OK Here are the results of my DIY water chiller.
As you know I tried the portable cooler. Low wattage thermal electric cooler.
I ran seven loops of tube inside and back to the res.
I realize this is with no insulation and I probably could get better hose but I wanted to see what it would do.
It got maybe 2 degrees cooler.
After I got the new small refer home I realized it was different then the DIY I had read.
The evaporator or grid was not on the back. I figured it was just inside the back panel.
I disconnected the thermostat
Then used my disk grinder to cut because I didn't have a cutting blade.
Then basically peeled back the case to find the coils were ran around the fridge.
(looks blue because I am under a blue canopy)
I looked at it and thought "how the hell am I going to get this to work" I went this far, Might as well finish.
After cutting a hole for the cooling unit I slid everything out the front and left the system intact.
The lost my shade so I took a break until sundown. It was 97 degrees.
Then I took the res and set it inside the system and carefully bent the cooling tray inside.
It was still about 93 degrees outside but no direct sun.
Here is the back
I let it run with the thermostat set in the middle for about an hour.
It cooled about 4 degrees. The thermostat was under water and I didn't know if that made any difference but
I drained about a gallon of water so it set in the air. Then I realized I didn't have anything to compare it to so I
got a home depot bucket and filled it with water too. I set a thermometer it that as well.
I turned the thermostat all the way up, kept the circulating pump on and left them until noon today.
Todays outside temps are 101 degrees.
Here is the uncovered bucket of water temp 84 degrees
I really didn't think this was going to work, well I looked inside,
Then checked the temp. 58 degrees.
AWESOME! 26 degrees cooler without any insulation!
I am circulating the res with a small 180 gpm pump.
Now that is worth working with. Now I need to figure out out to insulate it.
I am thinking about sandwiching the coils between Styrofoam and venting the compressor somehow in the cabinet.
It is a sealed system so I cant extend the tube to the cooling unit and set it outside the cabinet. Unless I cut a 4x8 inch
hole in the side of the cabinet to fit the cooling unit through and then it is not very stealth.
But for those of you who have a grow room this will work well.
My guess would be in say a 10x10 room you may see a 5 degree increase in ambient temps.
But in my 2x4 cabinet with 2 foot height in the bottom I am afraid It will be more like 15 to 20 degrees.
I guess there is only one way to find out...
.
As you know I tried the portable cooler. Low wattage thermal electric cooler.
I ran seven loops of tube inside and back to the res.
I realize this is with no insulation and I probably could get better hose but I wanted to see what it would do.
It got maybe 2 degrees cooler.
After I got the new small refer home I realized it was different then the DIY I had read.
The evaporator or grid was not on the back. I figured it was just inside the back panel.
I disconnected the thermostat
Then used my disk grinder to cut because I didn't have a cutting blade.
Then basically peeled back the case to find the coils were ran around the fridge.
(looks blue because I am under a blue canopy)
I looked at it and thought "how the hell am I going to get this to work" I went this far, Might as well finish.
After cutting a hole for the cooling unit I slid everything out the front and left the system intact.
The lost my shade so I took a break until sundown. It was 97 degrees.
Then I took the res and set it inside the system and carefully bent the cooling tray inside.
It was still about 93 degrees outside but no direct sun.
Here is the back
I let it run with the thermostat set in the middle for about an hour.
It cooled about 4 degrees. The thermostat was under water and I didn't know if that made any difference but
I drained about a gallon of water so it set in the air. Then I realized I didn't have anything to compare it to so I
got a home depot bucket and filled it with water too. I set a thermometer it that as well.
I turned the thermostat all the way up, kept the circulating pump on and left them until noon today.
Todays outside temps are 101 degrees.
Here is the uncovered bucket of water temp 84 degrees
I really didn't think this was going to work, well I looked inside,
Then checked the temp. 58 degrees.
AWESOME! 26 degrees cooler without any insulation!
I am circulating the res with a small 180 gpm pump.
Now that is worth working with. Now I need to figure out out to insulate it.
I am thinking about sandwiching the coils between Styrofoam and venting the compressor somehow in the cabinet.
It is a sealed system so I cant extend the tube to the cooling unit and set it outside the cabinet. Unless I cut a 4x8 inch
hole in the side of the cabinet to fit the cooling unit through and then it is not very stealth.
But for those of you who have a grow room this will work well.
My guess would be in say a 10x10 room you may see a 5 degree increase in ambient temps.
But in my 2x4 cabinet with 2 foot height in the bottom I am afraid It will be more like 15 to 20 degrees.
I guess there is only one way to find out...
.
