Water cooled garden setup help sizing and details

[connoisseurde420]

I have searched enough to give myself an idea of what I'm getting in to but theres some details I need help with but let me lay out my plan first

I will be building out a 4k watt flower in open hoods adjusta awing + veg (24' t5 and 400w). There will be a flip flop so only two lights are on at one time. I use promix in containers, top feed by me or drip set up. So I really don't need more than 8 000btu for the lights, i will have a dehumidifier, water cooled co2 (when I get there dont currently run it), the ballasts can be out side of the garden.

I can get a eccoplus 1hp for 700. plus got to get res, pump, lines, misc pieces, heat exchangers, probably another 1000 unless i find used which is possible. 1700 is the price of a good mini split 2 ton. From what I have read this should be sufficient.. alteast 4k per heat exchanger and only extra hea

Anyone with experience have some insight for me... things Im missing not thinging about etc thanks in advance

 

[Seamaiden]

Can't answer questions, but can give this thread a bump for you.

 

[connoisseurde420]

im nervous to tell the truth. im just going make the jump. I understand the science and in my location I think it will be cheap to run. I am very handy with tools and it seems real simple or at least equal with what it takes to put together a grow anyways build rooms, electrical, etc. Never done it before but if i run in to problems Im definatley gonna be here with my questions.

After looking I saw watercooledgardens recommends a 1hp for what Im doing as well as the other thread going about sizing cooling requirements.Going monday to get that thing

Thanks guys

 

[connoisseurde420]

got just need a pump. any suggestions?

 

[Seamaiden]

I've always been a huge fan of Iwakis. They're what the Long Beach Aquarium uses. Other than that, Little Giant is a well established company with a very good reputation and also puts out good products.

 

[woodsmaneh]

Your better off with the chiller than air by a factor of almost 50%. It is easier to chill water than it is to cool air. Put the chiller outside and insulated the pipes both ways. Get a 50 gal plastic for your res, 15$ around here used. A 2200 gal pump, remember if your pumping uphill you need a bigger pump, it's called head height, I built my chiller cooler for 175$. Went to an auto wreckers and got the rad for 20$ new, went to the scrap yard and paid 15$ for an old blower from a forced air furnace, some tubing and cool happy plants. The chiller uses less electricity too. I changed the fan out Got pics some where...

;)

 

[woodsmaneh]

That's a 500 gph mag attached, I also chill 2 DWRC systems from my chiller barrel. :cool:
Some more shots

 

[Seamaiden]

So... wait a minute! You rigged up a water chiller to an automobile radiator to make it into an air chiller...? Am I seeing that right? How's it work? I mean, do you have to keep fans blowing over it all the time, any other special considerations? That's pretty cool.

 

[woodsmaneh]

So... wait a minute! You rigged up a water chiller to an automobile radiator to make it into an air chiller...? Am I seeing that right? How's it work? I mean, do you have to keep fans blowing over it all the time, any other special considerations? That's pretty cool.

Yup I love building stuff that works and cost me next to nothing, keeps the room at 83 (I use CO2) even when it's 95+ outside, works great, I had 2 tons of air for this room and it could not keep up. I did go to the dump and get a furnace fan for 15$ they can run 24/7 and move a lot of air. The black fan was to do a proof of concept.

The top set of pics you can see my chiller barrel and also the tops of the 2 other coils I chill my res's with. The elevated barrel is an auto feed res for my systems and 2 humidifiers.

 

[woodsmaneh]

So I chill 440 gal with my 1hp chiller down to what ever I want but most times it's 65, and that is with a 50 gal chiller barrel.
What I chill in that room
1 Undercurrent 90 gal + 50 Gal res
I Jumbo DIY Undercurrent 200 gal + 50 gal res
Chiller Barrel 50 gal
room cooler 7 months of the year.

Cheap cheap on hydro

I build med gardens and lots of the people have mobility issues and not much money so I get "R" done lol. I'm lucky I have the handy person gene. Does not sound as good as handy man but in recognition of all the woman who share this gift.

 

[GanjaAL]

Any pics of your full set up woodsmaneh? How many lights can you cool with that set up?

