Active Aqua Chiller with Power Boost, 1/10 HP

Had the chiller for about a month. I use it in my cold plunge 5 days a week. The system has a built in 2 degree dead band so if it’s set on 46 degrees the system won’t kick on again until the water reaches 48 degrees. That can be changed but it helps preserve the compressor life. I have it hooked up to a 90 gallon plunge and it works flawlessly so far. You’ll have to buy a separate pump. I included a picture of the online pump I use. It has 3 speed settings and has been a lot better than the pump the company suggests. The systems quiet and cools quickly. For the money I really don’t think you can find a better chiller. I actually found this on YouTube initially. A lot of guys were reviewing it so I figured I’d take a chance on it. Update: it’s been a year next month and the system hasn’t skipped a beat. Absolutely unbeatable. It stays on 24/7 for the price I’m really happy with this purchase. If it crapped out today I’d deff be buying another one

I was in need of a chiller for my 140-gallon cold plunge and, after some browsing and comparing, I decided on this one. I’m happy to say I’m not disappointed! I had no prior experience with chillers and wasn't sure how to set it up, but the instructions were clear, and it was easy to get going. The chiller runs as expected, keeping the tank cool and maintaining a steady 50 degrees. It operates for about 45 minutes twice a day to keep the temperature stable, and the cooling process is efficient. While it does make some noise for a few minutes when it's cooling down to the set temperature, I actually find it soothing—kind of like the comforting hum of the A/C kicking on in a hotel room while you're on vacation. The temperature is consistent and reliable, and overall, I’m really impressed with how well it works. It was definitely worth the investment and has made my cold plunge experience even better.

UPDATE #3 thermometer died. (a little over 1.5 years). I keep it in our enclosed patio (yes I know it says indoor only). I kept filters clean and was not exposed to liquid or dirt. I stored it for 2 months during winter months here in Florida. Turned it on and got the thermostat broke error. Will probably cost more than the unit is worth to have thermometer fixed. Must be the Florida humidity or fresh ai UPDATE #2 (contacted seller) They responded within a week and offered some suggestions but all where "common sense". Issue with paper coming out of the chiller unit and into the water they responded: "could have been some packaging material was left inside at manufacturer." but, they will NOT do anything about it since I have it on my screen-enclosed porch. (technically outside). They did not have any solution for the temperature gauge being wrong. Pretty disappointed because even if I did have the unit inside, these hoses slightly leak. Plus, condensation alone will dampen your floor. It's still chilling well though, but with the thermometer broken I have to rely on manual floating thermometer. Will not buy this cooler again because I refuse to put this wet leaking thing inside my home. I voided the warranty by putting it on my porch (like everyone does it seems). UPDATE 9 MONTHS - chiller still working well but all of a sudden the thermostat is exactly 10 degrees off (too high). Not a big issue as it's consistently 10 degrees exactly, just something to consider. (did not change location or anything else) BIG problem is it's spewing out small bits of what looks like thin brown paper. I'm going to take it apart and look at it, also will try to contact manufacturer. Will update with results. Able to keep my 100 gal cold plung at 55 degrees all day outside in Florida summer (under covered porch). Actually got it down to 48 without much problem! Unit is very quiet, chills quickly for it's size, attachments seem to fit well and do not leak. CONS (all very minor, just fyi stuff I wish i had known) - Unit is slightly different than pictures (hose locations, side power switch) - To turn off need to hold down for 6 seconds. Would like to have the power switch on top instead of way down on side. - Boost function doesn't seem to cool any quicker. - Hose attachments are cheap plastic, seems these would fail before mechanics but we'll see.

I must admit that after reading the low level of reviews, I decided to give this unit a chance even though the price tag was out of this world. I could buy a nice A/C unit for less and that's all it really is, a very small A/C unit with just a different function and way less parts. This unit should sell for 1/2 this price. Now, having said all of that, I needed something to cool about 16 gallons of water and keep it that way 24/7 and for the life of me, couldn't find a cheaper one than this. So, here I am reviewing a product I expected the worse from and all I got was GREAT service. I bought this about 5-6 weeks ago and just now turned it off. It never missed a beat. It never leaked and, it maintained my "set" temp the entire time which, btw, is easy to set up. It does put off heat just like an A/C unit or Dehumidifier would so be prepared for that. I used a pump that had a high GPM compared to what was recommended for my water volume. Didn't matter. Worked Great! But, 5-6 weeks of good operation does not a good purchase make, especially at $300, so if I have trouble in the future, "I'll Be Back!" to update this review. As of this writing, I would recommend this unit..... Be sure to place upright for a length of time BEFORE you start up the unit. For me, I waited for hours. Make sure everything is secure also. Imagine what it's been through on the way to your door. PURE HELL!!!!!

