Water Cooled Grow Rooms

"either one of those sizes will kee you at 110v also. using less electricity."
if using less electricity is something to consider, it's the amperage drawn you pay for. for example, a 110Volt unit may draw 8 amps, and a 208 Volt may draw 4, the 208 one will cost ya less money on your electricity bill. that applies to lighting as well. less amps= less money.
over here in the states we pay by the killawatt hour. not by the amp. the whol save lots of money thing is a myth. the only money you save going 220 vs 110 is the energy leakage from the copper wires that go from the breaker to the plug.

in other words... you might save five or ten bucks a year. maybe. look at the back of the machine. read the amps/watts it is pulling. that is how much electricity you will be using. if it says less on the sticker you will be paying less on your bill.
 

ikickbutt

Member
uhhm yeah, up here in canada we also pay for kilowatt hours. watts are simply voltage times amperage and we could get into single phase vs. 3 phase but i attempted to keep things simple. not everyone is an electrician(which i am). the whole point was higher voltage=less current used=less money on your bill. but this is getting off topic...
 
uhhm yeah, up here in canada we also pay for kilowatt hours. watts are simply voltage times amperage and we could get into single phase vs. 3 phase but i attempted to keep things simple. not everyone is an electrician(which i am). the whole point was higher voltage=less current used=less money on your bill. but this is getting off topic...
Sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong. It might be off topic, but it is important that the wrong information doesn't prevail. The watts are still the same. The amps are split between the two 110s yes... but put the two lines together and you are back at full price. As I said... thicker wires leach less heat. So they save you a few pennies over the course of the year. And three phase?.. that has more to do with keeping heavy duty crap from burning out. And has absolutely zero to do with saving money. The only thing that makes the added cost of running three phase worth the price of install.. is your equipment will last longer. And I am not an electrician.
 

berkman858

Well-Known Member
Scooby - I posted this earlier, can you take a look at it and let me know what you think? Thanks!



Current setup:


  • (1) 5x5 tent with 1000 watt light
  • 4 bucket undercurrent hydro setup with ~17 gallon capacity
  • dehumidifier
  • CO2 from bottle (no heat issues here but I will probably want to change out to water cooled CO2 generator in the future)


My current temps are 88-90 degrees in the tent and with CO2 the plants seem to be doing fine but I know the temps should be cooler. I plan on setting up another 5x5 in the same area, my garage, and instead of buying a mini-split A/C I was thinking I could do better with a 1 1/2 HP chiller. This is what I am thinking.



  • 1 1/2 HP Ecoplus commercial grade chiller
  • 1 icebox for each 1000 watt light (2 total) - air is drawn from outside of tent and exhausted back outside the tent but I want to reduce the temperature of my garage
  • 1 wort chiller for each reservoir (2 total)
  • 1 icebox/canfan combo as spot chiller in each tent (2 total)


I only want to get the temps down to around 80-83 degrees so that plant transpiration stays high and works well with the enhanced CO2.
Do you guys think that a 1 1/2 HP chiller will be enough for this equipment? Also, what air temps do you guys usually aim for when running a sealed room with CO2?
 

ScoobyDoobyDoo

Well-Known Member
Scooby - I posted this earlier, can you take a look at it and let me know what you think? Thanks!



Current setup:


  • (1) 5x5 tent with 1000 watt light
  • 4 bucket undercurrent hydro setup with ~17 gallon capacity
  • dehumidifier
  • CO2 from bottle (no heat issues here but I will probably want to change out to water cooled CO2 generator in the future)


My current temps are 88-90 degrees in the tent and with CO2 the plants seem to be doing fine but I know the temps should be cooler. I plan on setting up another 5x5 in the same area, my garage, and instead of buying a mini-split A/C I was thinking I could do better with a 1 1/2 HP chiller. This is what I am thinking.



