How to size a cooling system for your garden

[ttystikk]

Do you know anybody that's actually using their gray water to chill their cooling res?

No. The gray water has already been through the house and would presumably have warmed up. Worse, it has stuff in it that will definitely gunk things up.

Pour your gray water on outside plants, trees, lawn...

 

[Swany]

Now is your chance to draw useful energy from your creek, and even better, to draw it in the form you need without the need for conversion! As long as your creek temp stays below 70 f, you'll be able to use it to cool everything from rooms to rdwc systems.

Use a closed loop water based heat exchange system; pump the warm water through a heat exchanger positioned underwater and across the current, and then run the cold water through air to water exchangers in each room. In addition, you can cool your rdwc systems with a cooling coil and even dehumidify.

Very cool - pun intended. I'm going to get the room running, then see what the temps do (about to post the days work on my log ;-). Temps got up to 80 degrees today and my room stayed cool the whole time. I'm hoping the cement floor will draw heat out of my tubs, and enough air will move through to remove enough lamp heat. If not, I'm running pipe down to the creek and buying coils. I'm even wondering if I can pipe the runoff back down to the creek and put a small water turbine on the end to recapture some of the energy... probably would not get much.

Thanks TTY

 

[ttystikk]

Very cool - pun intended. I'm going to get the room running, then see what the temps do (about to post the days work on my log ;-). Temps got up to 80 degrees today and my room stayed cool the whole time. I'm hoping the cement floor will draw heat out of my tubs, and enough air will move through to remove enough lamp heat. If not, I'm running pipe down to the creek and buying coils. I'm even wondering if I can pipe the runoff back down to the creek and put a small water turbine on the end to recapture some of the energy... probably would not get much.

Thanks TTY

Oh, we're just getting started, bro! I live for this kind of shit, lol.

Unless your cabin is a hundred feet above the creek, or the creek's run is steep through your property, there will not be enough altitude change to give you the power you want. Besides, the cold water represents all the cooling you're ever likely to need, and the bigger your op gets, the more you'll save.

In other words, it represents the savings of anywhere between 5 and 100 amps at 240v, continuously, or at least as long as you need it. No little turbine is going to compete with that, and the cold water is free and renewable- unless your creek runs dry. ...does it?

 

[Swany]

No - runs all year long. And it's cold. Maybe not freezing in August, but way cooler that the ambient temp. Not quite sure where it comes from. I think it's partial fed from underground. There's an artisan well downtown that puts out probably 5 gallons a minute. There must be more around. Regardless, it runs all year and it's pretty close.

When I make back the investment on this first set up I'm going triple my space and run two flower rooms, then use the room I have now for veg. Then I'll really be loving the creek.

 

[shawnskush]

No - runs all year long. And it's cold. Maybe not freezing in August, but way cooler that the ambient temp. Not quite sure where it comes from. I think it's partial fed from underground. There's an artisan well downtown that puts out probably 5 gallons a minute. There must be more around. Regardless, it runs all year and it's pretty close.

When I make back the investment on this first set up I'm going triple my space and run two flower rooms, then use the room I have now for veg. Then I'll really be loving the creek.

sounds like some serious fun swany!

 

[Swany]

Totaly! I don't even have plants in the room yet and I'm all ready scouting the path for pipe ;-} Hopefully I'll have plants soon.... Just posted pics of my clones in the Rx thread, some wierd growth on them. I am not moving them into my room until I know they are clean.

Every year mid April my Wife rafts down the part of the creek in our backyard for her birthday. She assured me it's cold ;-} I can tell she's not lying...

 

[Swany]

When someone is refering to an Ice Box, thier talking about this right?

 

[ttystikk]

Yep, that's it. Get the 8" ones- or better yet, go to your local salvage yard and get an old radiator or three; one for the river and one for each of your grow rooms. Buy fans, like squirrelcage blowers or muffin fans to blow (never suck through a cooler; when it condensates water out of the air, the drops will destroy a fan downstream) air through them.

I should collate all the info I've dropped on my water cooling system into one thread. Meanwhile, look in some recent threads about cooling and you'll likely run across a post or two.

 

[connoisseurde420]

I'm using them too the 6inch is a big difference in. cooling power

 

[ttystikk]

I'm using them too the 6inch is a big difference in. cooling power

The 8" Icebox units flow and cool twice as much air as 6" ones. Definitely worth the difference in price.

