Grow Mediums How does everyone cool their reservoirs or buckets ???

I watched that video but I don't really get it, as it doesn't show you it in action. How am I supposed to get that copper cooling panel down into a 200L res with the short copper pipe it has? I think this option is not really the best option. Unless you can cut the copper pipe and lengthen it, but then the gas would come out.

I agree that pumping the nutrient solution into an aquarium chiller and back out into the reservoir isn't the best idea either.

Ideally you should just sit a copper coil inside the res. However these kinds of immersion copper coil chillers are very expensive.

I would love to be able to DIY some immersion copper coil chiller if anyone has any idea how to do this let me know.
 
Happy Horticulturist said:
I watched that video but I don't really get it, as it doesn't show you it in action. How am I supposed to get that copper cooling panel down into a 200L res with the short copper pipe it has? I think this option is not really the best option. Unless you can cut the copper pipe and lengthen it, but then the gas would come out.

I agree that pumping the nutrient solution into an aquarium chiller and back out into the reservoir isn't the best idea either.

Ideally you should just sit a copper coil inside the res. However these kinds of immersion copper coil chillers are very expensive.

I would love to be able to DIY some immersion copper coil chiller if anyone has any idea how to do this let me know.
Click to expand...

When you bend the cooling radiator down there will be enough room to lower it 4 or more inches down into the res. All it really needs is to be just submerged. You can't cut the tube and extend it unless you bleed off all the coolant first, then solder the connections and have it refilled with coolant. Not worth the effort when all you really need is for that radiator to clear the top of the water. there are several videos out there on this.
 
Happy Horticulturist said:
I watched that video but I don't really get it, as it doesn't show you it in action. How am I supposed to get that copper cooling panel down into a 200L res with the short copper pipe it has? I think this option is not really the best option. Unless you can cut the copper pipe and lengthen it, but then the gas would come out.

I agree that pumping the nutrient solution into an aquarium chiller and back out into the reservoir isn't the best idea either.

Ideally you should just sit a copper coil inside the res. However these kinds of immersion copper coil chillers are very expensive.

I would love to be able to DIY some immersion copper coil chiller if anyone has any idea how to do this let me know.
Click to expand...

You can build a heat exchange coil out of flexible copper tubing that they sell at Home Depot. You might also look at a stainless steel wert chiller for home brewing beer. If your tap water is cool enough you can run that through the coil for cooling.
 
jackmc said:
You can build a heat exchange coil out of flexible copper tubing that they sell at Home Depot. You might also look at a stainless steel wert chiller for home brewing beer. If your tap water is cool enough you can run that through the coil for cooling.
Click to expand...

Everything is a trade off. A cooling coil can work for sure, but you end up wasting water unless your running a closed system. A simple closed system could be another bucket with a small pump. Tap both buckets for uniseals, run the copper tubing between the buckets with the inlet and outlet in the control bucket. attach the pump to one side of the coil, with the pump drawing the water thru. add ice bottles etc to the control bucket. It will work, its just a lot lest efficient than a chiller, but would work fine for a small res.
 
That wouldn't work for my setups unfortunately as I've a 200L tank and the plants drink it fast enough the radiator part would be sitting out of the water in a day.

If you had a Haliea Chiller (as I do) you could run a hose from the outlet into a large copper coil sitting in the res. Another hose coming off the copper coil going into a smaller secondary res with just clean water in it, maybe with a bit of bleach to keep it sterile even. Inside this sterile clean water res is a pump that pumps the water up into the inlet of the Haliea chiller. Water gets cooled, comes out the outlet tube down into the copper coil in the res and back out into the clean water bucket. Cycle repeats over and over. If you had a big enough copper coil I would imagine the cold water from the haliea chiller would be enough to counter act the warming effect of the ambient air temperature.

I don't think the above method would work as fast as by passing the copper coil and extra res and just pumping the nutrient water straight into the chiller.

So why would I go to the effort to do this.. that's the question?

Serious question by the way, I'm not saying there's no point, I just don't know the reason why I should. If there is one please enlighten me. Thanks! :P
 
Pop22 is correct you will waste water if you use an open system and tap water. You might be better off buying a small aquarium chiller rather than building a closed system because of the complexity and cost. I'm with Bilbo if you want simple & affordable. You can insulate the frozen water bottles if you are afraid of ice against the roots. I've read somewhere on AFN of someone using a cooler as a res.
 
Happy Horticulturist said:
That wouldn't work for my setups unfortunately as I've a 200L tank and the plants drink it fast enough the radiator part would be sitting out of the water in a day.

If you had a Haliea Chiller (as I do) you could run a hose from the outlet into a large copper coil sitting in the res. Another hose coming off the copper coil going into a smaller secondary res with just clean water in it, maybe with a bit of bleach to keep it sterile even. Inside this sterile clean water res is a pump that pumps the water up into the inlet of the Haliea chiller. Water gets cooled, comes out the outlet tube down into the copper coil in the res and back out into the clean water bucket. Cycle repeats over and over. If you had a big enough copper coil I would imagine the cold water from the haliea chiller would be enough to counter act the warming effect of the ambient air temperature.

I don't think the above method would work as fast as by passing the copper coil and extra res and just pumping the nutrient water straight into the chiller.

So why would I go to the effort to do this.. that's the question?

Serious question by the way, I'm not saying there's no point, I just don't know the reason why I should. If there is one please enlighten me. Thanks! :P
Click to expand...

Which model do you use and how does the chiller for cooling the res? Do you run it with a thermostat? Thanks!
 
I'm not sure what model exactly. 250 or something. I have a submersible pump in the res, it circulates the nutrient solution through the chiller and back into the res. The chiller has a temperature you can set on it. I set mine so it's between 17 - 19 degrees celcius.
 
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