Dwc heat solutions?

[SuperHI TnT]

Recently I started a grow and due to discretionary reasons I had to move it into my attic which is literally as hot as hell during the day. My grow box is 2" thick styrofoam and is insulated well from the environment. The problem isn't the attic though...it's the three cobs that are causing the heat problems. I checked the temp in one of my buckets using my finger and it felt like a boiling jacuzzi. Anyway I've plumbed some water pipes up into the attic so I can run a water cooled system. I have one stainless wort chiller for a
3.5g bucket but I have two other 3g totes that I need to cool as well. Has anyone ever thought of using aluminum beverage bottles in place of a wort chiller? The bottles I'm going to try are in the pic below. Any other diy heat exchanger ideas would be much appreciated.

Sincerely, SuperHiTNT

 

[rkymtnman]

invest in an aquarium chiller in you plan on sticking with dwc

 

[SuperHI TnT]

Why would I invest in a water chiller when I have access to FREE tap water?

 

[SuperHI TnT]

My grow box is in an attic down here in central florida and a water chiller is just not practical. I can't put a chiller in the grow box because of space issues and I can't put it outside the growbox because the attic gets well over 100*f during the day which means the chiller can't disperse the heat into the air.

 

[rkymtnman]

Why would I invest in a water chiller when I have access to FREE tap water?

if your water temp is 65 to 68F, you're good to go.

you don't pay a water bill?

 

[SuperHI TnT]

My tap water temp is somewhere around 77*

 

[WeedFreak78]

Florida. Attic. 100+F.

Without AC or a water chiller, I don't think you'll get the temperature differential you'll need to get the res' down to a reasonable temperature. You're in Florida, run an AC duct to the box. In combination with your tap water cooling system, it might work...

 

[WeedFreak78]

My tap water temp is somewhere around 77*

Good luck, even with the res's at 77F you're getting low on DO and begging for root problems.

Start filling those bottles with water and freezing them. Drop them in the res. You're going to need to change them out fairly often with those temps. If you put you're air pump in a small cooler and pack it with frozen bottles, it'll pump chilled air into the water. Build another box around the one you have so it's double insulated. Or maybe wrap it in the reflective insulation so the heat isn't absorbed.

In all honesty, I think you're screwed.

 

[rkymtnman]

My tap water temp is somewhere around 77*

plan B is needed.

 

[rkymtnman]

and i wouldn't put aluminum bottles in my res.

 

[SuperHI TnT]

My box is made of 2" thick styrofoam building insulation. The attic temperature doesn't actually have much of an effect on the box's inside temp. What is creating the heat problem is the three cobs I'm using. I'm going to insulate the rez's and see what effect that has and then go about bringing the temp down. I already have it somewhat under control in a temporary way...I'm only running one cob with one plant in the attic with the other two plants in my room under a 150w hps. The one in the attic I've been dropping frozen water into to keep it cool.

 

[SuperHI TnT]

Doesn't she look happy though?

 

[Altered State]

Your insulated Box would work good with a Res chiller or if the ambient air was cool , as it is with warm ambient air and light source heat you will surely consumes vast quantities of ice over the course of the grow. Hence why people use water chillers.

 

[WeedFreak78]

Doesn't she look happy though?

Not really, I see leaf curl and tacoing from excessive heat. Is the box ventilated?

 

[SuperHI TnT]

Not really, I see leaf curl and tacoing from excessive heat. Is the box ventilated?

Yeah it's ventilated...atm I only have one blower and I use it for intake. I also have an exhaust but no fan.

 

[SuperHI TnT]

It saddens me to think that the only solution to this problem is ridiculously expensive...I'm tired of pouring money into this stupid hobby.

 

[maxamus1]

Just an idea but what if u put a 55 gal drum in the room below ur tent then do a rdwc. Keeps water cool and you dont need an air pump or stone just a water pump to pump the water up.

 

[SuperHI TnT]

Just an idea but what if u put a 55 gal drum in the room below ur tent then do a rdwc. Keeps water cool and you dont need an air pump or stone just a water pump to pump the water
up.

Idk if that would work but I really like where your head is at. My box is directly over the hot garage but I may be to run a couple of pipes from my room which shares a wall with the garage. It may be a viable solution actually

 

[Altered State]

If there is will there is a way , I use the cool basement air to aerate the res with and the nutrient temps stay between 65 and 69

 

[rkymtnman]

soil grow instead. problem solved.