Chiller Setup

[Declanrice]

Been doing cold plunges for a while now, started like most, big tub, bags of ice, and constant dance of trying to guess when the water is just cold enough without wasting a whole freezer's worth lol, it worked, but it got old fast. So now I'm looking at going next level with a proper chiller setup, not a spa unit, I'm talking a clean, reliable system where I can have in 39 to 50°F and have it hold. I've seen aquarium chillers, modified glycol setups, even others running HVAC coils with thermostats and some go full DIY, others drop $3k on prefab units. I'm fine with piecing something together, but it's gotta be low maintenance and actually durable. This is a request please help out

 

[LoafingPup]

Been doing cold plunges for a while now, started like most, big tub, bags of ice, and constant dance of trying to guess when the water is just cold enough without wasting a whole freezer's worth lol, it worked, but it got old fast. So now I'm looking at going next level with a proper chiller setup, not a spa unit, I'm talking a clean, reliable system where I can have in 39 to 50°F and have it hold. I've seen aquarium chillers, modified glycol setups, even others running HVAC coils with thermostats and some go full DIY, others drop $3k on prefab units. I'm fine with piecing something together, but it's gotta be low maintenance and actually durable. This is a request please help out

Welcome to the chiller side! The ice guessing game is definitely not fun.
For 39-50°F and low maintenance, best DIY is a repurposed commercial chiller + digital temp controller (STC-1000) + good submersible pump.
Avoid small aquarium chillers for anything bigger than a bucket. And insulate your tub like crazy – that's half the battle!

 

[L3gend]

What's your preferred setup location...indoor, outdoor, shaded? That really affects what chiller system makes sense, especially for durability, noise, and maintenance over time

 

[444ANGEL444]

I got a used glycol chiller with an STC-1000 and it's been holding 41°F no problem. If you're okay piecing things up, that's gonna give you way more control without spending much.