Keeping the Res Cool...

I'm pretty new at hydro and I'm currently in the middle of a grow. I'm using a SH Bubbleponic system and a GH Waterfarm. I have the 6 gal res Bubbleponic in my veg room under 250 watts of CFL and my waterfarm in my flowering room under a 1000w hps. I live up north and my winters get pretty cold. For this reason I cut a hole from my flowering room into my veg room to keep the temp up and attached a 273cfm Dayton squirrel cage for ventilation. My temps in my Veg room stay at 78 degrees or so and my flowering room stay anywhere from 79-81 degrees. Unfortunately my res temperatures are at about room temp. I've employed frozen water bottles, ice cube top-offs (in my waterfarm, no roots touching the res yet.), and extra fans blowing around the res. But I can't seem to keep the resevoirs under 75.

Any innovative ideas for keeping the res cooler?

I'm familiar with the more conventional, much more expensive methods.
AC, water coolers, cooltubes, and the like.

I'm planning on going with a cool tube and moving the res out of the growing area after this grow so i just need something temporary, as I can't do this at the time being. Any Suggestions?

use your squirrel fan to duct outside air around the rez.

It will help cool your room better also.

I run my room at 65º in the winter.
That keeps my rez temps where I want them.
.

i say get rid of the hole inbetween the two rooms and let the temp fall....just use an aquarium heater...youll be alright

The squirrel cage is mounted to the wall so I'd just vent through the room. I'm planning on the 1000w HPS in a cooltube, exhausted by the 273 dayton into the veg through a 400w MH cooltube through a canfan, and a carbon filter out of the top of the veg room.

But that's after Christmas

I open the window and keep the room at 66

Earl, how do you mean around it? Blowing on it like a fan or containing the reservoir in a chamber cooled by outside air?

oh alright, gotcha

unfortunately, I'm growing in a basement which keeps a steady temp. of 70 degrees.

Any innovative ideas for keeping the res cooler?
Yeah, throw my x-girlfriend in there. That bitch will freeze it over in a few hours.

heh yeah I've been there before

Dang I was hoping for some good replies! Come summer I'm going to need to do something...

There was a thread I saw on RIU somewhere where a guy made a homemade chiller out of an old cooler, that had a hose running through, pumped, and he just add ice every few days.. just like a chiller.

I will search and see if I can find it.

find an old wall water fountain...they usually have chillers in them im thinkin about convertin an old one i got from my work.......not sure yet though

Yeah I think I know what your talking about. The one with the copper pipe inside the big circular fan right? run back into the res.

Sorry, I couldn't find that thread with the homemade chiller. It was pretty basic though, a coleman cooler packed with ice, a second pump in the reservoir that pumps through a coiled rubber tube in the cooler, back to the res.

I really like the drinking fountain idea! If you happen to convert, you should really post the finished project!!

You can't use a water cooler if,
your nutrient solution
has to comes into contact with the copper.

The salt in your nutes will chelate the copper
and your plants will die.

Aquarium chillers use Titanium heat exchangers,
and they will work without ill affect.

.

glad i found that out before i tried it....hahaha fucking stoner....


i still might try it out in a small trial setup

Oh no way huh Earl, glad I didn't do that halfway through flowering.

Nice catch Earl! That makes perfect sense.

You could probably still use it--you would just have to get creative. Maybe there is a way to recirculate water outside the unit through a rubber tube, coiled in your reservoir, and back to the unit. Not sure if that is directly possible depending on how the drinking fountain works, but you get the idea....