A fun DIY project,... Join Brady Brandwood, award winning Koi breeder, and aquarium keeper for many years, as he builds a simple and inexpensive aquarium chiller.
I have no need for an aquarium chiller - I'm just here to catch a glimpse of Leon! But I have to say that this was a fascinating and educational video. And it was very enjoyable to watch. I bet you could make a video about changing a tire look enjoyable! Great job!
I also came here to see Leon and see how he has grown since molting. I also hope that the Tony lobster that I am keeping will soon molt to remove the scars on its body.
Refrigeration tech here. The condensing coil on most modern fridges run along the outside walls of the unit. I'm thinking you got really lucky in not popping one. That unit also has a flammable refrigerant, just felt you should know. Over all, I think this diy is really smart. It should work well for a long time I suspect.
The little guys just have the coils as he showed in the video. Even "active coolers" normally just have one cold wall and you can generally feel where it is.
@@TheBrokenLife He showed the freezer's evaporation coil in the video, it's the condensation coil that's around the outside, but you can feel the warmth. They're usually bonded to the outside metal shell to radiate heat efficiently. And yes, flammable refrigerant happens a lot, which is why there's a large label about it. Big refrigerators have an larger condensation coil with a fan, so their walls are mostly insulation and the occasional wire. My thought was to put it on a stand and go in/out the bottom, which tells you how paranoid I am of the walls...
@@jameswyatt1304 I'd have to watch it again, but I'm used to seeing the condenser right by the compressor with a little fan on it, even on the big guys. Deep freezers would be where I'd expect to see a "warm skin". Oh well... Nothing venture, nothing gained, and it worked out in the end.
I'm not a refrigeration tech but by looking at the copper going up from the back of the unit into the side walls 5:45 I was concerned with his thought process. If you'd like to answer my question though, would it make a difference to the cooling rate overall if he put spacers between the coils? I'm thinking it would be more effective if the metal was being cooled equally on each circumnaviation of a coil, rather than, as is, where the metal to metal touches. It might not, of course, because the metal, once filled with cold water would just cool itself. Thanks. And yes, good build, and opened my eyes, to diy processes.
@@ValeriePallaoro spacers and a fan to move air over them will make the temperature transfer more efficient for sure. However doing that would increase BTU load on the system and might overwhelm that units capacity.
This was an interesting build! 👍 If you revisit this chiller in the future, I'd recommend taking that stainless coil down to a hydraulic shop and having the ends flared so the hose is less likely to ever come loose or leak. I'd also suggest bulkhead fittings on the pass-through locations on your fridge so you have less of a chance of abrasion ever wearing through the hoses, improved air sealing, and less foam exposure (Cabinet foam is extremely flammable. That cyclopentane (analogous to butane) sticker on the back is a warning that the foam is literally full of it). I'd also consider putting the pump on a moisture sensing outlet and routing the hoses above the height of the tank (maybe they already are?) so they could never siphon it empty. I use a 5/8" siphon hose to transfer fuel from cans into my vehicles and the flow rate is is about 1.25 gallons/minute with about a 24" fall. If heat gain through the hoses becomes an issue, pipe insulation is pretty readily available and reasonably inexpensive. It's worth seeking out the stuff with a rubber outer shell that has an adhesive sealing flap. The stuff HD usually carries is just foam with a barely glued lip. The rubber stuff also doesn't "hate" being spray painted so you could somewhat make it match your decor.
As suggested by The Broken Life, you need to grommet where the hoses pass through the metal cabinet. The vibration of the compressor, along with the sharp edge of the hole in the sheet metal will eventually saw through the tubing. While actual passthrough grommets are ideal, one possibility is to force silicone rubber caulk in and around the hole. This will cushion and trap the tubing in the hole, thereby eliminating the sawing motion of the vibration.
@@ValeriePallaoro You still need a grommet or bead of caulk to prevent the sawing motion. The stainless steel tubing would take longer to saw through, but any time you have an "edge" like a hole in sheet metal, you need to ,either bond or grommet. Look at the firewall in your car (sheet metal wall between the engine and interior) every wire or hose is grommeted or bonded.
