# A DIY water chiller setup



## FilthyFletch (Aug 14, 2007)

Here is an idea I had been playing with and these are the basics of what I am going to be doing except I think I will use copper piping instead of vinyl but this is the basics of a good sized water chiller for all of use hydro and aero growers as you all know water temps in the res can get little warm and you wanna keep them 68 or slightly under.Here the DIY chiller using few tools and basically some copper tubing and a small mini fridge..
*DIY Chiller Plans *


[SIZE=-1]*Purpose*: A rather quick and inexpensive method for maintaining a steady system temperature, especially during those long hot summer months.[/SIZE]

*[SIZE=-1]Materials[/SIZE]*

[SIZE=-1]Dorm-sized refrigerator (1 to 1-1/2 cubic feet).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]50 to 100 feet of 3/8 inch hard plastic tubing (depending, vinyl isn't as good a choice here).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]PVC fittings (90 degree elbows or straight connects, threaded or slip).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Aquarium safe Silicone sealant.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]1/2 inch thin-wall PVC pipe (about 1 foot for the "thru-the-box" connections).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Hand drill and 1/2 inch drill bit (or 5/16 inch if you prefer).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Screwdrivers to fit the various hardware of the particular fridge you own.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Rio 2500 or similar pump/powerhead to push the water through the chiller.[/SIZE]

*[SIZE=-1]Materials Cost Considerations[/SIZE]*

[SIZE=-1]The fridge should set you back $89 to $199 depending on the size you choose.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]The Rio 2500 runs anywhere from $39.95 (mail order) to $69.95 at your LFS (Local Fish Store).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]The fittings, tubing and pipe shouldn't run more than $10 to $15 bucks, depending on how much and what style you choose.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Hopefully you already have a drill and the bit(s).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]My chiller ran a total of $175 once completed (without the 6 pack), still significantly cheaper than a commercial unit. While not as efficient as commercial chillers, this is a viable alternative and will draw your water temp down surprisingly well. Use a pre-set or variable heater to "balance" the temp within the sump and it'll become "hands-free"![/SIZE] 
*[SIZE=-1]Diagram & Instructions[/SIZE]*







[SIZE=-1]"A"=Water in from sump.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]"B"=Chilled water returned to sump[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]"C"=Freezer compartment with temp probe attached to the inside wall of the cooling box.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]"D"=3/8 inch coiled plastic tubing.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]"E"=The refrigerator housing and inner plastic box.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]If possible, remove the metal box that isolates the ice cube tray/freezer section, but leave the temp probe alone. This will give a better overall temperature control within the cooling box.[/SIZE] 
[SIZE=-1]The more coils, the better the "pull-down" effect and the more efficient the unit operates. Depending on the brand/model that you are using, you may encounter insulation between the housing and the inner box when drilling your input/output holes. There is no need to seal the door. I had originally thought of this, but decided against it as I figured I might need the access if something went wrong down the road. Besides, it's a great place to keep your additives that require refrigeration after opening (and a 6 pack!).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Drill your access holes in the top or sides, it really doesn't matter.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Cut 2 pieces of the PVC pipe about 4 inches each.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Insert through the holes drilled and seal VERY WELL with the silicone.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]You may want to reinforce these pipes with a little Devcon 5 minute epoxy prior to sealing them with the silicone. Keeps 'em from sliding back and forth and breaking the cured silicone seal should you want to move the fridge down the road.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Glue or thread your fittings onto these 2 access pipes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]I used nylon threaded nipples to connect the 3/8 inch tubing coils inside the cooling box.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Outside, I glued slip fittings reduced to accommodate the tubing running from the Rio 2500 sump pump to the chiller and back to the sump.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]That's all there is to it! Remember that the more coils inside the box, the better your cooling effect.[/SIZE] 
[SIZE=-1]Another point to consider, the farther the run of plastic tubing from your sump to the chiller and back, the greater the line loss due to ambient room temperature. Sit the chiller as CLOSE to the sump or aquarium cabinet as possible. You could use pipe insulation wrapped around the tubingrun(s), but this is rather unsightly and not really necessary unless living in a very hot/humid environment.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Operation is straight-forward. Remember to keep the flow fast enough to prevent freezing of the coils inside the box. If equipped with a thermostat, your fridge/chiller will be easier to control. Some models only allow you to set the main box temperature, not the freezer compartment. That's another reason why I removed the aluminum ice cube divider and tray. The probe that is attached to the wall of the freezer area will now monitor the entire cavity. Try to use opaque tubing to eliminate algae growth from the sump to the unit and back. You will probably get the black, smudged variety, not the bright green that we see in and around the lighting canopy. I used the milky-white, semi-transparent variety of hard, plastic tubing and experienced this build-up after 6 months or so.[/SIZE]


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## potroast (Aug 15, 2007)

Dirty, grimey, crusty, absolutely Filthy!


