SpaceGhost
New Member
Here is the plans to a DIY water chiller for under 200.00
I was using my chest freezer to freeze gal jugs of water to place in my reservoir tanks to cool them down. Well after a high electric bill, I decided that this was a area that cold use some improvement and cut costs too. My chest freezer was running 100% of the time on the highest (coldest) #9 setting trying to keep up with making ice to keep my reservoirs cool, I would also run out of ice at times as the chest freezer just can't keep up with 6gal jugs a day to freeze. I would then neglect my plants and they might get 1 jug a day until more frozen jugs became available.
I am now able to set my chest freezer on the lowest #1 (warmest) setting saving $$ and never worry about high reservoir temps again. You can do multiple reservoirs and or even your buckets with this method.
Parts needed
Small chest freezer 50.00 Craigs list
Temp controller 65.00
550gph water pump 30.00
3/16 hose 20.00 100ft
3/8 aluminum tubing 25' ..22.00 use the Moroso aluminum fuel line
5/16 hose clamps 2.50 four pack
Initial cost is about 200.00. You can ad another pump and temperature controller and maintain 2/3 or 4 reservoirs and not have any heat issues. A temp controller and pump for every reservoir. To ad a reservoir the cost would be about 95.00 for the pump and temp controller
If you need more cooling turn down the freezer and ad anti freeze.
I 1st lined my chest freezer with 2 large bags before adding the water to it. I have the temp setting on #1 and it is maintaining about 40deg.
550gph pump at the bottom of my small chest freezer
The 3/8 aluminum tubing (fuel line) is easy to bend and manipulate to fit your reservoir, I cut the 25' piece in 1/2 and used it for for my 2nd flower room reservoirs, as of now I am running the chiller pump off my reservoir pump timer. every time my plants get their nutrients circulated the chiller pump turns on and cools the reservoirs down. I have not picked up the Temp controller as of yet.
What 1 would do is plug the chiller pump into the temp controller and place the thermocouple into the reservoir that way when the temp rises above 68deg in the reservoir, the pump turns on automatically and then shuts off when the reservoir cools back down to 68deg.
I was using my chest freezer to freeze gal jugs of water to place in my reservoir tanks to cool them down. Well after a high electric bill, I decided that this was a area that cold use some improvement and cut costs too. My chest freezer was running 100% of the time on the highest (coldest) #9 setting trying to keep up with making ice to keep my reservoirs cool, I would also run out of ice at times as the chest freezer just can't keep up with 6gal jugs a day to freeze. I would then neglect my plants and they might get 1 jug a day until more frozen jugs became available.
I am now able to set my chest freezer on the lowest #1 (warmest) setting saving $$ and never worry about high reservoir temps again. You can do multiple reservoirs and or even your buckets with this method.
Parts needed
Small chest freezer 50.00 Craigs list
Temp controller 65.00
550gph water pump 30.00
3/16 hose 20.00 100ft
3/8 aluminum tubing 25' ..22.00 use the Moroso aluminum fuel line
5/16 hose clamps 2.50 four pack
Initial cost is about 200.00. You can ad another pump and temperature controller and maintain 2/3 or 4 reservoirs and not have any heat issues. A temp controller and pump for every reservoir. To ad a reservoir the cost would be about 95.00 for the pump and temp controller
If you need more cooling turn down the freezer and ad anti freeze.
I 1st lined my chest freezer with 2 large bags before adding the water to it. I have the temp setting on #1 and it is maintaining about 40deg.
550gph pump at the bottom of my small chest freezer
The 3/8 aluminum tubing (fuel line) is easy to bend and manipulate to fit your reservoir, I cut the 25' piece in 1/2 and used it for for my 2nd flower room reservoirs, as of now I am running the chiller pump off my reservoir pump timer. every time my plants get their nutrients circulated the chiller pump turns on and cools the reservoirs down. I have not picked up the Temp controller as of yet.
What 1 would do is plug the chiller pump into the temp controller and place the thermocouple into the reservoir that way when the temp rises above 68deg in the reservoir, the pump turns on automatically and then shuts off when the reservoir cools back down to 68deg.
