The Official Dwc Cooler Club - Any Kind of Cooler Res
- Thread starter Flo Grow
- Start date
Hawaii Medical User
Member
Ok so I am not int he club yet but I will be soon. I plan on taking apart a mini fridge and putting the cooling unit inside the res…. Has anyone ever done this will it work well?
dbkick
Well-Known Member
a friend and I were just talking about the use of peltier coolers in this application. he was arguing the hot side of the cooler could be used for something, my argument to him was if there was a need for a peltier cooler in the first place the heat would be useless and even damaging to what you're trying to achieve. Now on the other hand if you could isolate the hot side of the peltier out of the grow room it may work. Mini fridge sounds interesting but also complicated and possibly dangerous. whats your plan?
I've thought about using peltier devices as well when summer comes around. There's always heat created when you cool, whether you do it through a peltier device or phase change with a compressor/evaporator like a mini fridge. A peltier will be much more simple, though not quite as efficient.
A PC fan/heatsink on the hot side would be enough on most peltier devices around 50W or so to disperse the heat into the room and exhaust it out through your existing ventilation. You'll need to do the same thing with the compressor/condensor on a mini frdge/chiller or any other type of phase change unit. Though it is easier to remove the compressor/condensor sectrion from the room while leaving the evaporator.
I've just got regular buckets right now for my DWC, but I will probably end up insulating them well before summer comes around. Right now the res's for veg and bud sit in a "cold room" A little area I made for them that the passive intake from the basement passes through. It stays really chilly in there and my res temps are always around 60-65, though that will change as the seasons do I'm sure. I'll probably switch to some 2" styro for a lid and I'm thinking I might try to find a slightly larger bucket than a 5 gallon and use some spray insulation between them.
A PC fan/heatsink on the hot side would be enough on most peltier devices around 50W or so to disperse the heat into the room and exhaust it out through your existing ventilation. You'll need to do the same thing with the compressor/condensor on a mini frdge/chiller or any other type of phase change unit. Though it is easier to remove the compressor/condensor sectrion from the room while leaving the evaporator.
I've just got regular buckets right now for my DWC, but I will probably end up insulating them well before summer comes around. Right now the res's for veg and bud sit in a "cold room" A little area I made for them that the passive intake from the basement passes through. It stays really chilly in there and my res temps are always around 60-65, though that will change as the seasons do I'm sure. I'll probably switch to some 2" styro for a lid and I'm thinking I might try to find a slightly larger bucket than a 5 gallon and use some spray insulation between them.
dbkick
Well-Known Member
I might try to find a slightly larger bucket than a 5 gallon and use some spray insulation between them.
Hey good info on the cooling devices. about spraying the buckets , thats just not cost effective if you look at the price of one of these team water jugs , like just over 20 bux, spray insulation is gonna cost I'd say. I was actually thinking the same thing with these totes I'm currently using but have since decided to just buy ready to go things such as igloo coolers, I'll probably be the igloo cooler poster boi before I'm done. luckily I don't have the room for a bunch of 150 quart ones like some of us , because I sure don't have the money(90 bux a pop).
Hey good info on the cooling devices. about spraying the buckets , thats just not cost effective if you look at the price of one of these team water jugs , like just over 20 bux, spray insulation is gonna cost I'd say. I was actually thinking the same thing with these totes I'm currently using but have since decided to just buy ready to go things such as igloo coolers, I'll probably be the igloo cooler poster boi before I'm done. luckily I don't have the room for a bunch of 150 quart ones like some of us , because I sure don't have the money(90 bux a pop).
dbkick
Well-Known Member
I seriously want to try this peltier cooler idea but think I may be going to get in over my head, My idea involves cutting a hole through all but the inside liner of the cooler, cut it the size of the sink on the cold side of the peltier chip.insert insulate and fasten the peltier cooler so the hot side is on the outside of the igloo cooler totally isolated from the inside of the res, my question would be do you think there would be enough transfer from the cold side of the peltier through the thin liner of the cooler to make a difference? I'm thinking 3 peltiers (higher wattage) per 100 quart cooler. anyone, anyone??
BeaverHuntr
Well-Known Member
Thats a nice cooler... Real nice... +Rep
BeaverHuntr
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a lot of work .. I was always taught "keep it simple"
dbkick
Well-Known Member
Booorrrrinnggg! haha, to each his own .