i ordered the 1/10 unit and so far it has worked perfectly. i had to purchase the 1/2 hose kit with clamps because the unit only comes with larger barbs by default but the kit was only $10 so thats fine. there are a few things that should be corrected about the description... 1. the description says the unit uses r410a coolant but the manual says the 1/10 model uses r134a coolant. i dont know how that matters because im no expert but it doesnt match what the manual says. 2. the biggest blunder is the power draw. it says it uses 460w of power and i was worried that it would be too much for the area with the lights and pumps and everything else. when i got the unit i immediately hooked it up by following the directions and once i powered it on and it was in the middle of cooling it registered the power draw at a very very reasonable 180w. now i havent used the fast cooling option since my res is small but idk if that would double the power draw. as of right now 180w while its cooling is more than ok for me. some things i would have liked to see (i knew they werent features of the unit but they would be very useful)... 1. a power plug for water pumps. right now the water pump will run 24/7 even when the unit isnt cooling the water down and having a pump that shuts off soon after the unit does would save some power. my pump isnt drawing crazy amounts of power but like ne thing that draws power it is producing heat which heats up the res faster than it would if the pump wasnt running which ultimately makes the unit run more often and longer than it would if the pump would turn off. it also increases the life of the pump not having to run every moment of everyday. 2. have the unit run the fans for a couple of minutes after it finishes cooling. right now when it stops cooling and the compressor turns off the fan turns off too letting the internals heat soak in the heat generated by cooling. if the fan ran for a couple extra mins the heat with be removed increasing the life of the components. 3. include the dang 1/2 barb kit with the unit lol. all in all the device works great and it cooled the res temps all the way down to 65 degrees in less than an hour and it barely runs every hour so im very happy with the way it performs.

Alright, so this thing is awesome, once you work through all the kinks. I followed all the instructions to set it up for the first time and, no matter how hard I cranked those fittings, I had water leaks. After using giant pliers to tighten it to the point where I could just use a towel to dry up what leaked (instead of a shop vac), I finally plugged it in and kicked it on. Well, it read the temperature of my test bucket just fine...and did a fine job heating it up, lol. After like twenty minutes of cussing, I decided to pop off the front. I was shining my flashlight around when a huge piece fell off the side of the compressor...what? Read the side "compressor starter capacitor"...well hey, that looks important. I snapped it back where it went and !bam! cooling power unlocked. I also saw the cable harness with connector for the control board was strung up right below my in/out fittings, which were leaking, so I moved it out of the way and zip tied it. Poor placement there. Once I knew it worked, I covered the threads and fittings with high vacuum grease. No more leaks! So, this thing showed up with serious issues and is probably the reason for most of the bad reviews. If your fittings leak, apply high vacuum grease (petroleum jelly works in a pinch). If your chiller doesn't cool, check to see if the compressor starter capacitor has fallen off and snap it back into place. All I needed to fix this was a phillips screwdriver, grease, and some Q-tips to get the grease on the back side of the rubber stoppers on the fittings. I still give this 4 stars because the current asking price of $320 for the 1/4 HP model is insane and cheaper than the 1/10 HP. If you're even a little handy, you can fix this very simple device and probably get many years of use out of it. The capacitor may jiggle loose someday, but if it stops cooling, I'll probably know why and can fix in seconds. It works so well, it only stays on for like 30 seconds at a time for my 10 gallon tank. Overkill...but why pay more for less?

8 months in and the chiller is working great. One thing to note, the chiller does actually work to heat water as well as chill it. I have it installed in a cold plunge in Michigan and we have with high temps in the mid 20s right now. The chiller can't quite maintain the 50 degree set point, but it is very close at around 48 degrees. Back in January when temps were around 10 degrees all day long, the chiller kept the water around 43 degrees. It had no difficulty keeping the water cool last summer, but because of information in other reviews, I bought an aquarium heater thinking that the water might freeze in winter and that was unnecessary.

I purchase it to cool our 54 gallon corner fish tank. Before I got it the temp was staying around 79°f to hot for my fish. Honestly this is a beast. It fits under the tank in the stand. You have to buy a pump for it and I recommend the black vinyl hose. It is heavy so when you get it lift it straight up out of the box with help. Always keep it upright. It is basically the cooling guts of a refrigerator. Once you get it out make sure to install the output and input attachment pieces,there are two different sizes. .Make sure they are tight, becareful they are plastic. When you install the hose use two hose clamps per attachment. Hook it all up basically in the bathroom . Put the pump in the tub or a good size pan. Put the output back in the tub or pan. Attach the thermometer probe . Power up the unit and check for leaks. Let it run and make sure it cools properly. Once you have no leaks and everything works install it where you need it. ******Caution**** If you are using it for a fish tank cool them down slowly. Like a degree every 24hrs. Once it cools the water down to the correct selected temp the compressor shuts off. It is very easy to use and works wonders. Draw backs are as follows: 1. Little louder than I expected but not bad. Probably less than most super quiet dishwashers. 2. Heavier than I expected but we'll worth it.