Aquarium chillers last 6 to 8 years. The average lifespan of an aquarium chiller is about four years, and most have a motor warranty of up to two years. However, regular maintenance helps improve efficiency, reduces wear and tear, avoids replacements, and increases aquarium chiller longevity.
Is regular maintenance that important? Let’s find out.
Why Is It Necessary To Periodically Maintain An Aquarium Chiller?
Regular maintenance will improve the lifespan of your aquarium chiller and reduce damages and replacement costs.
Regular cleaning helps clear the debris trapped inside the unit, which causes blockages and reduces efficiency.
In addition, if any of the parts are clogged over time, they get damaged and need replacement.
Periodic maintenance will improve longevity and help you track the wear and tear of different parts.
In addition, it will help in making informed decisions on parts that need replacement before the aquarium chiller fails and creates unnecessary problems for the aquarium.
Now that you have learned why regular maintenance improves the life span of an aquarium chiller, let’s also look at the essential steps to clean an aquarium chiller.
How To Clean An Aquarium Chiller?
Cleaning an aquarium chiller will clear out all the dirt and debris from its internal components.
Before you start the aquarium chiller maintenance, switch off the electric supply and unplug the power cord from the electrical circuit. Also, shut off the water supply to the unit.
Given below are the steps to perform the preventive maintenance of an aquarium chiller:
- Position the chiller in a suitable location, like on the ground or a table. Next, remove the inlet and outlet pipes from the housing by removing the hose fittings, nuts, and gaskets used to secure them.
- Remove the front cover secured by the screws or locking tabs. Split the connectors to disconnect the wires going to the temperature controller. Disengage the locking tabs, remove the connectors, and remove the front cover of the chiller.
- Unscrew the housing and lift the housing off the chiller. Use a blow-off nozzle to clear the dirt and debris collected on the radiator’s fan. Also, blow off the dirt collected on the radiator fins outside and the fan inside.
- Most of the dirt will get removed when you blow through the fins toward the fan. However, you can also use a brush to clear the dirt trapped in the fins and behind the fan shroud.
- You must continue blowing from all sides to ensure all the dirt and debris are cleared from the chiller. Continue from front to back, side to side, up and down to ensure you don’t miss out on any side.
- If there’s still debris accumulated on the fan, try to blow from the other direction. Also, if possible, you can remove the fan and clear the accumulated dirt and debris that is tough to remove with a blower.
- Flush the chiller in reverse to remove the calcium deposits and other waste or debris accumulated inside the internal pipework.
- Use a brush and air for cleaning all the components on the aquarium chiller base, inside and outside the housing.
- Once you have completed the cleaning, you can start the reinstallation process. Start by placing the housing on the chiller base around the inlet and outlet pipes. Next, re-connect the screws that hold the housing to the chiller base.
- Position the front panel of the aquarium chiller. Re-connect the wires going to the temperature controller. Next, fix the connectors, engage the locking tabs, then re-assemble the gaskets and nuts to the inlet and outlet pipes in the housing. Finally, assemble the front cover and secure it with screws.
By following the above steps, you can perform periodic maintenance of an aquarium chiller. Let’s now understand how often you should clean your aquarium chiller.
How Often Should You Clean An Aquarium Chiller?
The frequency of cleaning an aquarium chiller depends on several factors, including the type of fish tank, the aquarium’s size, the aquarium chiller’s size, and the number of hours you used the aquarium chiller.
If your aquarium chiller is used regularly, then your maintenance cycle should be frequent. The pre-filter panels need to be air blown once a month to clear the accumulated dust. However, the chiller needs to be flushed once every six months.
Another way to determine if your chiller needs to be cleaned is by using light to check if it reaches the other end.
In case of dust and debris build-up, the light will get blocked. This is an indicator to clean the aquarium chiller.
Let’s now understand the precautions you must take while cleaning an aquarium chiller.
Precautions To Take While Cleaning An Aquarium Chiller?
Cleaning an aquarium chiller has some risks that you can’t overlook.
Some may look minuscule but be very dangerous, like a chemical splash on the skin or eyes, inhaling toxic fumes, and accidental slips and falls.
You must wear safety gear and follow proper guidelines to reduce the possibility of any potential hazard.
Given below are some of the potential hazards that you should be aware of while cleaning an aquarium chiller:
- Electrical hazards: Before starting the cleaning procedure, always turn off the power supply to the aquarium chiller. It will prevent any accidental damage caused by the short circuit of electrical connections. Additionally, ungrounded electrical connections are also hazardous to your electricals.
- Chemical hazards: Many chemicals used to clean aquarium equipment are toxic and hazardous if touched or inhaled. In addition, they can cause acute or long-lasting detrimental health effects.
- Physical hazards: These are often ignored. Noise or vibrations created by a vacuum cleaner used for cleaning an aquarium chiller pose a risk of injury to the musculoskeletal system, such as muscles, tendons, nerves, and more. They can result in musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).
- Poor air circulation: Cleaning an aquarium chiller in an enclosed room without proper air movement is dangerous. This is because the chemical fumes coming from the cleaning chemicals is hazardous.
It’s essential to prevent all risks with proper safety gear, equipment, ventilation, and good quality cleaning chemicals.
With regular maintenance, you can increase the lifespan of an aquarium chiller.
On the contrary, negligence and poor maintenance harms the health of your aquarium inhabitants and plants.