  • 1 1/2 HP Ecoplus commercial grade chiller
  • 1 icebox for each 1000 watt light (2 total) - air is drawn from outside of tent and exhausted back outside the tent but I want to reduce the temperature of my garage
  • 1 wort chiller for each reservoir (2 total)
  • 1 icebox/canfan combo as spot chiller in each tent (2 total)


I only want to get the temps down to around 80-83 degrees so that plant transpiration stays high and works well with the enhanced CO2.
Do you guys think that a 1 1/2 HP chiller will be enough for this equipment? Also, what air temps do you guys usually aim for when running a sealed room with CO2?
hey berk, sorry i missed the post earlier. i think a 1.5hp chiller will be more than enough for that setup. my only concern would be the actual output of the chiller. i only have experience with chillking models and they outperform their rating. i know a lot of guys who have gotten ecoplus and activeaqua chillers and they tend to under-perform their rating. i still think you'll be fine with a 1.5hp chiller but if you have plans in the future to expand or have a little extra money then i would definitely go with a chillking unit; maybe even a 2hp unit. especially if you are going to add water cooled Co2 generators in the future. let me know if you want me to get you a quote on a unit from my distributor.
 

berkman858

Well-Known Member
hey berk, sorry i missed the post earlier. i think a 1.5hp chiller will be more than enough for that setup. my only concern would be the actual output of the chiller. i only have experience with chillking models and they outperform their rating. i know a lot of guys who have gotten ecoplus and activeaqua chillers and they tend to under-perform their rating. i still think you'll be fine with a 1.5hp chiller but if you have plans in the future to expand or have a little extra money then i would definitely go with a chillking unit; maybe even a 2hp unit. especially if you are going to add water cooled Co2 generators in the future. let me know if you want me to get you a quote on a unit from my distributor.
Thx! I would love to find out how much a 2HP Chill King costs with your hookup. The price is really the only thing keeping me away from the Chill King models. I don't have a window to mount the chiller in so I was just going to put it out on my balcony.

Thx again for this thread and all your help. :lol:
 

Sr. Verde

Well-Known Member
hey berk, sorry i missed the post earlier. i think a 1.5hp chiller will be more than enough for that setup. my only concern would be the actual output of the chiller. i only have experience with chillking models and they outperform their rating. i know a lot of guys who have gotten ecoplus and activeaqua chillers and they tend to under-perform their rating. i still think you'll be fine with a 1.5hp chiller but if you have plans in the future to expand or have a little extra money then i would definitely go with a chillking unit; maybe even a 2hp unit. especially if you are going to add water cooled Co2 generators in the future. let me know if you want me to get you a quote on a unit from my distributor.

Hello sir! I also need to ask a couple questions.

I'm setting up a 1000w 5x5 flower tent with 8" hood, next to a 600w veg tent also with an 8".. The air will be running from the outside of the tent, through the tent, and through some 8" 'ice boxes', and out the side of the 400w tent back into the room. It will be a closed room, with the air recirculating outside of the tents.


I'm wondering what chillers would be ideal, granted the 1600w of light. These guys at my hydro store tried to tell me the 1/2hp ecoplus chiller would be enough for the 1600w with 2 ice boxes in a sealed 13x10x10 room. However I'm starting to think that's incorrect.

As far as I can tell, with the numbers, I'm looking at 6400BTU for only the HID lights.

The 1/2HP is rated at 5115 BTU. I'm guessing I will totally need the 1HP (8,525 BTU). Or possibly more?

My goal is to be able to cool the room down to 74-79F with lights on. If you could explain to me what equipment would be best for this I would be very grateful. !!


Also a big problem so far is that as far as I can tell I think my room has 2x 120v 15amp circuits. This is rough because the 1000w is 9.2amps, and the 1hp is about 9.5amps, that's already 18 amps with just the chiller, and the one 1kw light. I still need power for a dehumidifier, 2 inline fans, the veg light, and regular fans.. All with 12amps left. I might need to bring an electrician in.
 

ScoobyDoobyDoo

Well-Known Member
Hello sir! I also need to ask a couple questions.

I'm setting up a 1000w 5x5 flower tent with 8" hood, next to a 600w veg tent also with an 8".. The air will be running from the outside of the tent, through the tent, and through some 8" 'ice boxes', and out the side of the 400w tent back into the room. It will be a closed room, with the air recirculating outside of the tents.


I'm wondering what chillers would be ideal, granted the 1600w of light. These guys at my hydro store tried to tell me the 1/2hp ecoplus chiller would be enough for the 1600w with 2 ice boxes in a sealed 13x10x10 room. However I'm starting to think that's incorrect.

