Hillbilly Chiller help Please!

Hello everyone!
So I took this guys advise and built a hillbilly chiller...

Here's where I found it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCwmAX9mKmw

Here's a couple pics of mine



Right now I'm using a puny 60 gph pump and will be getting a 185. My problem is the back buckets are filling up and the front buckets only fill half way... Do I need to put some pumps in the back buckets? How do I keep all 4 buckets even?

Thanks for your imput!

Beau

just off the cuff I'd say the line diameter isn't large enough for the system to self level...that's my take anyway

Thanks for the respose JohnnySocko! You're probably right, they're only 1/2 inch lines, but exactly the specs that dude had in the video. Does anyone have any ideas how to fix this, with the same lines? pumps in the back buckets maybe? lift the back buckets up a couple inches maybe? I dunno...

Not at all familiar with your setup but if the back bucket are the first in the series to be filled then yes bigger hoses, or smaller pump would help I think. I know your system is built but would it not be better to have the return lines at the top were you would want the max level to be? Sorry if its a stupid question, i run a flood and drain type system with continuos recirc.

I'd say give those lunch boxes back. Hell add ice to ur water if u wanna chill her I do. Lmao and she's just fine

from what I see in your pictures , but hard to tell

what I think is happening is that on your feed line you installed a 4 way and at that point the bulk of the water is going straight to your back 2 coolers ,therefore filling up first.(head pressure)

so you will have to experiment a little. with either raise up the back 2 coolers to create head more head pressure

or down size the line feeding the back 2 coolers , but this is a lot of time and work to get it just rite . (Dialed in)

I would opt to build a manifold rite after the water leaves the chiller ,insuring you even water distribution .

I would come off the pump in 3/4 inch and set up my manifold with 4 3/4" x 1/2'' on the bull Tees . I would build this manifold about 3 feet long ,just to give extra water volume.

Gave this a little more thought and trying to make it easy for you ,being your plumbed in already

either put ball valve on the line going to the 2 back coolers so you can adjust the flow to the back coolers. but still risky

or install a ball valve for every cooler to adjust flow on all 4

What do you guys do when the roots plug the return lines at the bottom of the pails? I just pulled them out of my overflow tube this morning in one of my upper trays. I can lift lid and reach in but can't see doing that with a pail. Also i do have a second overflow just above the upper level of water incase of blockage that runs to lower tote. When it starts to let water out I know its root cleaning time lol.

BUY SOME 5 gal buckets call it a day few dollars at walmart add ice if water gets too warm.. LOL laugh all you guys want but my R/O ice cubes cost me less than any CHILLER would..just saying

jrainman said:

from what I see in your pictures , but hard to tell

what I think is happening is that on your feed line you installed a 4 way and at that point the bulk of the water is going straight to your back 2 coolers ,therefore filling up first.(head pressure)

Click to expand...

Here's a couple better pictures...



Unfortunately I wouldn't know the first thing about building a manifold, whatever that is, nor Ball valves. I am the epitamy of a novice.

And Deusracing, my little lunch boxes have grown me 3 harvests of 1lb plants each. I actually switched to those because they keep the water cooler longer than the 5 gallon buckets I was using. But I still would add ice bottles to every cooler about every 3 or 4 hours. The theory is I'll only have to add to the one bucket now... Who knows, live and learn right? So right now I'm expirementing with lifting the back buckets up a couple inches.... I'm seeing the water levels going down in the back ever so slightly.

Crazy, now the level in the back buckets is lower but the front chiller bucket is filling up more and the 2 front buckets are staying at the same level.. Grrrr frustrating.

I have a large tote that i can sit two 5 gal buckets in and then, add water in the tote, about half way up the 5 gal buckets. Afterwards, I still have room in there for three 2 litres of ice (old ginger ale bottles that i filled with tap water) that I rotate in the deep freeze, six in all. So buckets sit in cooled water when it gets too hot. I find its a good system for 2 buckets.

Sounds pretty cool there Smootherpete, great idea. Well it appears I've got it as far as the water levels go. I raised back buckets up a few inches as well as the front chiller cooler. It appears to have done the trick... Now I'm just concerned about the lights. They're not directly above my plants. I'm using 2 600 HPS... Time will tell I suppose. I'll post some more pics tomorrow. Thanks guys for all the input!!

Jeez I have tried the froozen bottles but I just find it a huge pain in the ass! I seem to have to add like two or three bottles to get it to drop at all and it only lasts 4-5 hours. I shut the whole thing down come summer cause its just to hard to deal with.

Yea well I was hoping to flower before summer comes around, I'm switching next week. This summer I think I'll be using coco only.