@@bobcraig3827 I think he can get away with it this time... The hose fits snugly and its got the insulation and plastic to support it from digging into the metal... If there was no insulation I'd agree with you....
I came here for Leon, I'm staying for your interesting projects and very chill attitude, voice and editing style, which is such a refresher in this era of flashy and in your face media. Keep up the good work! :)
Came for Leon, didn't expect to see Leon. Was pleasantly surprised by Leon and listened to the entire thing in the background with 0 intention of ever needing a chiller XD. Good times were had.
Brady you did such a good job! i first saw this concept about 30 years ago in the aquarium room of my biology teacher. he used the same method to cool down an mediterranean aquarium im summer.
I love DIY projects! This doesn't look too hard for anyone with any skill level to pull off. It's an interesting project. I had fun watching you make it! ☺️
Don't hesitate to get your Leon merch. I just got my Leon mug and I love it. Should have got two because I have a sneaky suspicion my husband might steal it, I've seen the way he is eyeing me down as I drink my morning coffee. Thank you Leon, I'll think of you everyday now.
I've got 2 of those same Craftsman drills from my Dad. I used them when I was a kid 45 years ago and they are just as brutally strong today as they were back then!
@@ggburnitup4055 They're a tad noisy, but not as bad as even today's cheap drills. They are powerful... if you have the side handle attached, I've sheared off quarter inch lag bolts driving them into oak. Bolt quit, drill didn't.
@@ggburnitup4055 No problem. They are bigger and a bit clunkier than a brand new Milwaukee or Bosch corded drill, but it's also 50 years old and still taking names!
I enjoy your videos so very much! They keep me interested, entertained, and educated… and your narration is especially soothing. I lost my rat terrier a year ago last week and Leon has become a little joy and therapy to look forward to. Keep up the fantastic work and I look forward to many more videos! ❤️
... we can all live through this Leon the Lobster ... he has such an angle in his keeper ... blessings to your unique family ... and ... yes ... please keep these video's coming we love Leon for many reasons ...
Nicely done! You can also increase it's effectiveness buy insulating the clear tubes externally. The more insulation, the less strain on the compressor. I had used a long freezer (a GE I believe) and dedicated most of the right side of it for my 45 gallon tank chiller. It worked well (dropped the temp on average of 15 to 18 degrees in a fairly warm basement) and I had plenty of space left over for other frozen goods to boot, so it was a nice thing to do all around. Say hi to Baxter and Leon for me!
The metal coil should be immersed in water inside the fridge, remember that air is an insulator so the current setup isn't efficient whatsoever. The fridge then cools the water and it acts like a heat sink, look up home brewing and distilling and you'll understand. The temperature of the fridge can be set much higher thus it won't run constantly and waste electricity.
I was wondering just about this. Maybe a shortened 5 gallon bucket with a hole in the bottom for the lower pipe and then caulk / aquarium sealant around it. I think the water would make the heat transmission MUCH more efficient, like when you add a couple gallons of water to the iced down beer in the cooler to really get it cold fast.
I've been watching Brady's vids since day one of Leon and it just now dawned on me: his voice is nearly the same as the narrator of "How its Made." Good luck getting that out of your head, viewers.
Brady, this was an awesome DIY. I would like to suggest, just for a little more efficiency, some spacers in the coils to allow air to pass between them more easily. I may be wrong as your refrigerator environment may be rather static in regards to airflow, but thought I would suggest it anyway as I suspect a coil spacer would be relatively cheap and easy to find.
I built one for my 100 gal tank with a much smaller refrigerator and a dinky coil compared to yours , the only difference is my coil is submerged in a bucket of water ! The water temperature is almost a constant temp with no fluctuations when the refrigerator kicks on and off..
Fairly new viewer here, (Leon Fan) Love your smooth and easy delivery, I could listen to you narrating tying your shoes. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were Bruce Brown (Endless Summer).
