Quick questions about Aluminum in res.

lakew00d

lakew00d

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

Ive been working on building a RDWC system,

And I am looking to use a DIY Ice box and use the same water that is in my 10 gallon res.
would this be a problem because of the metal? I know Copper and Brass are a bad idea because of the pH causing leaching. and thats a no no.

And the Heater core/oil cooler I am looking to use is Aluminum and I cannot find anything about Aluminum causing issues.

Or would it be better to use a second res for this? if so that would mean I would need two chillers. which is a little costy.

I am trying to seal off the room so i can introduce C02.

+Rep for helpful replies (:
 
lakew00d

lakew00d

Well-Known Member
superstoner1 said:
Alluminum is probably one of the worst to use. Stainless steel is the only metal your nutes should touch.
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so if thats the case what is Hydro Innovations Ice Box piping made from? Copper? and we know copper isn't good with nutes.
Do most people use a second res and chiller to cool the lights if using DWC?
Im trying to find a cheap way to cool the room and plant water. I know DIY chillers. but they look... Ghetto.
I know I can get a AC unit but those draw a lot of power and are costy too
 
lakew00d

lakew00d

Well-Known Member
joe macclennan said:
pretty sure the icebox is made for cooling lights..not nutes
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Thank you for your reply!

Yes I understand that, but I'm looking to use only 1 chiller and 1 res. to save money and space, thats why I'm asking :P
So if I use 1, the nutes/water for the plants would be circulated through the ice box, the plants, the chiller...ect, does that make sense?

And if its not safe for the plants, I can use another res, but the issue would be cooling that water down. :P
I'm just trying to be efficient. and use only 1 chiller
 
lakew00d

lakew00d

Well-Known Member
joe macclennan said:
you dont' run nutes through the chiller or icebox. It should be a closed system for longevity of equipment.
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So if nutes aren't ran through the chiller, how do people keep their water chilled down in a DWC set up?

Im sorry if thats a stupid question.

I don't fully understand the chiller set up yet.
thats why I'm asking these questions
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
lakew00d said:
So if nutes aren't ran through the chiller, how do people keep their water chilled down in a DWC set up?

Im sorry if thats a stupid question.

I don't fully understand the chiller set up yet.
thats why I'm asking these questions
Click to expand...
dunno bout dwc honestly...never been around them.

I do know that if you run excess salts and stuff through your chillers and heat exchangers they will plug up and lose efficiency over time.
 
lakew00d

lakew00d

Well-Known Member
joe macclennan said:
dunno bout dwc honestly...never been around them.

I do know that if you run excess salts and stuff through your chillers and heat exchangers they will plug up and lose efficiency over time.
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Well when i made my system i used http://www.cannaversity.com/cannaversity/article.php?id=097 as reference.

and they have their chiller hooked right to the system.
So Isn't that the only way to chill it? besides frozen water bottles.

http://www.hhydro.com/files/Instructions/ecoplusChiller.pdf
does show it hooked up to the system. they do have a filter bag on the pump
 
superstoner1

superstoner1

Well-Known Member
Nutes should never touch metal other than stainless steel. Ice box is for environmental control, not cooling a res. Use a stainless steel wort chiller for cooling res.
 
lakew00d

lakew00d

Well-Known Member
superstoner1 said:
Nutes should never touch metal other than stainless steel. Ice box is for environmental control, not cooling a res. Use a stainless steel wort chiller for cooling res.
Click to expand...

Yea I want to use the Ice box to cool my lights. but with the same chiller that all lead to the same res
 
lakew00d

lakew00d

Well-Known Member
superstoner1 said:
Ii think you should stick to frozen water bottles. I don't even use a cooling system for RES's any!ore
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Yea I've been thinking about that. I think I'm going to start the OP and see how it goes, and if the water bottles don't cut it ill look into the chiller.
and I'm using water bottles for the second res for the ice box.
 
C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
"Hot water" in DWC is a rollitup problem, not an actual problem.

If you're thinking of using a heater core to lower res temperatures, you're DEFINITELY over-engineering your setup. You aren't designing a car with a broken radiator and using the heater core blower to keep your car from overheating..

lakew00d said:
So if nutes aren't ran through the chiller, how do people keep their water chilled down in a DWC set up?

Im sorry if thats a stupid question.

I don't fully understand the chiller set up yet.
thats why I'm asking these questions
Click to expand...
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
churchhaze said:
"Hot water" in DWC is a rollitup problem, not an actual problem.

If you're thinking of using a heater core to lower res temperatures, you're DEFINITELY over-engineering your setup. You aren't designing a car with a broken radiator and using the heater core blower to keep your car from overheating..
Click to expand...
So water that is consistently warm does not cause issues with DWC? Thats not what I have been led to believe.....huh. What is the max temp that is safe for DWC? Im a newb but have never let water get over 70ish, i shut down in the warm weather so i dont have to deal with high temps
 
C

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
I don't know what temperature is considered "too high" because I've never checked res temp.

waterdawg said:
So water that is consistently warm does not cause issues with DWC? Thats not what I have been led to believe.....huh. What is the max temp that is safe for DWC? Im a newb but have never let water get over 70ish, i shut down in the warm weather so i dont have to deal with high temps
Click to expand...
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
Hmmm I know I had issues with DWC a long time ago when I let temps get into the high 70's but again newb here. I had terrible root rot. I now run a flood and drain type thing with pump on 24/7 and touch wood no issues. But res stays quite cool for the most part.
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
Also I think you will find that it is universally accepted that higher res temps will lead to issues. I don't think it's an RIU thing lol.
 
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