Water Chilling Q & A

[Seamaiden]

And he also said gph not per day. He's at 2400gpd till repaired.

2400gpd is astonishing. I thought he said he was using 100gals of water daily. I think an average in-ground swimming pool is something like 10,000 gallons, yes? If I were to use that volume of water, I'm not growin' weed, I'm gonna grow sharks. With laser beams on their heads. No joke!

I have wanted very much to use misters, but our well water would clog them up with a quickness. That leaves the concept of filtration, but more along the lines of RO. Too wasteful I think.

What's worse, wasting electrons, or water..? I think water's more precious than electrons.

 

[aSilvrHaze]

Evaporator coil is the cold side....

 

[seebobsled]

Opps

Evaporator coil is the cold side....

 

[ftwendy]

Evaporator coil is the cold side....

So, what I'm imagining is impossible? Now I'm confused. :)

 

[ttystikk]

You could also connect the pump power to a thermostat to save some dough and h2o.

In my case, I ran the water from the hose as slowly as possible that still kept temps in check.

Two factors affected the necessary flow rate: how much cooling I needed, and the incoming water temp. More watts
Increases flow rate stepwise, as one might expect. The water temp is another story! The warmer the water, the less temp. difference there is between it and your target temperature. As this 'delta' t, or change in temp, shrinks, flow rates must increase EXPONENTIALLY to maintain a given rate of heat transfer.

Every degree counts, in other words, and I had to increase flow measurably as the incoming water slowly warmed with the season. Never again, if I can help it!

 

[ttystikk]

Kiddie pool (or 100gal tank) is the reservoir for the mister head. Pumped mist is activated by thermo and gets sprayed at the hot side of your chiller; some of this mist evaporates (drawing the heat up into the atmosphere), while the rest of the warm water drips into a collection system that diverts it back into the kiddie pool. Pool gets topped up auto with float valve to replace water carried away into atmosphere...

It's early. Let me know if that needs more clarification.

My current plan is a relatively low flow mister head like they use at outdoor patios on hot days. Uses line pressure to work, and I have a digital water timer that should make life easier... There won't be any water for a kiddie pool to catch, though.

 

[ttystikk]

2400gpd is astonishing. I thought he said he was using 100gals of water daily. I think an average in-ground swimming pool is something like 10,000 gallons, yes? If I were to use that volume of water, I'm not growin' weed, I'm gonna grow sharks. With laser beams on their heads. No joke!

I have wanted very much to use misters, but our well water would clog them up with a quickness. That leaves the concept of filtration, but more along the lines of RO. Too wasteful I think.

What's worse, wasting electrons, or water..? I think water's more precious than electrons.

I felt badly, and it certainly added to the fire under my ass to get things fixed. That haste was costly. I didn't run the water at night, I shut off half my lights and vented like crazy, kept it down to 86 in the overnight room.

Wasting anything is wasteful. I did not fully utilize that water, but it's temp kept my op alive- that's not a waste in my book!

Sea, your sensibilities and mine match closely when it comes to the environment, its defense, and the resources we as indoor growers use in insane amounts! At least all that water went towards the cause of my hunting for efficiency gains... I hope that helps you feel better. I hated doing it so much I'm keeping a SECOND $3000 CHILLER AS A SPARE. If that's not putting my money where my mouth is, what would be?

 

[ttystikk]

Winning idea... I bet 90 outside means nothing to you after installing the misters.

Now, let's talk about 105...

 

[seebobsled]

So, what I'm imagining is impossible? Now I'm confused. :)

I made the mistake. I was backward! We are all talking the hot coil to spray . Condenser

 

[ftwendy]

Now, let's talk about 105...

Not going to pretend I know what any of this means, but this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowen_ratio may be a good place to start figuring out what range of temps your setup will be most effective working in. Using tap to mist, at 60f, seems like a solid plan...

 

[ttystikk]

I made a quick purchase today, which showed the promise of misting to aid the efficiency of my chiller, but won't live up to it by itself.

I'm going back to the hardware store tomorrow for a long plastic line with several mister heads, which I'll place above my chiller and aim down on it. I'm thinking that will go a long way.

Meanwhile, being slightly under powered during the very hottest part of the year strikes me as just about right. After all, why buy capacity I'll only need 1/10th of the time?

 

[seebobsled]

I want to mention that this process will only work efficiently in a dry atmosphere just like using a swamp cooler. If the humidity is high it will not get the cooling effect. Also this process can increase corrosion and build up hard water stains. If manufactures recommendations for indoor location it may not be wise!

