I have a simular setup that I have been working on using 2 TEC's. What are you using for your heat exchanger? Aluminum will corode in the saltwater. I was thinking of using either a powder coted or anodized aluminum heatsink.
Dan
The ceramic coating of the cold side of the TEC is in direct contact with the water. The chamber is big enough for an 80mm so I am going to scrap the 40 mm. I need to work on the power supply too.
I saw a commercially made one with 3 TECs and they wanted $1700 for it. :shock:
I have a really nice one with two and a digital controller its $299
I have a really nice one with two and a digital controller its $299
What are the specs for it?
Very cool thread Dan! :D So interesting to see how many others out there have an interest in this Peltier or ThermoElectronicCooler (TEC) device. We played with them when I was in a Heat & Mass transfer class at Chico State. Very cool but the clean and constant power supplies and the enormous current required for decent volume cooling simply deterred my interest for any real applications here. But glad to hear you are tinkering with it. Love to hear more and keep us informed with the updates.
This project will probably be on the back burner for a while. I need to install a couple of 60mm fans in the hood of the 12g and that should be fine for the Fall/Winter. I have to finish the MJ wavemaker, the 6 ft. skimmer and Melissa's 120g first. Also, there is an article about turning an old Linksys router into a controller/web monitor that I am very interested in.
Love all the DIY ideas out there and glad to see there are so many local people interested in trying them. I think this is so much fun!!!
You can see the TEC sandwiched between the heat sink and the reservoir. Using a standard ATX power supply (5v going to the TEC, 12v to the fan) it was able to keep a 5 gallon bucket at 50F +/- 3F for 24 hours. The room was a constant 80F.