Water chiller ideas?

Dr.funkenstien

Dr.funkenstien

Active Member
So I screwed up my first hydro grow. I believe I can still save it, was just wondering people's thoughts on this. I must have skipped over the part about keeping your water cool. Water chillers are expensive so I been looking up different ways to make them. I was gonna stick to the tubing through a mini fridge when I thought, I have an air conditioner. I use it so I don't want to dismantle it. But would it work if I built a box for the air conditioner and put my dwc tub over top of that? Seems like it would work. Haven't read anything about that though. Is there something I could be over looking that would make this a bad idea? I mean he'll, they don't kick out exhaust and shit right? Maybe just incorporate a drip pan into the mess? Thoughts?
 
zem

zem

Well-Known Member
I guess that the mini fridge if used properly, can work better at chilling water. It is basically a copper tubing that should form a coil inside a water bucket in the fridge and a pump.
 
Dr.funkenstien

Dr.funkenstien

Active Member
zem said:
I guess that the mini fridge if used properly, can work better at chilling water. It is basically a copper tubing that should form a coil inside a water bucket in the fridge and a pump.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's what I was going to go for in the long run. I was just wondering if an air conditioner would work until I can go out and get the stuff to make the fridge one.
 
Dr.funkenstien

Dr.funkenstien

Active Member
ttystikk said:
Under? As in cold AC air blowing across the water to be chilled? It could work, as much from evaporation as from the cold air would be my guess.
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Well I was thinking of building something like a box. I have an old table I was thinking if I put walls up on the sides and put the AC unit in like when you stick it in the window. Then cut a hole in the top of the table size of my res and put it on bricks or something to hold it above where the air comes out. Do you think it could be a fire hazard maybe? Or any kind of bad fumes? I mean like, why does that one part stick out your window? Is it just cause of dripping water? Just looking for a quick fix till pay day
 
Shroominnm

Shroominnm

Well-Known Member
Your ac is going to put off heat from the part that is supposed to be out of the window.. you may drop your water temp.. but you will raise your room temp unless you vent the ac. If you have a turbine fan make a funnel from the cold part of your ac, (with your ac hanging out the window) hook up your inline fan to pull the cold air, and use your same idea about venting the cool air into the tub
 
Bigdaddy212

Bigdaddy212

Well-Known Member
Dr.funkenstien said:
So I screwed up my first hydro grow. I believe I can still save it, was just wondering people's thoughts on this. I must have skipped over the part about keeping your water cool. Water chillers are expensive so I been looking up different ways to make them. I was gonna stick to the tubing through a mini fridge when I thought, I have an air conditioner. I use it so I don't want to dismantle it. But would it work if I built a box for the air conditioner and put my dwc tub over top of that? Seems like it would work. Haven't read anything about that though. Is there something I could be over looking that would make this a bad idea? I mean he'll, they don't kick out exhaust and shit right? Maybe just incorporate a drip pan into the mess? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I would look into the active aqua chiller you can get it on Jet for around 225 with free shipping. currently using two different chillers Elemental and the active aqua and the elemental is a far better product, produces less heat and runs less than the AA. But for price you can't beat 225. The elemental was 300 with free shipping but when I purchase another unit it will be the elemental. ONly thing I don't like about the elemental is that the display light is blue, so I have to cover it up with tape cause it was pretty bright when the lights were out
 
justugh

justugh

Well-Known Member
a simple trick to keep the water cold

get water bottles ......12 of them open them up dump little water out then cap it and freeze it
now u have frozen water bottles u can add into the mixing cell of the hydro system it will lower the water temp but keep the water from getting deluted

u just change them out as u need too .....looking at about 2 hours before it melts and about hour before warms up

if u want a larger system use water jugs (they are like milk jugs but they are clean....milk jugs u can not clean 100% stuff will grow in water and trust me if the cap comes off u do not want them in your feed water so just get the water jugs)

a water jug will last 10 to 12 hours before it melts
 
I

Illinois Enema Bandit

Well-Known Member
if your growing in a basement or ground floor building & have basic construction skills its a simple matter to eliminate all rez heat issues by sinking your rez below ground,I eliminated all 8 chillers I was using by taking a skill saw equipped with a masonry blade & cutting holes in the floor,then scooping the earth out & placing a 50 gallon rez 2 inches above grade , the rest below grade & packed earth around the rez tightly with a tamp for good heat transfer,I cut the holes 6 inches bigger on all sides so I could put a slope around the rez lids with fresh concrete where nothing from the floor can be kicked in a rez while it's lid is open,I use the big black 50 gallon Rubbermaid totes with hinged lids for my rez's .

