Air Pumped Through a Freezer to Cool DWC Buckets

[tilopa]

I'm planning for a Undercurrent system in my flower room, but I have a small room I use for Veg that I don't want to waste so I'm vegging in DWC 5 gallon buckets. My biggest hurdle to overcome (especially this time of year) is the heat of the water. I had the idea of taking a small cheap chest freezer (about 7 cubic feet) and drilling holes in it and attaching my air pumps inlet hose into the freezer. Then drilling holes in the other side of the freezer so air can come in. My pumps move 200 liters/min and the volume of air in the freezer is about 200 liters.

Has anyone ever tried this? I am leery that the freezer can cool the hot air coming in fast enough before it is sucked out by the pump.

 

[purpleberry]

They are not disigned to run all the time, You would probally burn up the motor. Youd be better off with a small chiller.

 

[tilopa]

True, but I only need the motor running all the time for about a month, I think it would hold for that long. But the question is weather it would even be powerful enough to cool the air quickly enough.

How can I use a chiller to cool the air? I'm doing a DWC not a RDWC so I cannot chill the water of all 24 buckets with a chiller.

 

[purpleberry]

Run your air tube in a big coil like a heat exchanger and try that, Youd only need a couple smll holes and you wouldnt be sucking the air out of the freezer, It would probally hold up better.

 

[squiggly]

use a radiator or 3 from a pc liquid cooling setup and toss some 120mm PC case fans on it. You can find them cheaper than below.

Like this: http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8523/ex-rad-146/XSPC_RX360_Triple_120mm_Radiator_Rev_2.html

 

[RollinEndough]

#herebeforemovedtodiyghetto

 

[GanjaAL]

One of the brothers on here uses the ice cap from hydro innovations to cool the air. Just a thought you can play with.

;)

 

[tilopa]

Thanks all.

Purpleberry, yeah that is a good idea. I'm going to run the air through 2 - 50 foot 3/8 OD copper refrigerant grade coil immersed in 25% antifreeze 75% water at -10 F. I'm hoping that will be enough but I might need more coil.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[tilopa]

Did not work. Air must be moving through tube too quickly to cool.