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## wafflehouselover (Aug 16, 2007)

woundnt copper make a better tubing materiaI to transfer heat?


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## FilthyFletch (Aug 17, 2007)

Copper sure would thats why I added that in the first paragraph.The plastic tubing works well and is good for copper usage paranoia.Somke people dont like metal touching nute water solution but Im going to use copper water line piping when I actually build this thing.


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## wafflehouselover (Aug 17, 2007)

i want to use the same concept except use it for cooIing air. I think the refrigerant from the fridge is coIder are there any ac man that can correct me on this? Thanx


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## trapper (Aug 17, 2007)

in an article i just read rosenthal talks to a farmer who lost his areoponiccs crop because the the tubes of the laboratory water chillar were copper this caused toxic waste which over a 10 day period killed his plants,but i dont know if this has relivance here,just offering it.


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## bubblerking (Aug 17, 2007)

trapper said:


> in an article i just read rosenthal talks to a farmer who lost his areoponiccs crop because the the tubes of the laboratory water chillar were copper this caused toxic waste which over a 10 day period killed his plants,but i dont know if this has relivance here,just offering it.


good info all water chillers are not made of copper anymore i beleive there made of titanium i know mine is


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## tleaf jr. (Aug 17, 2007)

i dont do hydro yet but when i do this will be helpful


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## Gygax1974 (Oct 18, 2007)

Fletch is crazy!!! He can build anything, if he builds it it will grow. Fletch you try selling this on GP yet?


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## outofcontrol (Oct 18, 2007)

filthy you need to delete some msgs, i cant pm you back.


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## Serotonin (Oct 19, 2007)

Yea copper and nitrates probably aren't the best. Its kind of a reactive metal... hell it oxidises in the regular atmosphere.


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## natmoon (Oct 19, 2007)

Great idea fletch but don't use copper pipes unless you want dead plants


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## Capita (Oct 19, 2007)

Any ideas for a DIY heater?


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## pincher (Oct 19, 2007)

even good heaters can be had for less then 20 bucks - dosn't seem worth it. Also you can get used chillers for under the $175 to make this thing, so it seems like to much work - probably not as efficient either. I got a brand new chiller for my 40gal res for 229 including shipping.


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## pasadenabri (Mar 23, 2008)

If u can find a fridge at a thrift shop, or used u can do this for around $125


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## Maccabee (Mar 23, 2008)

Has anyone used the IceProbes? They're basically through-wall thermoelectric res coolers. I was thinking about doing something like Fletch described, but I'm not sure I have the room (or need that much cooling.) 

What I was thinking of was placing my (smallish and medium sized) reservoirs in a single larger Rubbermaid tub, and using it as a cooling jacket. Half fill the cooling tank with water, which when displaced by the reservoirs shouldn't be that much actual volume. Use the IceProbe to chill the smaller amount of water in the cooling jacket, and that should keep the reservoirs cool by ambient heat transfer. 

The same concept could be used to construct the minifridge unit with copper tubing/plumbing for better performance, as then the coolant water would never mix with the nute mixture.


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## CustomHydro (May 30, 2008)

Actually, credit for this idea is due to Don Carner, an aquarium enthusiast.... Nice find though fletch.... The link to the actual article is here....DIY Saltwater Aquarium Chiller

I tried this idea and I did get 8-10 degrees out of it. Which is fine for rooms not exceeding 76degrees. My room gets into the low 80's and I needed something more, check out my idea....https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/74448-approx-8-20degree-dyi-chiller.html


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## AKronic (May 31, 2008)

you can't use copper you can sometimes get stainless steel from scrap yards and appliance stores when they throw them out. i used a portable beverage cooler i have to convert it to 110v. i made a post w/ some pics on another thread about res chilling i just happend to have one of these. they cost around 40-50bucks


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## Zwowzers (Mar 13, 2009)

What if you just wrapped the copper chiller pipes around your resevoir? That would cool the resevoir without introducing the bad stuff into your water...I live in the deep south and want to build a small 12 X 6 X 8 outdoor greenhouse but grow the stuff hyrdroponically in there...with summer temps reaching 90-95 daily, I am trying to figure out how to cool the water down at least and then just use fans. Also thought about growing indoors with hydro and outdoors with soil...


