Thermo-electric chiller upgrade anyone?

Thread Starter

Baker Steve

Joined Feb 21, 2016
16
I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried up-engineering a Husky thermo-electric drinks chiller so that it is more powerful? They are specced at cooling to 15C/59F below ambient, but I suspect that they could be over-driven to achieve better. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who's tried.

(I have a space below a kitchen worktop that's the perfect size for a Husky Slimline chiller, but they are anemic and unreliable.)
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
Looking at one of these units:
• Dual-zone technology:
Upper zone: 7 – 18°C
Lower zone: 12 – 18°C

My own take is you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Maybe better said I doubt you can improve on these units. It's a simple Pellitier cooler. The only way I see making more cold is going to a small refrigerator having a compressor and refrigerant. What you have is as good as it gets as to cold.

Just My Take...
Ron
 

Thread Starter

Baker Steve

Joined Feb 21, 2016
16
Fair enough. It's a pity there are no very small compressor coolers. Or at least there don't seem to be in the UK.

BTW, mine is single-zone, 8C minimum, less posh than the one you cite. The last one I had expired about 47 milliseconds out of its warranty.
 

bassbindevil

Joined Jan 23, 2014
824
I had a small single-can cooler; it could chill a drink to freezing, but in an already-chilly (like in the 50s F) room, and it took all morning. The most reasonable way to improve it would be to lower the hot side temperature by improving the heat sink and fan. If that heat sink isn't right at ambient, you're not getting the most out of the cooler.
 

Thread Starter

Baker Steve

Joined Feb 21, 2016
16
The most reasonable way to improve it would be to lower the hot side temperature by improving the heat sink and fan. If that heat sink isn't right at ambient, you're not getting the most out of the cooler.
An excellent idea: I will look into this. The fan is certainly not very active even when the interior is well above the target temperature. I have a dead unit I can raid for spares, which might allow me to double up on the fans. As for the heat sinks, it's possible that they are bonded to the Peltier modules, but I'll take a look. Can also put a temperature probe on the heat sinks.
 
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