I won't be doing the eco plus but the Aqua Quest is a good candidate. The eco plus is like a split ac and recommends indoor or a vented dog house outside. The Aqua Quest is a window ac conversion

 

[ftwendy]

I think tty is at elevation, so humidity should be less of an issue for him. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Is the chiller on the sunny side of the building? Can you move it to a shady location, or at least create some shade over the unit?? That should add some efficiency, too.

 

[ttystikk]

I want to mention that this process will only work efficiently in a dry atmosphere just like using a swamp cooler. If the humidity is high it will not get the cooling effect. Also this process can increase corrosion and build up hard water stains. If manufactures recommendations for indoor location it may not be wise!

I won't be doing the eco plus but the Aqua Quest is a good candidate. The eco plus is like a split ac and recommends indoor or a vented dog house outside. The Aqua Quest is a window ac conversion

These are all very good points, take notes, people!

One big reason you spend more on the brand name is for additional capability and robust dependability under adverse conditions. 2 Ton ChillKing window mount units run 25-40% more than other brands, but you get what you pay for, starting with all the actual capacity its rating implies, plus outdoor/all weather placement options. And reliability. The tech broke my unit, there was nothing wrong with it.

 

[ttystikk]

I think tty is at elevation, so humidity should be less of an issue for him. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Is the chiller on the sunny side of the building? Can you move it to a shady location, or at least create some shade over the unit?? That should add some efficiency, too.

I'm a mile high, and humidity regularly hits single digit territory in Colorado summers!

I did exactly as you suggested some weeks ago, with a piece of silver foil coated foam insulation I propped over it. I'm sure it helps a bit, as do all the trees providing shade.

It is on the west side of the house. Given a choice, they should go on the north side, away from afternoon sun.

 

[seebobsled]

Cheapest I found for a chill king 2ton
http://www.hydroponics.net/i/135265

 

[ttystikk]

Cheapest I found for a chill king 2ton
http://www.hydroponics.net/i/135265

Wow, that's a great price! I did okay...

 

[Swany]

Second, WAY too much veg lighting! Why so much?

- 'cause my memory is not always sharp ;-}

Thanks for the replys and sorry for the delay, been way to busy!

My friend is running (2) 1k's in Veg, one lamp per table. Still (6) in flower though, two lamps per table. I agree setting up for a flip would be great. There are a few reasons he's not done that, which I won't boar you with. Someday I'll get in there and reconfigure it. In the mean time, would an EcoPlus commercial 1 ton make a dent? A 1.5 ton like Seebobsled is using?

I went with eco plus 1.5 HP commercial. Added a Aqua Quest 1hp also. 2k flower unvented.
The 1.5 worked but struggled in peak demand.

Seebob - you're running a 1.5 and a 1 to cool 2kw of light at peak - is that with outside temps in the 90's during the day, or in the cool of night? I'll skip consumer chillers - thanks. I would assume the Eco commercials are not quite up to a chill king commercial but are probably like a 'pro-sumer' version of a camera. Better than run of the mill but not quite a professional rig.

 

[seebobsled]

- 'cause my memory is not always sharp ;-}

Thanks for the replys and sorry for the delay, been way to busy!

My friend is running (2) 1k's in Veg, one lamp per table. Still (6) in flower though, two lamps per table. I agree setting up for a flip would be great. There are a few reasons he's not done that, which I won't boar you with. Someday I'll get in there and reconfigure it. In the mean time, would an EcoPlus commercial 1 ton make a dent? A 1.5 ton like Seebobsled is using?



Seebob - you're running a 1.5 and a 1 to cool 2kw of light at peak - is that with outside temps in the 90's during the day, or in the cool of night? I'll skip consumer chillers - thanks. I would assume the Eco commercials are not quite up to a chill king commercial but are probably like a 'pro-sumer' version of a camera. Better than run of the mill but not quite a professional rig.

Yes the eco plus commercial is good unit but I haven't used a chill king to really compare.

 

[ttystikk]

There is such a thing as too much lighting. Either there is too much over veg, or there is a lot of waste, or you're vegging for someone's warehouse you haven't mentioned? I tease...

For comparison, I run a 1kW MH just off center in a 4x8' tent. At the opposite end, I run a 130W LED (C.A.P. 'Xtreme LED'). This tent is crammed full, and shows no sign of being light deficient! I have another 190W of mixed t5 and LED over my cloning and bullpen area, but that's still under 1500W for a veg setup designed to deliver a bloom ready batch of plants to an 8x8' blooming zone every 16 days... and it never needs that long!

The single best way to improve your grow's efficiency, both in terms of square footage and power used, is to break up your op into as many pieces as you can keep track of. Going 'perpetual' is in many ways a pain, but the benefits are well worth the effort, I promise!