how cold is too cold???

My buddy left my chiller on 39F and brought the water down to 60F. What kind of damage am I looking at if we water with that? Its an ebb n flood table. Thanks in advance!

You've probably figured out that there was no damage. 64 degrees F is a great temp as far as keeping nutrient solution fresh and maximizing dissolved oxygen content.
I just ordered a JBJ titanium chiller for my 55gallon ebb and grow system.. The time of year I really need it is summer, which is over... but I think I will still chill down to 64. I hope to never have any bacteria grow in my hydro setups..
How do you like your chiller?

Bump

just got my chiller today.. I hook it up tomorrow.. How do you like yours? Do you have issues ever with it?

the cold temps might lock out a few base nutrients from being absorbed, but so long as the problem is corrected there should be minimal long term damage...assuming the plants are far enough through their growth that they are able to have stores of nutrients it's not a very big deal, their leaves may droop a little but no reason why they shouldnt bounce back

Duder1984 said:

the cold temps might lock out a few base nutrients from being absorbed, but so long as the problem is corrected there should be minimal long term damage...assuming the plants are far enough through their growth that they are able to have stores of nutrients it's not a very big deal, their leaves may droop a little but no reason why they shouldnt bounce back

Click to expand...

No there would be no locking out of any nutrients at 60 degrees.
Any plant that has green on it has stores of nutrient..
Leaves shouldn't droop due to cool root temps.

Dr. Howard Resh and George Van Patten (jorge cervantes) recommend hydro nute solution temps of 60-75F.

Duder, maybe you would benefit from reading this article:
http://bilberrybrian.com/2010/11/temperature-and-dissolved-oxygen-in-hydroponics/

yes 60F being at the lower end of the spectrum, so its logical to factor a 2 +/- differential and not just assume it holds at exactly 60F all the time

like i said if there is any danger in shock it is very minimal....cold fluids being used right at the peak of the wanning moon will cause a drop in temp internally in the upper plant structure..it is basic thermodynamics, when leaf surface is cold it collects additional moistures and burns off very little, causing drooping just the same as over watering. instead of a nutrient lock out you have a moisture lock in

You made all of that up. That is not how transpiration works, AT ALL.
While it is true that cold temperatures (under 60) inhibit water and nutrient uptake, it is not because the coldness is thermodynamically radiating up through the plant and chilling the leaves.
Explain again how you simulataneously achieve both droopy leaves and "moisture lock in"? Would a leaf with locked in moisture not remain turgid?

rate of transpiration is DIRECTLY related to the rate of evaporation at the surface of the leaf and plant surfaces. rate of evaporation is directly related to the temperature of water... if you have a specimen that has adapted to warmer water, then suddenly decreasing the temperature of the water it receives will slow down the rate of transpiration until the specimen is able to adapt. it is likely that doing this over time will stretch the stomata enough that you would see very little change if any from vastly changing water temperatures

Stomata aren't a hole that can be "exercised" by different water temps causing them to be stretched in some permanent fashion like a rubber gasket that has been stretched out...