ttystikk
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Back when I was going to use water cooled... everything needed to run it was going to be to expensive and require alot of electricity... where as my high efficiency 2ton mini split only cost 2500 installed and only uses 1300 watts vs the what it was going to cost for the industrial pump and chiller. Also being a plumber... leaks happen... and in a water cooled system... if it failed it would be real bad joojoo.
Man i so want to beleive in something simpler,More reliable and more energy efficient with less problems,even if its a little more expensive but im just not buying in yet,so for me for now im putting chillers in the same category as induction and plasma lighting,i have great hopes for all these things but i just dont think they are as good as other options available at this time.I hope that people like tty continue experimenting and all these products are refined to a point that makes fiscal sense for the rest of us.I may be wrong on this tty but didnt you say you got some kind of smoking deal on your chiller in another thread?Hell i dont like chevys but if i could get one for half price of a ford id consider it,lol.
Ttystikk, it seems like your chiller set up works well for you and I doubt it is vastly more inefficient than an AC system. However, please consider that there are good reasons that most large scale grows do not employ water cooling.
I would like to know the total wattage used to cool your room. So far I gather that you use:
1, 2 ton chiller at (according to hydroinnovations) 9 amp running 13 amp start up on roughly 2/3 of the time=1425watts but that does not take into account the start up amps so maybe 1600 watts?
8 inch max fans at 179 watts (how many) = 2 x 179 = 358
1 flotech 1/2 horsepower 8.5 amps at 115 =1020 watts
estimated total =2978
About the same as I used to cool 9000 watts 3000 of which were bare bulb. Are your ballasts mounted in your room?
I don't understand this part, so you are saying at high altitude the air in my in my sealed grow room is dryer? Regardless of the outside air humidity in a sealed room with that much wattage the air will be dry. What is your source for this belief? I don't understand how altitude effects a my air handler's efficiency.
Also even though my cooling system totaled about 3000 watts that is a very rough estimate and probably high due to the fact that the inverter AC (which dos not just idle at 1/2 speed but has in effect thousands of speeds) only as power as it needs to at a given time and does not surge on and off. It also consumes less power when it is cold outside due to easier heat transfer in greater temp differential for the compressor.
Another point in favor of my system is that my numbers come from Northern California (not by the coast and not in the mountains) so I think it is probably on average hotter here than in Colorado.
Lastly my ACs were about 20 SEER; the new fujitsu units are 27 SEER for the 9000btu and 25 SEER for the 12000 btu at 2.7 and 4.0 running amps. That would have made my total cooling system draw about 2813 watts!
Okay, so your minisplit uses 1300 watts. How much gear does it cool? I run hydro. LEAKS HAPPEN, lol- so I'm prepared.
Also the Flotec pump is RATED for 1/2 hp, but like almost all electric motors, it's not designed to run continuously at full load. It runs continuously so there is no 'startup' load, it probably pulls like 1 or 2 amps to move the water. Hell, the motor is always cool to the touch, so it can't be pulling much! I'm guessing 150 watts, max.
The Maxfans run about half the time- only when the room needs cooling, much like your minisplit- does the mfr's wattage rating tag include the fans on the minisplits as well as the compressor? Double check; many do not.
It is capable of cooling at least three bare bulbs, dehuey, and since I will be running coco... my wattage should be real low. Also... this would be done in 115 deg. weather. so to be honest... I like the ideal of bare bulbs and the ability to move my lights up and down. Also there is no water to chill as well since chow mix will be used. For me... it is all about ease of use and less wattage use. I rather spend the money on lights than money running a chiller for hydro, chiller for lights, pumps and what not. But again... different strokes for different folks. I was going to run the complete hydro inovation line... but when I had my buddy come over and we had to run all kinds of electrical and different breakers and shit for everything... I was like wow!.
I ran the numbers on wattage... and for me the mini split was by far more economical and less to go wrong. Besides... my first try was DWC and I had an epic fail with it... hence my reason to go with chow mix and get rid of everything else and the reason I am revamping the room.
Great discussion. It really comes down to the numbers and it might not be possible to obtain the precise numbers. I guess you would have to hook up power consumption meters on the various pieces of equipment and log them into a computer.
So your 8.5 amp pump only uses 150 watts? hmmm :rolleyes:
I think your flotec is a weak link in your system; you should check out reeflo and some of the aquarium pumps, they are much more efficient and have much less heat transfer to the water.
One thing that makes me suspicious is why does hydroinnovations make it so difficult to find there power consumption numbers on their website. Also water chillers are usually rated by horsepower not btus and tons; is there any verification of their designations?
Mitsubishis give the total power consumed for the air handler and compressor.
Tystikk, how many iceboxes and max fans do you utilize in your eight k room?
I really appreciate how we can have this discussion without it becoming contentious or personal like I have so often seen. I also appreciate the spirit of innovation and willingness to try something new that Tystikk shows.
tty,just the fact that it heats your whole house in colorado in the winter time is epic savings.
Yea brother... it is a great concept but beyond where I am at now. I just want it simple as possible as I have alot on my plate. When I have more time to research it... I am sure I could get it to do great things. Water cooling can be efficient... hell we run swamp coolers where we are at... at 1/10th the cost of running an AC unit. I think it just needs a little more work and some more advances so that it can be practical for a small grower like me.
Thats huge bro how much in electricity do you think it cost you to run the chiller?One of my thoughts through this whole thread has been if chillers are so great why dont they use them to cool homes instead of A/C which we all know sucks up the power?Conspiracy by the power company lol?
Yea brother... it is a great concept but beyond where I am at now. I just want it simple as possible as I have alot on my plate. When I have more time to research it... I am sure I could get it to do great things. Water cooling can be efficient... hell we run swamp coolers where we are at... at 1/10th the cost of running an AC unit. I think it just needs a little more work and some more advances so that it can be practical for a small grower like me.
Well to add to the conversation from my point of view... I have ran diy boxed,ducted window ac, window ac, and chiller setup. That said
I think split ac's and chillers are in a very similar category. If you buy high quality energy efficient equipment both can be ran very economical. I think what it really comes down to is how handy you are. do you like the diy projects or better yet can you do the diy projects. High seer rating split units use a high quality energy efficient fans and compressor and such of that nature To get the high energy efficient rating.
But I also used a high quality fan , a pump buy sequel that use 2.88 amps @ 5400gph, ecoplus 1.5 horsepower chiller that's rated 12,000btu 10.5amp 120v ,1 diy icebox, 65pint dehumidifier, 1200 watt air cooled lights in a 4x8 tent. But ballast,light heat and chiller was in a separated quipment room and blown into my house all winter for free heat as ttystick.
this way was better than the window ac's.
But the real biggest thing is That has affected my pg&e bill was cutting out the tv. Having the tv usage was bumping me up the tere system. Dropped cable and switched to a smartphone. Dropped 100 bucks right there I don't care who you are that's great . I think I like diet if you just gotta watch what you eat or what you're using you can control your costs and weight. Or watts is what we are really taking about.
So recap: diy/ stealth - waterchill
Professional install- split ac
That's my 2 cents.
Also ttystick your chiller is 240 * 8.5 amps=2040 watts
Voltage times amprage equals watts.
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