As far as I can tell, with the numbers, I'm looking at 6400BTU for only the HID lights.

The 1/2HP is rated at 5115 BTU. I'm guessing I will totally need the 1HP (8,525 BTU). Or possibly more?

My goal is to be able to cool the room down to 74-79F with lights on. If you could explain to me what equipment would be best for this I would be very grateful. !!


Also a big problem so far is that as far as I can tell I think my room has 2x 120v 15amp circuits. This is rough because the 1000w is 9.2amps, and the 1hp is about 9.5amps, that's already 18 amps with just the chiller, and the one 1kw light. I still need power for a dehumidifier, 2 inline fans, the veg light, and regular fans.. All with 12amps left. I might need to bring an electrician in.
hey bud, i think you are going to need a 1hp chiller to cool those lights and the rooms. remember, you aren't going to cool the room by just putting 1 ice box on your hood. that will cool the hot air exhaust from the light but it will not be enough to cool the ambient temps of the room or the heat produced by other equipment like the dehumidifier. you will most likely need another ice box in the room as a spot chiller. you will need a reservoir and pump for the chiller. you will need tubing and pvc manifolds to run the chilled water to the ice boxes.

as for the electical issues, you are going to need to get an electrician in there to upgrade your service. you will most likely need another 30amp service running to our room.
 
i'm still here. just have a new account now. what's your question?
I am new to this forum stuff. Confusing. Instead of phillipchristian I presume you are now scoobydoobydoo?? Am I correct?
I just built 3 grow rooms and need to figure out climate control. Is it possible to communicate by my emailing you vrs this site?
 

UncleBurnie

Active Member
Hi all,

I'm thinking about setting up a sealed, water cooled room and could use the advice of you knowledgeable people. I may vent the room occasionally, but would really like to keep it sealed as much as possible.

Here are the specifics:

Climate: 75F-95F in the summer and 40F-70F in the winter. I plan on running the lights at night when it's cooler.
Room: 10'x12'x8' and well insulated. The flowering section is 7'x10' and separated from the veg section by uninsulated drywall.
Lights: Flowering 4 x 600W HPS / Veg room is florescent
Ballasts: Digital and outside of the room.
CO2: Gas Generator
Dehumidifier: 70 pints
Fans: (2) 400 CFM inline & (2) oscillating fans in room
Filters: (2) carbon filters
Heat Exchangers: (2) 6" Ice Box
Hydroponics: Ebb / Flow with 55 Gal nutrient barrel in veg room
Water for Chiller: 55 Gal barrel in veg room
Pump: 1/6 hp, 1200 GPH (do I need 2?)

Now the $100K question... What size chiller would I need for this set up?
Is there anything in the drawing that looks wrong?room2.jpg
 

berkman858

Well-Known Member
Thanks UncleBurnie you reminded me of a question, Scooby do you exchange the air in your grow rooms or do you run it completely sealed? I have heard it's ok to run a completely sealed room with no air exchange if you have CO2 supplementation but it kind of worries me. I was planning on exchanging the air every hour or two.
 

ScoobyDoobyDoo

Well-Known Member
I am new to this forum stuff. Confusing. Instead of phillipchristian I presume you are now scoobydoobydoo?? Am I correct?
I just built 3 grow rooms and need to figure out climate control. Is it possible to communicate by my emailing you vrs this site?
yea, you can email me but i have no way of contacting you on this site to give you my email address without posting it for everyone. you need to post a little more so that you can get private messaging turned on. try asking the site admin or one of the mods if they can turn it on for you. then i can send you a message with my email address.
 

ScoobyDoobyDoo

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

I'm thinking about setting up a sealed, water cooled room and could use the advice of you knowledgeable people. I may vent the room occasionally, but would really like to keep it sealed as much as possible.

Here are the specifics:

Climate: 75F-95F in the summer and 40F-70F in the winter. I plan on running the lights at night when it's cooler.
Room: 10'x12'x8' and well insulated. The flowering section is 7'x10' and separated from the veg section by uninsulated drywall.
Lights: Flowering 4 x 600W HPS / Veg room is florescent
Ballasts: Digital and outside of the room.
CO2: Gas Generator
Dehumidifier: 70 pints
Fans: (2) 400 CFM inline & (2) oscillating fans in room
Filters: (2) carbon filters
Heat Exchangers: (2) 6" Ice Box
Hydroponics: Ebb / Flow with 55 Gal nutrient barrel in veg room
Water for Chiller: 55 Gal barrel in veg room
Pump: 1/6 hp, 1200 GPH (do I need 2?)

