if it works and give us some pictures too

Edit: I forgot the alcohol question! At 0.5C the water is probably really slusshy and having ice foriming around your tank right? Changing to an alcohol will let you go to a lower temp, but it is not as good a conductor of heat as water is. alcohol wont transfer the heat as quickly as water will. Also alcohol has a low freeze point because it contains ethonol, but it also contains water too!! (Vodka usually is only 33 alcohol for example) so even with alcohol ice will form in it. Just try putting a bottle in your freezer, the alcohol wont freeze the water will. you'll see lol. you could try concentrating your alcohol by sieving the frozen water out for example, but a lot easier way is very low temp windscreen washer fluid or denatured alcohol.

James

[ericFX1984]

we better see some pics of the build

[[XC] mysticmerlin]

Give this a look over also.