Heatet/chiller

[SDM]

I did a search for the above on how to clean it. Not many results so I'll ask. Do I fill up let's say a 5 gallon bucket with white vinager and just circulate through the chiller with a pump?

2. Should the unit be powered on while cleaning?
3. How long does the vinegar need to be inside?
4. What do I rinse it with when I'm done to remove the vinegar?

If I forgot a question please tell me.

I want to Do it right the first time.

Thanks in advanced.

 

[P-Dub]

I did a search for the above on how to clean it. Not many results so I'll ask. Do I fill up let's say a 5 gallon bucket with white vinager and just circulate through the chiller with a pump?

2. Should the unit be powered on while cleaning?
3. How long does the vinegar need to be inside?
4. What do I rinse it with when I'm done to remove the vinegar?

If I forgot a question please tell me.

I want to Do it right the first time.

Thanks in advanced.

I go with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and fresh water just like you are suggesting.

Run it for 4-5 hours or as long as you need to. I wouldn't think you need to go much longer than 24 hrs but I've heard of folks doing that. After cleaning, rinse with a couple of buckets of fresh water. First run I would say tap is fine. Final rinse I would do RO/DI. You do not need to have the equipment on and actually would recommend leaving it off and unplugged.

Take the opportunity to take off the chiller shroud and blow off/clean the condenser fins/coil, fan and filters and do a final blow out with compressed air or canned air. Don't use the fin/coil cleaners sold at the big box stores. Despite what they say they expedite the corrosion of the fins. If they are really dirty, just use warm mild soapy water and a spray bottle set to a fine stream on the coil/fins. Be careful not to get ANY moisture on any electronic components. Rinse with warm tap water again in a spray bottle, and let dry 24 hours just to be certain there is no moisture within the housing.

Hope that helps.

 

[SDM]

I go with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and fresh water just like you are suggesting.

Run it for 4-5 hours or as long as you need to. I wouldn't think you need to go much longer than 24 hrs but I've heard of folks doing that. After cleaning, rinse with a couple of buckets of fresh water. First run I would say tap is fine. Final rinse I would do RO/DI. You do not need to have the equipment on and actually would recommend leaving it off and unplugged.

Take the opportunity to take off the chiller shroud and blow off/clean the condenser fins/coil, fan and filters and do a final blow out with compressed air or canned air. Don't use the fin/coil cleaners sold at the big box stores. Despite what they say they expedite the corrosion of the fins. If they are really dirty, just use warm mild soapy water and a spray bottle set to a fine stream on the coil/fins. Be careful not to get ANY moisture on any electronic components. Rinse with warm tap water again in a spray bottle, and let dry 24 hours just to be certain there is no moisture within the housing.

Hope that helps.

Thanks that's what I needed.

 

[ca1ore]

Do you have observable calcium buildup in the chiller? If not, using vinegar is unnecessary. The manufacturer of mine also recommended against it since there are degradable plastic/rubber seals inside. I run fresh water through mine to fully flush it after the Summer season, but that’s it.

 

[P-Dub]

ca1ore has a valid point. It is advisable to check with the manufacturer of your particular chiller before implementing vinegar in your chiller cleaning regime. I just assumed that it was ok to do so with mine. After this thread, and in particular ca1or's statement that the manufacturer of his skimmer recommends against vinegar use, I checked with mine. Finally received confirmation this morning that it is perfectly acceptable to use a 50/50, white vinegar/water mix, backflushed, to clean the interior titanium cooling chamber on my particular chiller.

 

[jda]

I use fresh water too, both in forward and reverse flow. If you use a larger pump, it will usually get all of the settled gunk out.

 

[theMeat]

Run white vinegar 25% through chiller with pump overnight. Next day rinse with clean water a couple of times, done. Don’t see having the unit itself running/chilling necessary.
Good idea to clean/vacuum all coils and air intakes as well