GreenThumbSucker
Well-Known Member
Hey,
Im doing a DWC grow using 27 gallon toughbox totes, one for each plant. The problem I am having is excessive heat in the solution. It sits at about 78 degrees. I made one chiller using an old mini-fridge with plastic tubing coiled up in it. It goes 15 minutes on then 15 minutes off. It only dropped the temp 2 degrees, not enough to make any difference. I have been having issues with roots not liking the excess heat, thus it affects my yields. My friend is getting 1 - 1.5 lbs per plant using this method (undercurrent.) His system runs at about 65 degrees. I have a 27 gallon reservoir with a 27 gallon auto-top off system I made with a float valve and another tote.
My solution: I am building a chiller from a chest freezer. I just bought one on Craigslist for $70. Here is the plan:
I will put a five gallon bucket in the chest freezer filled 2/3 of the way with water.
I will run plastic hose in through the side of the freezer, which will coil up inside the bucket, then back out the top and back out the side of the freezer to the reservoir.
I plan on coiling about 50 feet of hose in the bucket.
Here's the catch - once the hose is in place, I will turn the freezer on and leave it until the bucket freezes solid, at this point the plastic hose will have no water in it and will be encased in ice. Once it is frozen solid I will hook it up to the reservoir and start pumping solution from my reservoir, into the chest freezer and back into the reservoir. I will experiment with timing it, don't want the solution to freeze solid in the plastic hose so I will just run in 24/7 the first day and see how much melt I get in the bucket/lower my temp gets. I will be happy with anything between 55 and 65 degrees.
What do you guys think?
Im doing a DWC grow using 27 gallon toughbox totes, one for each plant. The problem I am having is excessive heat in the solution. It sits at about 78 degrees. I made one chiller using an old mini-fridge with plastic tubing coiled up in it. It goes 15 minutes on then 15 minutes off. It only dropped the temp 2 degrees, not enough to make any difference. I have been having issues with roots not liking the excess heat, thus it affects my yields. My friend is getting 1 - 1.5 lbs per plant using this method (undercurrent.) His system runs at about 65 degrees. I have a 27 gallon reservoir with a 27 gallon auto-top off system I made with a float valve and another tote.
My solution: I am building a chiller from a chest freezer. I just bought one on Craigslist for $70. Here is the plan:
I will put a five gallon bucket in the chest freezer filled 2/3 of the way with water.
I will run plastic hose in through the side of the freezer, which will coil up inside the bucket, then back out the top and back out the side of the freezer to the reservoir.
I plan on coiling about 50 feet of hose in the bucket.
Here's the catch - once the hose is in place, I will turn the freezer on and leave it until the bucket freezes solid, at this point the plastic hose will have no water in it and will be encased in ice. Once it is frozen solid I will hook it up to the reservoir and start pumping solution from my reservoir, into the chest freezer and back into the reservoir. I will experiment with timing it, don't want the solution to freeze solid in the plastic hose so I will just run in 24/7 the first day and see how much melt I get in the bucket/lower my temp gets. I will be happy with anything between 55 and 65 degrees.
What do you guys think?
