Water Cooled Growers Unite!
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the main kicker for watercooling for me is : much easier to control multiple zones with simple plumbing, 1 condensor outside vs 2 mini split (damper package not an option) . 2tons is more than I need , more room for later . Skeptical om the chill king window unit. . In Canada all I can find are industrial type for injection moldingnothing like a banks 2ton
I'm no engineer. Just saying the Eco plus didn't seem all that bad for 1ton of cooling . More bad reviews on the chill king window mount , Amazon . The chill king is easier for me to get here in Canada online though I'm considering one
have you seen the guy on ebay selling converted 2 ton window units? they are like 700 bucks but seem properly engineered. he is fairly popular with aquarium folks. its nothing crazy, its certainly not a very efficient chiller, but i bet it would work for what ever you are looking to do.
its not a fancy flooded evaporator tube shell from what i can tell. its probably just an immersed coil.
if you are zoning the chill water, id recommend you install a bypass valve and not simply switch off the fan coil. especially if you are running chill water at sub 32 temperatures.
you could even run a duplex pump arrangement wherein one shuts off when the bypass valve is closed.
yea they probably expect you to waste the water down the drain, but you dont have to... you can build evaporative cooler, or a geothermal field, or pump well water and maby some other shit i cant think of.
i think the rule of thumb is 2gpm per ton so do the math. its probably going to cost you a shitload of money to run unless you have a river outside your house.
what r value are you looking for?
if its a moderate goal of say r10ish... just wrap an HDPE tank with mineral wool(rockwool) insulation.
roxxuls 'comfortboard IS' comes to mind... but its not available everwhere.
if its a moderate goal of say r10ish... just wrap an HDPE tank with mineral wool(rockwool) insulation.
roxxuls 'comfortboard IS' comes to mind... but its not available everwhere.
there are also shipping containers they use for transporting fish and seafood in general... no clue what they cost or what sizes are available. the only ones ive seen are basically an insulated IBC tote.
Try a large cooler like the igloo marine series.
err yea... coolers, idk why i didnt think of that.
i know yeti also makes very large coolers... they cost a shitload though.
the yeti stuff might be fiberglass now that i think about it.
not a great material to cut into unless you know wtf you are doing.
im thinking a uniseal bulkhead fitting would work well, but idk.
i know yeti also makes very large coolers... they cost a shitload though.
the yeti stuff might be fiberglass now that i think about it.
not a great material to cut into unless you know wtf you are doing.
im thinking a uniseal bulkhead fitting would work well, but idk.
The marine coolers already have a threaded drain hole. 1/2" in most cases. Some even have a small "reach-through" door built into the lid.
Thanks Guys .I'm gonna go and use a blue 50gallon plastic drum easily available . I will light proof it and try myself to insulate it . I don't want to reduce the suction size of 1 1/4 inches on the pump inlet so I will find a sized thru hull and make a hole .P.s I found a barrel today clean !
These are easily available for me . If I had one of these to act as my air handler along with my chiller . They can make me one with no solinoid valve so the water will flow 24/7 but the fans turn on/off as needed will that work as an air handler if properly sized ? To me it's the same thing is it ? Instead of cool to waste the water will recirculate .
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If one live in an arid climate, it is Tough to beat evaporative cooling for efficiency.
its exactly the same except your chiller would probably be colder. i dont see why you would want one without a solenoid. you simply power the solenoid on along with your fan when your room calls for cooling. the solenoid is probably going to be 24vac so it would just run off of your thermostat transformer. neglecting the solenoid means that if you ever need to add more fan coils, or more cooling zones, you will just need to add one back later. otherwise you will just be pumping cold water through your fancoil all day long... wasting energy as the fan coil itself has a decent pressure drop. when you close a solenoid, the water will simply bypass the fancoil, and continue on without loosing as much flow. generally speaking, the less pressrure any pump has to work against... the less torque required and the less energy is consumed at the motor. true for fans... blowers, most fluid pumps. not 100% true for some PD pumps though.
I'm using these fan coils with a chiller and reservoir . Closed loop the water needs to circulate 24/7 .with the fans coming off and on as needed . I'm going with the 2 fan unit
Can I ask you guys. Is It possible to use a complete walk in cooler like you have at a restaurant? Ive always thought about this? Would the unit be efficient for cooling HIDs?
If the cooler unit is putting out 34 degree air. Yes you could not have the cold air blowing directly on the plants without hurting them. But if you could adjust things with a solenoid as needed. And nothing would be more insulated then a walk in.
If the cooler unit is putting out 34 degree air. Yes you could not have the cold air blowing directly on the plants without hurting them. But if you could adjust things with a solenoid as needed. And nothing would be more insulated then a walk in.
way too costly... the panels and door assembly is like r40? its like 5 inches of solid foam so... costly. walkin freezers are also quite small capacity wise. most are around 3-6kbtuh. window units have larger capacities. checkout the nameplate on your fridge. these things have microscopic capacities.... and they dont need them because there is like 0 heat gain owing to indoor air temps and very good insulation. you could install a minisplit inside a walk in freezer enclosure... but why? the insulation panels cost a ball aching amount. just build out a room to like... r20 walls, r40 ceiling and be done with it. take the 5 grand you save and go fuck like 25 high end prostitutes.
Lol... true I was thinking of cooling units more so then the actual walk in cooler.
if by cooling units you mean condensing units from walk in freezers, no thats even worse.
they start at like 500 bucks then go up to like 1500 bucks for a paultry 12kbtuh unit. ive been looking into these units myself... but for micro chillers not hvac duty.
you are far better off with a conventional split ac system. way way way cheaper.
they start at like 500 bucks then go up to like 1500 bucks for a paultry 12kbtuh unit. ive been looking into these units myself... but for micro chillers not hvac duty.
you are far better off with a conventional split ac system. way way way cheaper.
So years after my initial post here, I now can afford to and I'm going to try this. I currently have 6x12' room with 4k lights in air cooled hoods. All the reading I do seems like adding water cooling to the lights could cause condensation issues INSIDE the hoods. sounds bad to me. So, I'm going to get heat exchanger to act as air conditioning for the room. (my room is not sealed I suck air out via 8" vortex on a scrubber)
So, with my air cooled lights, and the exhaust pulling cool air from the basement I can keep temps good most of the year. In the height of summer though I hit mid 90s. I have been turning off lights to keep it in check.
So next month I'm planning on buying a heat exchanger, and running my well water through it back into my well. The well water comes out at 55F. I'll build a little box for it so I can put one of my 6" fans on it, push/pull air through the exchanger into the room. My question to you guys is:
What size exchanger should I run? I'm looking at the ones of this site, unless someone has a better suggestion.
http://www.badger-pipe.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=COIL
Air conditioning is not an option. My electric bill is already too high. I already run water to the room so adding a line for the exchanger will be simple.
So, with my air cooled lights, and the exhaust pulling cool air from the basement I can keep temps good most of the year. In the height of summer though I hit mid 90s. I have been turning off lights to keep it in check.
So next month I'm planning on buying a heat exchanger, and running my well water through it back into my well. The well water comes out at 55F. I'll build a little box for it so I can put one of my 6" fans on it, push/pull air through the exchanger into the room. My question to you guys is:
What size exchanger should I run? I'm looking at the ones of this site, unless someone has a better suggestion.
http://www.badger-pipe.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=COIL
Air conditioning is not an option. My electric bill is already too high. I already run water to the room so adding a line for the exchanger will be simple.