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## jointchief (May 5, 2009)

wafflehouselover said:


> i want to use the same concept except use it for cooIing air. I think the refrigerant from the fridge is coIder are there any ac man that can correct me on this? Thanx


Refrigerators are run hot on the outside so you would be canceling out the cool air produced on the inside if you left the door open in your grow room. it would be like having a portable air conditioner and not venting the hot air outside of the room.


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## jointchief (May 5, 2009)

I'm going to wrap the vinyl water coil around the copper coil inside of the refrigerator instead of just sitting in the frig. Best way I can think of... another way I'm throwing around in my head is to put the copper coil in a sealed bag or coat it with a thin layer of rubber sealant and put that directly into the res...any thoughts on that?


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## jrinlv (Jun 30, 2009)

Anyone know the warmest temp you could run one of these fridges at? What about putting the reservoir inside the fridge? have your grow tub higher and let gravity run it out (I would put the fridge outside the room) and down into the mini fridge. Pump and small reservoir inside..Just an idea, what do you think? JR

Just an after thought, would it be too cold if it had to maintain 55 in the reservoir for the roots?


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## FilthyFletch (Jul 1, 2009)

Youd want your res water temp at about 65-68 degrees F. How would you put a 50,80.100 gallon res in a mini fride as they are only about 3 feet tall or less and about 2 feet wide? res is way bigger then that


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## disposition84 (Jul 1, 2009)

Just curious did you ever end up building this and using it? I'm curious as to your results. 

I went out and bought a 1/4hp chiller yesterday as the summer heat was getting the best of me, was a lot more than I'd hoped to have spent but works really well.


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## FilthyFletch (Jul 1, 2009)

yeah i built it and gave it to a buddy since i never have res temp issues.Works well for him keeps res in 60's for his 50 gallon res


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## jrinlv (Jul 1, 2009)

Not everyone is retarded, Oh a 100 gallons will not fit in a mini fridge, now I know. lol JK

No I would have a small reservoir, 6 gallons, to run a small areo setup. Would 55 be too cold and shock the roots?
Thanks for the answers.


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## FilthyFletch (Jul 1, 2009)

yeah you want the water in the res to be at 65-68 so it hits roots right around 70 F


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## madazz (Sep 7, 2009)

FilthyFletch said:


> Youd want your res water temp at about 65-68 degrees F. How would you put a 50,80.100 gallon res in a mini fride as they are only about 3 feet tall or less and about 2 feet wide? res is way bigger then that


 
putting a small res in the fride will give far greater control.

here is a pic i found about 12 months ago. works great. its used in an aquarium the aquarium glass cries with water it gets that cold.







Thanks to James Lim

Madazz


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## alphabibbiddy boo boo (Sep 18, 2009)

anybody have any ideas on rigging up a submersible thermostat to switch a pump to circulate cooled water through coils? ive been thinking about it for a while, but i can't even find the type of thermostat i'd need, though i know they exist... i'm upgrading to a recirculating dwc grow and want to run a cooling coil through the main reservoir off of a mini-fridge similar to that pic above. anyone?


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## father (Mar 30, 2010)

I saw a battery thermostat with a submersable probe at an online aquarium shop, don't ramber whitch one Hope this helps. father


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## zattlan (Mar 31, 2010)

Aluminum _brass_ pipes! weiiiiiiiiiiiiii


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## coopdevillan (Jul 29, 2010)

*madazz* clean your mail box  No PM. Had a question Hey brother any DIY on the aquarium chiller ? How much water does it handle ? Could i run my 55 g res's to it ?

Thanks a bunch, here's a joke i saw recently.........

Chuck Norris is such a bad ass, "sharks" have a week just for him 




madazz said:


> putting a small res in the fride will give far greater control.
> 
> here is a pic i found about 12 months ago. works great. its used in an aquarium the aquarium glass cries with water it gets that cold.
> 
> ...


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