Now the $100K question... What size chiller would I need for this set up?
Is there anything in the drawing that looks wrong?View attachment 2378253
looks like a pretty solid setup to me. look at the flotec centrifugal pumps. 1/2hp should be plenty. they have multiple ports so you will only need 1. if you are getting a hydro innovations Co2 generator then you will need to supply it with a dedicated line from the pump; running it on the manifold used for the reservoir and the ice boxes won't supply it with enough pressure. use a t-ball valve on the supply line for the nutrient reservoir coil. it's the easiest way to control the water flow which in turn will control the temperature. you don't want the water too cold. you'll have to play with it a little bit to get it dialed in. if your room get's down to 40 degrees during the winter then you had better get a space heater in there. that is WAY too low. with Co2 you want your flower room at 80-84 with lights on and 70-78 with lights off. in veg you want to keep it around 74-78.

if it get's that cold where you are then your chiller really won't have to work that hard. this is just an "educated" guess; but i would say a 1hp chiller should be plenty. like i stated earlier though; it depends on the chiller. some of the cheap brands really only perform to 60-80% of their rated output. even so, i think you'll be just fine with a 1hp unit. probably even a 3/4hp unit. use a smaller reservoir; they are easier to cool and more efficient. try a 20-30 gallon reservoir.

Thanks UncleBurnie you reminded me of a question, Scooby do you exchange the air in your grow rooms or do you run it completely sealed? I have heard it's ok to run a completely sealed room with no air exchange if you have CO2 supplementation but it kind of worries me. I was planning on exchanging the air every hour or two.
i run my rooms completely sealed with Co2. never had a problem. if you want to exhaust your room then do it after lights off and right before lights on. run the exhaust fan for 30 minutes both times and you'll be fine. you don't want to do it during lights on because you want the elevated Co2 levels in the room. exhausting the air during lights on just brings in fresh air and exchanges out the stale air that builds up in the room. no need to exhaust it every few hours though.
 

UncleBurnie

Active Member
Thanks for the input ScoobyDoobyDoo! I've been stressing the chiller size. I was figuring 1hp based on the info I could find, but having someone with practical experience chime in really helps. I am planning on an H.I. CO2 generator, so I'll rethink how I hook it up.
 

Sr. Verde

Well-Known Member
hey bud, i think you are going to need a 1hp chiller to cool those lights and the rooms. remember, you aren't going to cool the room by just putting 1 ice box on your hood. that will cool the hot air exhaust from the light but it will not be enough to cool the ambient temps of the room or the heat produced by other equipment like the dehumidifier. you will most likely need another ice box in the room as a spot chiller. you will need a reservoir and pump for the chiller. you will need tubing and pvc manifolds to run the chilled water to the ice boxes.

as for the electical issues, you are going to need to get an electrician in there to upgrade your service. you will most likely need another 30amp service running to our room.
Thanks man. I'm totally calling up an electrician recommended by my hydro store on monday.

I have the PVC manifold, and hot and cold lines figured out. I understand I'll need a sump pump also.

So if all goes to plan, you would suggest the 1hp? My plan was to have a filter outside tents , run it into the 1000 w tent, then into an ice box, into the 600w tent, through the hood and through another ice box, then out the other side.

So I was going to have 2 ice boxes, where would you recommend I place a third?
 
yea, you can email me but i have no way of contacting you on this site to give you my email address without posting it for everyone. you need to post a little more so that you can get private messaging turned on. try asking the site admin or one of the mods if they can turn it on for you. then i can send you a message with my email address.
Howdy,
Not sure if it was yours or not but I sent an email to P...C...at yahoo Did you get it? Re what you stated - try asking the site admin or one of the mods if they can turn it on for you How do I contact them?
 

Warlock1369

Well-Known Member
Just go to toke and talk and bull shit with them there. You will find your post count high enough real soon. Then pm will open. I'm not sure how many you need. It eould probably be faster that way. Good luck
 
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