Useful tips
The most important trick to get the best from the chiller is certainly that, in equal treatment of all conditions which we have already discussed, to place it in the best possible operational way. One major problem is the one in which the chiller cools the sump too quickly, but that this cooling is not then distributed with speed and continuity to tank.
In this regard it is necessary that the flow from chiller is equal to that which the return pump is able to bring back in the main tank, it is not enough to compare the technical data of the two pumps, because the height that the return pump must win to be able to put the water in the tank is such that the flow rate is significantly decreased compared to the nameplate data (I suggest you read this article: how to choose the return pump).
Finally, and most important, to optimize operation would be better to put the inlet to the chiller just below the return from tank, so that it could work always with hottest water, otherwise It might start to cool the sump and thereby create cold spots inside it but not be able to transfer the colder water in the aquarium.
Alternatives could suggest to use the same return pump to feed the chiller first and then to push the water directly in the aquarium, or to put the return pipe of the unit in the tank as if it were a second return pump. In the first case the return pump would have to be more powerful to take into account the loss of prevalence that the chiller induces, in the second it would still be necessary to provide a powerful pump because it would act also as a return pump.
I obviously prefer the first method I described, namely the creation of a dual circuit in sump.
Conclusions
The chiller Teco Tank 500 TK can be found at a maximum price of 787 Euros, in Italy, a price more than adequate to the class of the unit, but the street price can vary greatly from store to store.
The chiller is constructed flawlessly, even if the old model TR/TC was built in an incredible way, this chiller is improved yet. The building with the fan at the top is an engineering flawless. From a technical point of view even beautiful.
We are aware that in our test conditions we really exaggerated, but nevertheless the Teco TK 500 was been great! It was not easy to tame an aquarium of 500 liters, with 500 watt lamps HQI and an ambient temperature above 30 °. Yet along with an external fan the Teco TK 500 has done it without going never in trouble.
The coil of the refrigerant gas is obviously titanium, the chiller is equipped with a fuse in the event of over current or short circuit, and has a front filter held magnetically to simple cleaning the unit, which avoids the entry of dust inside the coil.
The design features is at the highest level and the coupling between the plastic is perfect as you can certainly appreciate from the pictures.
Through the use of chiller the evaporation is reduced to a minimum, with different effects: less need for filling the reverse osmosis tank and so greater autonomy in case of holiday, less waste of water because the lower is the demand for reverse osmosis water. All it obtained with the great advantage of having a much more stable temperature in the aquarium, at a cost not so high after all, if we assumed that 8 hours a day of working for the 4 summer months (June to September), would amount to a cost of about 62 euro total in Italy (8h * 240w * 120 days / 1000 * € 0.27 / kwh).
I’m sure the chiller is a purchase totally recommended regardless, and Teco TK 500 is a great chiller, very quiet when compared to the powers involved, very well built and, at least under our test conditions, very efficient, so that we can elect it the King of chillers!
Teco chiller Tank TK 500
| Build Quality |  |
| Quality | |
| Quality/Price Ratio | |
We thank Teco to have supplied the chiller TK 500 to test.
