Both of these points are why I would recommend a redundancy approach to your water pumps if possible. Multiple smaller pumps are a better insurance policy than one pump for everything.
Heatsinks for DIY LED lamps
- Thread starter SupraSPL
- Start date
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
This is silly. Properly chosen pumps are among the most reliable pieces of equipment in your whole garden, and having multiple smaller ones just hurts efficiency.
Worse, unless you've installed a bunch of back pressure inducing and expensive ball valves, if one pump fails the pressure from others will simply flow backwards through it.
So it appears you aren't any better at plumbing than any of the rest of the subject matter you're 'expert' at.
Way to ignore the only fucking question I wanted you to answer
Also, I think youre completely misinterpreting how my setup would work. Each pump would be to a separate light bar. Not to mention ball valves wouldnt really solve a back pressure issue, maybe youd want to look into what check valves are, idk, youre the expert lol.
This was my point. Just one extra layer of insurance.
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fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
I am planning on a manifold largely to keep the temps even across all units, although I had considered just running straight loop, either might work actually, just depends on what kind of heat the setup will be generating, and that has yet to be determined, since for me this is still theoretical until it's up and running.
I'm planning on using a Grundfos circulating pump, very reliable, efficient and inexpensive, this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Grundfos-UPS-15-40B5-Water-Circulating-Pump-230V-3-speed-50-HZ-/152120880126, just $70, an aftermarket car radiator and considering adding a small expansion tank just to eliminated vibration/pressure surge.
I've got the parts for the first build on the way, I'll post pics when they arrive, can't wait ;?D
I'm planning on using a Grundfos circulating pump, very reliable, efficient and inexpensive, this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Grundfos-UPS-15-40B5-Water-Circulating-Pump-230V-3-speed-50-HZ-/152120880126, just $70, an aftermarket car radiator and considering adding a small expansion tank just to eliminated vibration/pressure surge.
I've got the parts for the first build on the way, I'll post pics when they arrive, can't wait ;?D
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
Nice, do you have any pics, I'm still trying to decide the best way to mount the cob holders that doesn't involve drilling holes in the aluminium tubing. I can think of several ways (tape, zip ties, hose clamps, epoxy) although most of them ruffle my sense of style, iow they ain't purty, lol.
I did all the above for bonding lol. I've drilled out blocks of aluminum and plumbed the passages with one channel under each cob. I then drilled mounting holes all the way thru without hitting the water passages. I used several of these blocks in conjunction running 400w on one large block with 2x 120w satellites for side lights. It was a mad scientist looking contraption but it was bad ass in it's functionality!!!!!
Then I built the my nastykewl cob led heat sinks. I used extruded aluminum tubing that is several inches in diameter and36" long.i welded 1/2" thick caps on either end,tapped them to accept 1/4"npt fitting to 1/2" pex , then used 3/4 heater hose to the automotive heater core with a fan and finally dumps into a 5gallon bucket with a pump. Works great!!!!!!! I ran it 90days24/7 flawlessly on an og kush auto run.
I'll get pics soon, got a lil paranoid and never shot any.....now I'm moving and need to sell them
I'll get pics soon, got a lil paranoid and never shot any.....now I'm moving and need to sell them
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These are super cheap and easy to make. They make great side lights. Yeah those are Chinese cobs! Yes they will grow and yeah they don't compare at all to Cree,Vero etc. But they make great test subjects for newly crafted heatsinks!!!! I prefer Cree after proving my designs. I would suggest that anyone building a new watercooled cob set up do a trial run w cheap test cobs!
If Im reading the specs rights, with that pump I dont foresee you having any issues simply daisy chaining the lights together.
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
Wow, that first setup is wild looking, definitly mad lighting scientist meets Frankenstein's monster, lol. But when I first thought of going with water cooled blocks, it's kinda what I thought my entire grow room would look like if I used water blocks, which is what eventually led me to the idea of aluminum tubing instead. Man, I'll bet those solid aluminium blocks aren't cheap either, and roger that on the cost of all the fittings ;?D
Yeah that last build is more along the lines of what I'm thinking of. A 6" x 2" x 1/4" piece 48" long runs $61.20 (free shipping on orders over $125) on eBay,
But I'm thinking of cutting the ends of each tube to taper the ends to fit a 1/2" Threaded Half Coupling Aluminum 6061-T Schedule 40 Pipe Fitting, and then having a shop weld it together (I weld, but don't have a gas-fed mig welder). Btw, these run $1.78 a piece, also on eBay
I also bought some 1" x 2" angle aluminium, a 42" length cost $6.25 (same guy I bought the tubing from). This will be used for mounting the driver as well as a couple of pieces welded at each end for hanger brackets - probably only use half of this per fixture, so figure $3.13. Total for the parts comes to around $68 minus the welding cost. I use a local shop quite a bit, so they usually give me a good deal so if I have two of these made up I think the cost will be around $30 per fixture at most.
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Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
So will that even work? With the water inlet being only 1/2" opening to a huge area? Won't the flow lose pressure?
Wont pose a problem.
Airwalker16
Well-Known Member
So that entire open space will fill with water?
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
Well when you consider the capacity of that pump, which is used in an average-sized home. with a flow rate of 16-18 gpm (especially consider the short distance of the run), I believe that's plenty. But will the radiator dissipate enough heat, or will I need to add a holding tank/reservoir to add more volume to the system? That's something I'll have to find out I suppose, unless someone has a very similar setup, or if some math whiz can calculate the numbers, lol.
fearnoevil
Well-Known Member
Yes, if you're referring to the tubing. That will require a little bit of work initially to make sure the line has all the air flushed out. I'm thinking of adding a bleeder valve at the high point in the system in order to help with that, and also why I plan on tapering the ends to avoid pockets that might trap air, but that may unnecessary (having been a plumber, I think in terms of round tubes, not square, lol).
Uberknot
Well-Known Member
It would work better if there were small groves on the inside of that thing.
If you do make a bleeder valve you can get all the air out as it settles.
LOL! interesting. We call that HillBilly Construction.
If you do make a bleeder valve you can get all the air out as it settles.
LOL! interesting. We call that HillBilly Construction.
Move the lights around a bit after you hook up and power it up and all the air will be removed.
Even if the tubes werent completely filled with water there would still be plenty to cool it regardless, gravity is keeping the water in contact with the hottest part of the tubing.
Even if the tubes werent completely filled with water there would still be plenty to cool it regardless, gravity is keeping the water in contact with the hottest part of the tubing.