Drill a hole through the cooler, mount the peltier on the outside, heatsink on the hotside facing out, attach aluminum pipe to cold side of peltier going through hole into cooler. Seal it up and you're good.
You can get 50W peltiers on ebay for a few dollars each. Some reused PC heatsink/fans for free, maybe have to buy some type of submergable cooling thermostat to turn it on/off. Might have to spend a couple more dollars on some aluminum pipe. All in all though, if you've got some DIY in ya, you could make a nice cooling system for well under $50 if you're resourceful.
You can get 50W peltiers on ebay for a few dollars each. Some reused PC heatsink/fans for free, maybe have to buy some type of submergable cooling thermostat to turn it on/off. Might have to spend a couple more dollars on some aluminum pipe. All in all though, if you've got some DIY in ya, you could make a nice cooling system for well under $50 if you're resourceful.
BeaverHuntr
Well-Known Member
Yeah dude just from the looks of your cooler pics you seem like you like to build shit I mean that cooler is nice. You are the "Mcguyver Smoker " lol from half baked..
dbkick
Well-Known Member
Actually building shit gives me a pain in the ass(headache) but also is very satisfying when shit works out(its usually not the first time). I usually spend more than I'd pay for a commercially produced item but then you don't see many peltier coolers in aeroponic/dwc/hydro grow units so its probably a fairly custom/expensive item . The thought came to mind to build these things and sell them on craigslist. I've seen a lot of totes on craigs but for some reason no coolers.
dbkick
Well-Known Member
Shafto, I'm wanting to try to do this without penetrating the coolers inner liner because I want to mount the peltier and sinks below the water level.You're talking about using an aluminum pipe for the cold side though and this might be better, I was talking about just having two computer heatsinks mounted on both sides of the peltier ,the one on the cold side being a touch smaller so it will be easy to seal up the outside of the cooler. thoughts?
You would have to have it go in under the water level or you'd lose efficiency cooling the air. A threaded piece of aluminum with a gasket and and a threaded collar, just like the bulkhead fittings used for DWC, would be best.
If not push it through and load it up with silicone. If you don't pierce the inner wall of the cooler there's really not much point in doing it.
You don't need a heatsink meant for air on the cold side in the water. Liquid will exchange the heat much better than air, you don't need near the surface area. That's why PC water cooling "blocks" are just that.. small blocks. A 4-6" long piece of 1" pipe will do fine.
If not push it through and load it up with silicone. If you don't pierce the inner wall of the cooler there's really not much point in doing it.
You don't need a heatsink meant for air on the cold side in the water. Liquid will exchange the heat much better than air, you don't need near the surface area. That's why PC water cooling "blocks" are just that.. small blocks. A 4-6" long piece of 1" pipe will do fine.
dbkick
Well-Known Member
Now you're talking about introducing a metal to the res, I've been told copper is safe but what about aluminum . I'm pretty ripped and will leave it at that.
I've heard the opposite.. but I've also heard that PVC solvent glue is bad.. wich is totally untrue.. used in drinking water lines all time, as is copper and aluminum. One goof probably didn't let it cure properly before flooding his system or something and started a whole myth about it. It's just a solvent.. it weldes the two pieces together through solvent melting and then evaporates.
If you're really worried about the aluminum reactiing in your res, you can anodize it with 12V battery, or power supply, and some battery acid/sulfuric acid. Anodizing is basically like building up a thick oxide layer, about 1-3mil thick. Thick layer is porous and can be died with organic dies of different colours, and then the pours can be sealed by boiling in water or nickel acetate.
I have my own home anodizing system. Pretty simple to build if you're the inventor type.
If you're really worried about the aluminum reactiing in your res, you can anodize it with 12V battery, or power supply, and some battery acid/sulfuric acid. Anodizing is basically like building up a thick oxide layer, about 1-3mil thick. Thick layer is porous and can be died with organic dies of different colours, and then the pours can be sealed by boiling in water or nickel acetate.
I have my own home anodizing system. Pretty simple to build if you're the inventor type.
dbkick
Well-Known Member
Dunno about the pvc glue being bad but I don't use it anymore, I use all threaded pieces anymore. Just bought the stuff to make a cloner, bought a cycle timer too although I'll find a use for it somewhere I really didn't need it, think I'll time my air intake with it.