Chillers

[McBudz]

Looking for some feedback from thise who use water chillers / aquarium chillers to maintain their res temps.

What size chiller (hp rating ie 1/15, 1/12, 1/10th horsepower etc) are you using and for what size res?

What are your starting temps and what does the chiller bring the temp down too?

Do you need to run the chiller 24/7 or can you run a cyclic, like 4 on / 4 off etc.

My main concerns are my power consumption and I really dont want to get more than I need since it is a waste of elec and I'm are already out of my comfort area due to the current bill, not that I cant pay it just does not look good.

So without going the frozen water bottled method looking at cheapest automated way (since yes I am also a tad lazy not to mention too busy to swap out frozen bottles. My whole reason for going hydro was to limit my garden chores)

I do really like E-Scotts diy chiller but find that over time I'll get too lazy to change the ice.

Perhaps I could get away with a 1/15th chiller and a 55 gallon res.? I would liek to keep my res temp at 70 or below.. not sure of this is possible though with the amount of power I'm really willing to use.

So I'm open for discussions thanks!

 

[McBudz]

1/10 HP is good for me. I think you sent me a link to it? I will need 2 of them bro. ouchy

Are you running it yet? Do you need to run 24/7 or can you cycle it? 1 on 1 off 2 on 2 off etc?

 

[Stix]

I wouldn't think cycling the chiller would really help much. The chiller should have a built in thermostat, therefore it will only actually "chill" when the nutrient rises up above a set temperature. If you turn it off for an hour or 2 then back on it's gonna take that much longer for your chiller to cool down the nutrients again. Thus cancelling out and savings you made by turning the chiller off in the first place. Same concept as Central Air Conditioning in a house. It's cheaper to keep the AC on all day even when your at work instead of turning it off when at work then turning it back on when you get home. It would run continously for a long period of time just to get the house cool again instead of it cycling on and off on its own during the day.

Note: I don't have any numbers to back up my theory. Therefore its just that "a theory" .

 

[McBudz]

I wouldn't think cycling the chiller would really help much. The chiller should have a built in thermostat, therefore it will only actually "chill" when the nutrient rises up above a set temperature. If you turn it off for an hour or 2 then back on it's gonna take that much longer for your chiller to cool down the nutrients again. Thus cancelling out and savings you made by turning the chiller off in the first place. Same concept as Central Air Conditioning in a house. It's cheaper to keep the AC on all day even when your at work instead of turning it off when at work then turning it back on when you get home. It would run continously for a long period of time just to get the house cool again instead of it cycling on and off on its own during the day.

Note: I don't have any numbers to back up my theory. Therefore its just that "a theory" .

Cool I got ya makes sense. Thanks! Forgot about he chiller having a thermostat.. I guess you would then have to let the pump cycle continuously, if your chiller required an external pump and did not have an external temp probe? What happens in the Ebb and grow when the buckets are filled? The pump runs dry?

 

[Tead]

Any way you can insulate your res? It sure made a huge difference my temps. My neighboor was insulating his house with the blown in gooey stuff. I just handed him my tank, and his insulators sprayed it quick and easy. This would help keep costs down too.

Cheers!

 

[420fied]

I have a 1/10th HP chiller. This chiller is rated for an 85 gallon res. My res only holds 15 gallons so It's more than enough. See pics in my journal.

You've got to order an inline pump to operate the chiller as it does not come with one. I have a danner 500gph mag drive pump which works beautifully.

The chiller will run you 350 to 400 on Ebay and the pump will run you 60 to 80.... figure on spending 500 dollars total but it's worth it.

I would not grow this way without this piece of equipment.

 

[JDJP]

im gunna bring this thread back up.

did you get a chiller mcbudz?

I was wondering if one of those cold water dispensers would work as a chiller.
maybe coil a bunch of 1/4" tubing in there and fill with water. pump from res through tubing right back into res. make a foam top to keep the heat in.

has anyone tried it?

 

[McBudz]

im gunna bring this thread back up.

did you get a chiller mcbudz?

I was wondering if one of those cold water dispensers would work as a chiller.
maybe coil a bunch of 1/4" tubing in there and fill with water. pump from res through tubing right back into res. make a foam top to keep the heat in.

has anyone tried it?

havent got one yet but am still in the market if I go watercooled reflectors.

I'm sure you could get something to work for with that setup