anyone go from not using chiller to using one?
- Thread starter Slimjimham
- Start date
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Slimjimham
Well-Known Member
So can anyone else say,
...you will definitely notice a difference with a chiller (yield, quality?)
Or
...you may not notice a difference it's more insurance...?
I understand the disolved oxygen increase.
But from 75* to 66* I think it's something like it goess from 8, to 9 units of dissolved oxygen... so does around a 10% increase make that much of a difference?
Like I said I already have them hooked up just curious what to expect.
Thanks again guys
...you will definitely notice a difference with a chiller (yield, quality?)
Or
...you may not notice a difference it's more insurance...?
I understand the disolved oxygen increase.
But from 75* to 66* I think it's something like it goess from 8, to 9 units of dissolved oxygen... so does around a 10% increase make that much of a difference?
Like I said I already have them hooked up just curious what to expect.
Thanks again guys
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
The difference was root rot, which them affects everything else.
Slimjimham
Well-Known Member
I hear ya @ttystikk but when talking root rot its not what I think I had because I think of it as the brown slime...
I use uc roots to combat that and use as a preventative but my roots were also a cream color at the end and many roots tore fairly easily when pulling on them after harvest....
So I'm hoping the chillers will give me healthier roots showing better nutrient/water uptake increasing yield and quality/ plants ability to handle stress... I guess I'll see soon enough but my roots weren't slimy at all... Just not the bright white thick picture of health roots
I just want reassurance that the money I spent/raise in my electricity bill will be worth it ha
I use uc roots to combat that and use as a preventative but my roots were also a cream color at the end and many roots tore fairly easily when pulling on them after harvest....
So I'm hoping the chillers will give me healthier roots showing better nutrient/water uptake increasing yield and quality/ plants ability to handle stress... I guess I'll see soon enough but my roots weren't slimy at all... Just not the bright white thick picture of health roots
I just want reassurance that the money I spent/raise in my electricity bill will be worth it ha
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
You're talking about one symptom, I'm just calling the same phenomenon by a different name. The chiller will be well worth it in peace of mind alone.
Slimjimham
Well-Known Member
Mannnn, I just wanna talk chillers ha.
So I just ordered another one for veg... That leaves me with one veg system without.... I have 10 sites in veg (4 site/ 6 site)
I'll order the other one soon I'm sure, just don't really need it since water is 64 in that room this time of year... Fedex guy deff knows what's up ha, shipped in original chiller boxes with pics on side and I've gotten 5 in the last week.... Or he thinks I'm really into fish and burn a ton(you know he's catching a whiff at the door ha)
Overall you guys think I'll notice a difference or just have peace of mind? I've seen some people say they thought plants were doing well, then they grew with a chiller and realized they were growing sub par plants before... So at least some people think they make a huge difference
So I just ordered another one for veg... That leaves me with one veg system without.... I have 10 sites in veg (4 site/ 6 site)
I'll order the other one soon I'm sure, just don't really need it since water is 64 in that room this time of year... Fedex guy deff knows what's up ha, shipped in original chiller boxes with pics on side and I've gotten 5 in the last week.... Or he thinks I'm really into fish and burn a ton(you know he's catching a whiff at the door ha)
Overall you guys think I'll notice a difference or just have peace of mind? I've seen some people say they thought plants were doing well, then they grew with a chiller and realized they were growing sub par plants before... So at least some people think they make a huge difference
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redi jedi
Well-Known Member
Peace of mind only, I'm actually gonna remove my chillers to see if chlorination alone can do the job.
Slimjimham
Well-Known Member
Crap now I feel like I just wasted my money ha... But why wouldn't healthier roots man healthier plants, we'll see I guess.
It hasn't seemed to done much for plants mid to late flower but plants early flower seem to have much thicker whiter roots.
I was hoping for increased yield on the extra 10% dissolved oxygen levels
I'm thinking these are prob going to raise my electricity bill by 30-50 a month too so was hoping to see some benefits!
It hasn't seemed to done much for plants mid to late flower but plants early flower seem to have much thicker whiter roots.
I was hoping for increased yield on the extra 10% dissolved oxygen levels
I'm thinking these are prob going to raise my electricity bill by 30-50 a month too so was hoping to see some benefits!