 

[connoisseurde420]

yeah got both for 150 so a steal for me an I have them connected together on one fan. but if I was buying new 8" all the way betwwen the amount of flow and surface are its a easy choice

 

[Swany]

Think it was earlier on this post, a guy was talking about how he used an old car radiator in front of a regular fan. That's my plan. If I was running an incoming duct along the wall to distribute in coming air evenly I would get the 8 in and plum it in the duct. When I was doing the exhaust ducting for my room I compared 6" and 8" duct - 8" has twice the volume as 6"

 

[Growops]

hi another great cooling thread, after researching cost on mr slim P series , im now thinking on going with an icebox/chiller set up for 2000w flower sealed no venting. would a 1hp chiller with 2 8inch iceboxes do it?recirculating the air within the room relying on the ice boxes to cool. will add dehuy or extra ice box if needed. i would keep the chiller inside during the winter and use the cool outside temps to cool in the winter possibly. moving the chiler outside during the hot months . in the summer it can reach a 100f with the humidex warnings but 80-90f is the normal here for outside. thanks for any info

 

[Growops]

When deciding on how much cooling is needed. or chiller vs AC . 12000btu AC is the same cooling as 12k btu chiller capabilities?

 

[connoisseurde420]

depends on the ac and chiller. but each light is atleast 4k btu by themselves so you should be ok with anything that produces 12k or more depending on your room size, ballast location, insulation, elevation etc

 

[ttystikk]

hi another great cooling thread, after researching cost on mr slim P series , im now thinking on going with an icebox/chiller set up for 2000w flower sealed no venting. would a 1hp chiller with 2 8inch iceboxes do it?recirculating the air within the room relying on the ice boxes to cool. will add dehuy or extra ice box if needed. i would keep the chiller inside during the winter and use the cool outside temps to cool in the winter possibly. moving the chiler outside during the hot months . in the summer it can reach a 100f with the humidex warnings but 80-90f is the normal here for outside. thanks for any info

You will likely have plenty of cooling power and some to spare, until outside temps peak over 90 F. At this point the chiller may need some help- you'll definitely at least want to place it out of direct sunlight, especially afternoon sun. A shaded shoot like a carport or under a tree is best. Consider running a mister to the fan shoving air through your compressor coil (hot side).

AC has trouble at high temps too, so neither tech has the hot weather advantage. The rest of the time, however, the chiller has a clear advantage as it can cool with nearly twice the efficiency, it can cool multiple spaces, and it really shines when you run two bloom rooms on a flip; both sides can max out the chiller capacity, effectively doubling its effectiveness yet again!

When deciding on how much cooling is needed. or chiller vs AC . 12000btu AC is the same cooling as 12k btu chiller capabilities?

First, it's important to be wise to the chiller rating shell game shenanigans; 12,000BTu, 1 Ton and 1hp are Not all interchangeable! Be certain that you compare BTu to BTu ratings. Hp is a smaller unit than Tons.

Finally, get the largest capacity unit you can afford. It won't use more power- but I promise you will find more to do with it, like cooling and humidifying the rest of your house or at least a bedroom, chilling your hydro systems, etc...

 

[Growops]

im sold on this idea . before I was really sold on the Mr slim p series 12k commercial unit with ultra low cooling feature -40c in the toronto area the cheapest one I found was for 4750$ out 3 quotes plus tax plus 500-800 to hire a tech to install . way out of my budget . anyhow im im looking at getting the eco plus 1hp or the 1 1/2hp unit . would start with 2k watts flowering will alos be building to spec
1. do I run the whole system off one 25gal res nd one pump?

2 what size pump do you recommend ? the res and chiller would be roughly 20-30feet away .

thanks for the replys

 

[ttystikk]

See if you get the 2 Ton ChillKing model. If you can, you will be well ahead of those other units.

For a 2-8 light op, use a 1/4hp continuous use rated pump from Flotec or another similar brand. Never use a plastic housing style pump for this job, they won't hold up.

 

[Growops]

I'd love a chill king but ATM I can't fit it in the budget . I know they are the best units .i hope I can get by with the Eco commercial 1hp unit for two 1000s plus a res. thanks for the help

 

[ttystikk]

I'd love a chill king but ATM I can't fit it in the budget . I know they are the best units .i hope I can get by with the Eco commercial 1hp unit for two 1000s plus a res. thanks for the help

Seal and air cool your lights with air you do NOT mix with your grow room air; pull it in from outside the room, pull (never push to cool) through the hoods and out. This will cut heat by 1/3.

Another 1/4 can be hidden by keeping ballasts away from the blooming area.

Use the system to both cool and dehuey, otherwise the dehumidifier will overheat the growing area or at least force the chiller to run. To dehuey, get system water to 58 or lower and let the heat exchangers drip. Catch that drip and put it right back into your RDWC!

Speaking of, insulate your RDWC system and chill it, too. Think of it as your extended reservoir.