We tested the new product of the Tank Chiller Line, the Teco TK 1000 by Teco with the new r290 coolant. We tested the little brother TK 500 years ago and we are excited that the king is back again.
This article is also available in: italiano
There has been great hype for this release because it was announced the change of the r134a with the r290. It should bring a lot advantages, as Teco itself explained in preview last year (I nuovi refrigeratori Teco consumano la metà e riscaldano meno l’ambiente – italian article).
The three bigger chillers switched to the new coolant while the smaller TK 150 remained the same as the older versions. Let’s see the technical characteristics of these three chillers compared to the old series they replace.
The shape are the same, so we repropose the photo we did the first time we had all the chillers together. The picture is archivial material, but the only aspect that changed is the inside and the colors.
TECO, a company based in Ravenna, Italy, has several chillers in its catalog among which you can choose the most suitable. The range actually consists of the following specific models for Aquariums (between brackets there are the replaced models).
| Technical Data | TK 150 | TK 500 | TK 1000 | TK 2000 |
| Cooling Power | 210 w | 240 w | 270 w (340 w) | 350 w (480 w) |
| Ecological Gas | R134a | R290 (R134a) | R290 (R134a) | R290 (R134a) |
| Minimum water flow | 400 lt/h | 400 lt/h | 500 lt/h | 600 lt/h |
| Tank volume (water temp. 25° C-ambient temp.° C 30-thermal load 0.5 w/lt) | fino a 150 lt | fino a 500 lt | fino a 1000 lt | fino a 2000 lt |
| Dimensions | 215x361x315 (h) mm | 310x310x416 (h) mm | 310x310x458 (h) mm | 310x310x500 (h) mm |
| Weight | 12,2 kg | 16,5 kg | 19,7 kg | 21,4 kg |
| Connections | by fitting 1/2 “-12 mm hose int. diameter | by fitting 3/4 “-16 mm hose diameter int. | by fitting 3/4 “-16 mm hose diameter int. | by fitting 3/4 “-16 mm hose diameter int. |
The previous series, in its biggest models, that are TK 500, 1000 and 2000, had an inner heater thermostat of 400 watt. They chose to cut the heater thermostat, at least for now, so the units can only chill but not heat. Obviously the little TK150 doesn’t have the thermostat.
Our presentation video of the TECO TK 1000 r290
This is our presentation video of the TECO TK 1000 r290. It’s in Italian, but you can change to English subtitles!
Costruction
The chiller Teco TK 1000 is practically identical to the previous TK 1000, but it improves the winning philosophy of its predecessor by adopting a more efficient coolant. It starts from a square plant of 31 cm of base inside which there’s the cooling coil and on the top there’s a big vent that disperses the hot air coming from the cooling system.
This system is very efficient. First of all the disposition of the elements: the air inlet is placed at the front and the top outlet uses the convective motion of hot air that is naturally inclined to go high, then the big vent keeps the noise low, because, given its size, it can rotate slowly.
But the news aren’t over yet, because Teco‘s designers really had a great idea, that also we of MagnaRomagna suggested at the first Teco Open Day at the Cattolica aquarium (italian article), where we asked for an addictional outlet of the air on the back, so that we wouldn’t have any problem in placing the old models inside the cabinet (as you can see here – italian article). But Teco took this suggestion and expanded it, designing a removing top that can be rotate in every direction.
In this way the system is extermely clever and versatile. Moreover, the top is built in such a way that it can be connected to an “extender” that can be easily placed on a hole in the cabinet, for which Teco also provides a template to cut the hole precisely. These extenders can be matched in order to cover a bigger space.
Very practical and clever. Surely a big step forward compared to the old chillers.
As we said before, the air inlet is placed on the front, instead of under the unit like in the old chillers, and is linked to the main body through a series of magnets. In this way it will be easier to extract the air intake to clean it.
But the news continue.
The two hoses for the inlet and outlet of the water are placed on to the back of the chiller. The hoses aren’t fixed and can rotate and, depending on how they’re istalled, can stick out from the side or the back. In this way you can place the unit against the back wall with the hoses on the side, or against side wall with the outlet on the back. It’s a very smart system that always leaves two close sides free.
To blolck the hoses on the two adaptors there are two spring clamps included. They’re a bit hard, but they tie the hoses perfectly and guarantee the total water tightness of the system, even if in the years the springs tend to loose their edge and should be replaced.
But it’s not over yet. Teco left us with a last gift, a couple of tube clamps that block the water inside the hose: in this way, once you have to unplug the chiller use the clamps to block the water and the hoses won’t loose a drop… except for that part between the clamps and the end of the hose.
And then there’s the red LCD display, that although it can be easily read, today it’s perhaps a bit limited for advanced modifications.
The article continues on page two with the installation procedures and our measurements.