HempletonState
Well-Known Member
I have been doing hydro for years for the first half I didn't use a chiller. I didn't have any root rot issues or anything like that, and I always for the most part had very successful grows and results. Then I added a chiller into the mix and have seen changes for the better. The quality without a doubt got better and has been consistent ever since. The yield part I am not sure if it has an effect on, while my numbers have gotten better over the years so has my setup so I contribute it more to my room as a whole but the chiller was an excellent addition and I am glad I made it and will always use a chiller with my hydro setups. A benefit also is if you are growing a purple strain you can lower your water temps near 60 during the flush and it works well in my experiences without effecting quality or yield
Slimjimham
Well-Known Member
Very cool! Looking forward to seeing improvements! Talked to the current culture guys and they are adamant that it's an essential part of the setup
Gregor Eisenhorn
Well-Known Member
Wait wait wait, what does a chiller exactly do? Does it just cool the water? You guys have mentioned a few times that the yield and overall health of the plant increases, but that is just one of the benefots of having cooler water or am I missing something?
Gregor Eisenhorn
Well-Known Member
I honestly for the time being just open my door to let the freezing air inside, so my temps are always around 65f. Although come summer and I'll probably have to get a chiller and an ac unit...
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Budley Doright
Well-Known Member
That was me, thinking I was doing as well as I could, thinking a chiller would not be a worthwhile investment but always there in the back of my mind. Then it happened, a killer case of rot. I tried bleach, beanies, H2O2, nothing cured it, just kept it at bay. Running a chiller now has improved plant health tremendously with plants staying green, healthy, and way more stable Res. If your still on the fence try finding a cheap used salt tank chiller and give it a shot.
Budley Doright
Well-Known Member
The one benefit I have is not chasing Res temps by lowering canopy temps. Higher canopy, lower Res temps have helped a lot I believe.
HempletonState
Well-Known Member
Another benefit is that you can allow your room temps to sit around 76-78 if you also run CO2 and not spend as much energy on cooling the room. As long as the roots are in water in the 66-68 range the plant will be as healthy as can be. A chiller is a definite necessity for anyone running a DWC style of hydro.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
I'm a chiller geek! I'll talk chillers and water cooling all day long!
Ooooookkkkkk, so I got an aquarium chiller and it destroyed itself by freezing internally. Don't get one unless you can jam a mass quantity of water through it.
I got a 2 Ton Chillking window mount unit, and it made all the difference in my root health. Then I started using it to cool my room. It wasn't big enough, so I got another one. These have been working for me for almost 5 years now, with only minor maintenance needed- clean your heat exchange cores regularly!
These two units allowed me to cool my water and my grow space, and handled two rooms on a flip style schedule seamlessly. They and the water cooling system are very efficient. In addition, each winter for the last four years one of these units comes in from the windowsill and sits in the office/air intake. Cold air is drawn in and the chiller warms it with heat removed from the water system. The warmed air then passes through my house, keeping me toasty warm all winter without a furnace. No really, I threw it away last year, lol.
I'm upgrading to a 5 Ton unit from Chillking that not only chills water but then puts the heat into another water circuit for use anywhere I need heat. This will of course boost efficiency even more by eliminating any heat generating costs. I'll heat my house, domestic hot water, dehuey my room, nighttime heat, hot tub, garage heat, hot tub, driveway heat... The only thing I can't do with this 'waste' heat is dry my clothes, lol My gas bill this month is $53, but that's because it's for THREE months of service- December, January and February!
Budley Doright
Well-Known Member
"Ooooookkkkkk, so I got an aquarium chiller and it destroyed itself by freezing internally. Don't get one unless you can jam amass quantity of water through it."
Not sure why you had freezing issues but it probably was not that it was solely an aquarium chiller although I don't know the specs on any particular one. All chillers should be equipped with freeze protection or there are serious flaws lol. As for water flow, they typically need 1.5 - 3.0 gpm and that is the same for all to allow for proper transfer of heat but again I have not looked at any specs. My recommending a cheap aquarium thing was for a smallish 20-30 gallon Rez to test the positive results of chilled water. Sorry for any confusion lol.
Not sure why you had freezing issues but it probably was not that it was solely an aquarium chiller although I don't know the specs on any particular one. All chillers should be equipped with freeze protection or there are serious flaws lol. As for water flow, they typically need 1.5 - 3.0 gpm and that is the same for all to allow for proper transfer of heat but again I have not looked at any specs. My recommending a cheap aquarium thing was for a smallish 20-30 gallon Rez to test the positive results of chilled water. Sorry for any confusion lol.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Because not all chillers are designed or built alike, far from it. Some chillers need high pressure and flow to work properly, causing a real pain in the ass for the end user. Aquarium chillers need high flow, especially the big 3 Ton unit I had. Stay far, far away from any chiller using brazed plate heat exchange cores. Fewer chillers have freeze protection than you think.
I strongly recommend only buying and using chillers that can handle low flow and low pressure.
The 5 Ton unit I'm getting has its heat exchangers- one each for cold and hot- in a water bath with a pump pushing water past it for maximum efficiency and thermal transfer performance.