Installing my rez's below grade keeps my water temps in the low 60's for free,its a simple task if your comfortable with concrete repairs & floating in $20 worth of concrete should you move locations .

Dumping a below grade rez takes about 3 minutes using a swimming pool pump that you gan get from harbor freight for $30,I hard wired & hard plumbed a swimming pool pump in the bottom of all my rez's,I hit a light switch & all 50 gallons dumps into the buildings waste water line with no mess or spills.

For a $100 investment in pumps,plumbing & concrete you'll never have heat issues,or have to haul water in & out again ,if your comfortable with concrete repair work & light plumbing work.
 
Dr.funkenstien

Dr.funkenstien

Active Member
Illinois Enema Bandit said:
if your growing in a basement or ground floor building & have basic construction skills its a simple matter to eliminate all rez heat issues by sinking your rez below ground,I eliminated all 8 chillers I was using by taking a skill saw equipped with a masonry blade & cutting holes in the floor,then scooping the earth out & placing a 50 gallon rez 2 inches above grade , the rest below grade & packed earth around the rez tightly with a tamp for good heat transfer,I cut the holes 6 inches bigger on all sides so I could put a slope around the rez lids with fresh concrete where nothing from the floor can be kicked in a rez while it's lid is open,I use the big black 50 gallon Rubbermaid totes with hinged lids for my rez's .

Installing my rez's below grade keeps my water temps in the low 60's for free,its a simple task if your comfortable with concrete repairs & floating in $20 worth of concrete should you move locations .

Dumping a below grade rez takes about 3 minutes using a swimming pool pump that you gan get from harbor freight for $30,I hard wired & hard plumbed a swimming pool pump in the bottom of all my rez's,I hit a light switch & all 50 gallons dumps into the buildings waste water line with no mess or spills.

For a $100 investment in pumps,plumbing & concrete you'll never have heat issues,or have to haul water in & out again ,if your comfortable with concrete repair work & light plumbing work.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was going to grow in the basement but there is not one electrical outlet down there, so I got them in a closet on the 2nd story.
 
Dr.funkenstien

Dr.funkenstien

Active Member
Bigdaddy212 said:
I would look into the active aqua chiller you can get it on Jet for around 225 with free shipping. currently using two different chillers Elemental and the active aqua and the elemental is a far better product, produces less heat and runs less than the AA. But for price you can't beat 225. The elemental was 300 with free shipping but when I purchase another unit it will be the elemental. ONly thing I don't like about the elemental is that the display light is blue, so I have to cover it up with tape cause it was pretty bright when the lights were out
Click to expand...
That's good to know. I'll look into that. I just started having problems and realized it was temps so I needed a quick temp fix till I can get one of the good ones. Thanks
 
Dr.funkenstien

Dr.funkenstien

Active Member
justugh said:
a simple trick to keep the water cold

get water bottles ......12 of them open them up dump little water out then cap it and freeze it
now u have frozen water bottles u can add into the mixing cell of the hydro system it will lower the water temp but keep the water from getting deluted

u just change them out as u need too .....looking at about 2 hours before it melts and about hour before warms up

if u want a larger system use water jugs (they are like milk jugs but they are clean....milk jugs u can not clean 100% stuff will grow in water and trust me if the cap comes off u do not want them in your feed water so just get the water jugs)

a water jug will last 10 to 12 hours before it melts
Click to expand...
Yeah for now I been doing the whole 2 litre thing. It's been working ok but when I go to work my wife don't know enough to do all that switching. Simple creature she is.
 
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