colling water

[classicratchet]

ive been looking at water chilers for my DWC system and they cost sooo much

So i had this idea to cool the water down by freezing a icecream container full of water in the freezer and put it in the water to cool it down soo kinda like a massive ice block
sence i live in Australia it gets pretty hot here some days

wat u guys think good idea or bad

 

[trichlone fiend]

...I've seen people do this.What are your res temps now?

 

[Makepeace]

Hey I think i know how to cool the res I'm a plumber from down under, so if you can run some kind of radiator with a fridge rater that should work...

 

[classicratchet]

there around 25c during the day and about 15ish at night so not super super hot but still i don't want to get root rot
if i do use the ice cream container idea sld i just freeze plain water or like mix some nutes in to it and of course get the PH to the right amount


to makepeace sounds like a great idea but i don't have a old fridge just lying around

 

[Mr.Bob Saget]

Using the blue ice packs that are made for coolers have been used before. If you are going to use an ice cream bucket with water, I would expect some of the water is going to get out and mix in with your nutrient solution as the ice melts.

What is too much for a chiller. I have seen them for $200 US.

 

[LEDZEP]

You can get a micro chiller made for small aquariums for about $100 US. They drop the rez temp 8-10 degrees F

Iceprobe Micro 50w Nano Aquarium Chiller Nova Tec

Google this: Aqua Euro CL-85 Micro Electronic Chiller

Not bad temp control for upto 12 gallons for $125

 

[LEDZEP]

Check this thread out, I was looking into doing something too, when it starts to warm up...

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/208004-diy-do-yourself-water-chiller.html

 

[sympLED]

I just set up a second rez on a shelf below my main reservoir that stays cooler cause it's out of the light. I just pump water from the lower cool rez up to the main reservoir and let it drain back into the lower reservoir. I placed a fan blowing on the drain tube and the water stays at a cool 68. I don't have a pump at all in the main tank. I hooked the drip irrigation up and pumped water from the lower reservoir directly to the little seedlings. After the roots go to the water I disconnected the drip and let the water flow into the main reservoir much faster. The plants like the constantly flowing nutrient solution around its roots. It's very cheap to do. Stealth hydro has a deal on the drain kits right now and I had to buy and extra sterilite container. That's it. Check out my bubbleponics re-circulator thread. I also have a 1 gallon water jug I froze for temperature emergencies but I have yet to use it. It's not good to dump ice right into the root zone so having the lower reservoir like mine allows you to cool the water below and pump it up to the top.

 

[Sub Zero]

I just set up a second rez on a shelf below my main reservoir that stays cooler cause it's out of the light. I just pump water from the lower cool rez up to the main reservoir and let it drain back into the lower reservoir. I placed a fan blowing on the drain tube and the water stays at a cool 68. I don't have a pump at all in the main tank. I hooked the drip irrigation up and pumped water from the lower reservoir directly to the little seedlings. After the roots go to the water I disconnected the drip and let the water flow into the main reservoir much faster. The plants like the constantly flowing nutrient solution around its roots. It's very cheap to do. Stealth hydro has a deal on the drain kits right now and I had to buy and extra sterilite container. That's it. Check out my bubbleponics re-circulator thread. I also have a 1 gallon water jug I froze for temperature emergencies but I have yet to use it. It's not good to dump ice right into the root zone so having the lower reservoir like mine allows you to cool the water below and pump it up to the top.

Damn good idea... + rep!

 

[LEDZEP]

Ok just an update....I'll let you know how it goes. I forked out some bills for the Aqua Euro CL-85 Aquarium Chiller ($175 Total), it has a digital temp guage and is pretty easy to setup. I removed my feeder tubes so now im gonna use the pump, i got with the system, with the chiller. Ill post an update on my grow journal with pics.