OB Cron Kenobi
Well-Known Member
wow... thats a crazy unique idea! Best Luck, will definitely check back
Approx:8-20degree DYI Chiller
- Thread starter CustomHydro
- Start date
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
LOL! Thats probably only a tray and motor No separate compressor or anything. My fridge is rare in that it has 2 systems in it, one for the freeze and another for the fridge part. Most just do a little regulation and use a single.
Hey I lost track or the original idea. Was it to cool a water res or the air temp?
CustomHydro
Well-Known Member
To cool the water, my friend...
ganjagoddess
Well-Known Member
See thats what was confusing some people in the beggining, I think they thought it was to cool air. haha
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
I'm pondering using one for air cooling.
But I'd leave it all together and poke a few holes in the walls.
Make an acrylic res (since the inside shapes are odd and acrylic is easy to work with)
Add a pump and a pair of hoses going to a radiator with a fan.
(would also help as a dehumidifier a little too)
But I'd leave it all together and poke a few holes in the walls.
Make an acrylic res (since the inside shapes are odd and acrylic is easy to work with)
Add a pump and a pair of hoses going to a radiator with a fan.
(would also help as a dehumidifier a little too)
OB Cron Kenobi
Well-Known Member
I think bigbudballs idea is spot on, and thats what i was hoping this one was, but i have long realized it wasnt- and am still very impressed by the ingenuity displayed by my fellow growers! props
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
Just gotta tune it to the delta temps A flow restricteor just after the radiator can make that easy.
CustomHydro
Well-Known Member
Never really thought about using it 4 that... You could also take the heating element out of a dehumidifier and it would be similar. All a dehumidifier does is reheat the air before it blows it back out....They ussually have a 1/6th horse power chiller in them....
BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
I'm not so sure about that. Gotta look into it. But I was under the impression that a dehumidifier was basically an AC unit. The cold (evaporator) condenses the water in the air. The heat is from the condenser. (cools the freon after the compressor. )
CustomHydro
Well-Known Member
I'm sure u are right. I was talking out of my ass, and I threw a guess out there....So, the air coming out of the dehudifier must blow over the condenser (maybe to cool it) and in turn the air comes out warmer. Am I correct here. Do u think there would be a way to control the heat so the unit could be used as a portable ac? I actually just bought a window ac and I will be modifying it to be a portable ac in another DYI. First I still have to finish my water chiller.
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BigBudBalls
Well-Known Member
No, not really. You would have to adjust the superheat and subcool of the system. Thats quite a bit of work.
The unit is basically an AC already, just on a smaller scale, so the condenser doesn't get that hot, thus in turn the evaporator doesn't get too cool. The idea is to cool the air running over the evaporator just a bit below the dew point to condense any water vapor in it back into water.
The more cool you get the more heat you get too.
CustomHydro
Well-Known Member
Thanks 4 the info! +Rep
EDIT...
Hey BBB, I just bought a window AC. I figured out all the vents are intake and the only exhaust of heat is out the ass end. I want to use this for a portable ac/dehumidifier... My plan is to run a 6inch duct off of the ass end and vent the hot air with the rest of my exhaust, and mount a removable drip pan to catch the condensation. Do u forsee any problems with this?
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CustomHydro
Well-Known Member
I finally had a chance to test this thing out and I'm very impressed
I did this on a hot day to make sure the unit wouldn't be stressed in the grow room if temps run out of control. I put 20gals of room temperature water in a tub and set what used to be the freezer box in the smallest type of a dorm room fridge right in to the tub of water and plugged in the compressor/motor. I kept the room closed off to see how much heat is generated by the unit.
Test Results:
To Start
Room Size= 6x8x8
Room Temp=90F
Water Temp=88F
Water Amount=20Gal.
Room Size= 6x8x8
Room Temp=90F
Water Temp=88F
Water Amount=20Gal.
2 Hours Later
Room Temp=100F (+10 degrees)
Water Temp=63F (25degree drop) (37 degrees under room temp)
Room Temp=100F (+10 degrees)
Water Temp=63F (25degree drop) (37 degrees under room temp)
Conclusion:
This thing produces some serious cooling power, but at the same time the compressor gets hot and may need to be boxed up and vented out the grow room if heat is a problem. The room temp went up 10 degrees but it was enclosed with no ventilation at all so I could see the true cooling power of this thing.
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inspired333
Member
Man, this was a great post.And you got such great results (considering the room was completely sealed with no ventilation), 25* drop - That's awesome.Thanks for the effort. I've been thinking of this for a long time, except only running lines through the fridge 'cause I didn't know how to go about removing what needs to be removed.I also took a 'free' office water cooler a year or so ago to attempt a "drop in res" cooler. But all I ended up doing was unscrewing, and cutting the thing up and then looking at it with a puzzled face and tossing it all in the garbage.. Hah.Thanks!