Very nice brother!

 

[connoisseurde420]

cool to see the setups! I found some flotec pumps I'm gonna use to get things up n running.. probably end up using as a backup. buildout beginning in a few weeks Yeee.

 

[woodsmaneh]

Any pics of your full set up woodsmaneh? How many lights can you cool with that set up?

Very nice brother!

eight 1000w

The pix are of 8 plants at week 4 of 9+

I'll get a pix when there are not so many trees in there. The room cooler is not set up right now as it is winter.

 

[GanjaAL]

Looking to take the load off of a window unit in my momma room. Very small room and I think this would be perfect so my window unit does not have to kick on as much during summer. Thanks brother!

 

[babyhughie586]

i absolutly love this idea... I run a UC system and am going to be building a new room very soon... The car radiator idea is great... i will be setting up 2 uc systems and 8kw so this will be perfect for the warm summer months in michiganja.. I may rock 2 radiators though instead of just the 1... Do you also air cool your hoods?? if so why not mount the 6in inline fan to the radiator and blow some of the cool radiator air through the cool tubes... it seems you have a little bit of the radiator not being utilized by the smaller fan blowing through it.. i think hooking up the inline fan to the top corner of it would be pretty badass and cool the room even more

 

[Seamaiden]

Cheap cheap on hydro

I build med gardens and lots of the people have mobility issues and not much money so I get "R" done lol. I'm lucky I have the handy person gene. Does not sound as good as handy man but in recognition of all the woman who share this gift.

I'm a patient advocate, and these are exactly the people I work for, think about, feel for. Thank you.

 

[connoisseurde420]

thanks woodsmaneh that looks like youre doing pretty good with your setup. cool to see you used the radiator, i see a thermometer there how cool does it blow out on the other side of the radiator? how many pumps are you running (do i see two cords or one lol)? what sizes? thanks getting ready for the move will def post pics when i get stuff set up tho! saw flotec pumps that could do the job, but those iwakis seamaided suggested look nice and well worth the cost (wont break so easy, long running) but I will probbably get the flotec 4/10hp and replace with iwaki so i have a backup(flotec). Im just wondering if it will be enough to do whole system or will I end up needing a extra pump one for my 4 iceboxes and one for cycling thru the chiller, or can I run it all together?? thanks in advance yall :p

 

[ttystikk]

a few people know about my water cooled set up here on the farm. For the rest of you, I run a 2 ton ChillKing chiller that cools two rooms on the flip, each with 8,000 watts of lights, plus all of the other equipment in the grow rooms.

I built my own manifolds, all outlets have valves, so I can remove, repair or replace any individual circuit without shutting of the system. I run a 1/2 hp Flotec centrifugal style pump.

Play with water chilling for awhile, and doubling the efficiency of AC is just the beginning; run the chiller water at 45 degrees and watch all those iceboxes become dehueys, dripping steadily- so can that rain and put it back in your Hydro system! The chiller can cool the RDWC water at the same time. The chiller can be a long distance from the grow room- and should be, so the heat goes outside... Or through your house in the winter. I live in a 2000sq. ft. home, and my chiller warmed my whole house all winter long. I ran the furnace once, for 30 minutes, during a three dayday sub zero cold snap. My total gas bill averages just $35 winter and summer, mostly to run my gas dryer.

 

[connoisseurde420]

I put up a 1k adjust a wing and my 1hp ecoplus is easily handling the heat in a 4ft by 8ft by 10ft. using a 8in fan and two ice boxes one 8in and one 6in. There is only a wall mount fun and a dehumidifier in there. going to add another 1k soon and see how she handles yup yup

 

[ttystikk]

I put up a 1k adjust a wing and my 1hp ecoplus is easily handling the heat in a 4ft by 8ft by 10ft. using a 8in fan and two ice boxes one 8in and one 6in. There is only a wall mount fun and a dehumidifier in there. going to add another 1k soon and see how she handles yup yup

Your 1 Ton unit should handle 2kW unvented or 4kW with vented hoods. Do NOT waste your money cooling the air running through the hoods, just suck (don't blow!) that air out of the room hot.