Nice little build, I've been thinking of doing something similar to this for home brewing for a while. A small electric fan to circulate the air around inside the fridge will help with heat transfer.
I'm currently working on building a paludarium for some Kaiser newts, and seeing that I live in the scorching central valley in CA, I'll definitely need to get a good chiller for these cold-loving amphibians. Though I'll probably just end up buying a prefabricated chiller, the idea of building one from scratch is certainly intriguing. I might try this project myself once I have a bit more experience under my belt; I'm not a very handy person, and I'm sure I'd find a way to screw this up somehow if I tried it now.
Read all the (well, not all of them, of course) comments. There are some very good tips to add to the functionality of this build, use a second hand fridge (cost reduction) where to site your drill holes (safety) grommet your tube holes (reduces wear and tear on the plastic) don't take out the drip tray (otherwise freezer drip water into the main area of the fridge) There's a hella bunch of knowleagable people in the comments section. Though, my thought is no Kaiser newts in central vally CA, (they are stunning, tho) I'm sure some warm loving species would be kinder (I can't imagine how I'd feel if my cooling system broke down on 'em) Be brave. DIY is really all about failure until you get it right.
Omg I needed this idea so bad, Ive looked into aquarium chillers for hydroponics and this is the way! Thank you!! I found you with your wholesome lobster video and the algorithm gave me this! Genious! 1/3 - 1/2 price of chiller and a useful fridge. Good tip that a full fridge/freezer is more efficient than empty too.
You’re are truly skilled my guy. Really enjoyed this DIY and it is amazing to think how many things it could actually be used for. Thank you so much. Love you guys.
Every time I go to toss out a new suggestion you come around and do the thing before I have a chance to open my mouth. Fantastic work man, brilliant little bit of thinking with that DIY setup as well!
A man showing off something he is passionate about. This is 'youtube back to basics' when money came second and the will to show something that makes you happy came in first hand. Money is the driving force for 99,99% of youtubers today.
One other consideration to bear in mind is space. Having sufficient room next to your aquarium to house a mini-fridge is a must. Not to mention a couple more power outlets for the fridge and the pump.
Great low-cost dual-purpose solution. However if you'd like it to function even better you could have the refrigerator and the aquarium in different rooms. The calories removed from the water being released into the same room from the back of the fridge will eventually at least partly end up back in the aquarium water otherwise. One could imagine the refrigerator immediately on the other side of a stud wall to mitigate this with the pipes coming through the wall. Also won't your refrigerator end up wet from the freezer dripping with the drip tray removed?
Nicely done! I love projects like this because I’m always thinking of small improvements and tinkering with it! Joey Mullen (before he started vlogging) would be proud!
Started this video to support the Chanel. i put videoes with Leon On when i fall asleep, and have to put the same video on several times to see the end. So started this one just to support but ended up enjoing it. So smart!
I wish I would have seen this a few years ago. Maybe Scarface would have made it. Let me explain. So I worked in a grocery store and wanted to rescue a lobster that we had for weeks. Apparently people were picky about eating a lobster that had a scar on its head. Not sure how it got there but needless to say he was the only one left week after week after several replenishments. Scarface was the perfect name for the fellow on death row. There was hope. I wanted to purchase him and take him to the ocean but here in Florida that would of been another death sentence. So I thought about an aquarium but well that was pricey. That along with keeping the aquarium at a low temperature was another problem. Long story short, I went in for my shift one day and found that someone didn’t mind the scar. Thanks for saving Leon and for the learning experience you gave me. Wish I would have done the same. RIP Scarface.
As a failsafe, I'd add a thermostat to shut down the fridge incase it gets too cold. I'm not sure how sensitive he will be to temp swings but a lot of inverts are. Overall a great job!
Aluminum tape with insulation tape around the outlet tube could help keep temperatures down even lower, also seal the holes on the refrigerator with foam fill let’s get that thing chilling
