Water Cooled HID's? Fresca Sol

[Bobby Smith]

I'm pretty dang sure you're not going to be able to run that 2HP chiller inside - that was a specific question I asked Hydro Innovations in my correspondence with them, and their answer was that it's a really, really bad idea - at temps over 90F, the efficiency cuts down dramatically.

You know how you said that 1/2HP chiller heats up your room already (in the winter)? Multiply that heat by four times and then add in the fact that it's going to be summertime as well - your basement will get fugging HOT.

At the very least, email HI and ask them what their thoughts are on the matter - pretty sure they'll tell you the same as they told me.

 

[Tesseract]

I'm pretty dang sure you're not going to be able to run that 2HP chiller inside - that was a specific question I asked Hydro Innovations in my correspondence with them, and their answer was that it's a really, really bad idea - at temps over 90F, the efficiency cuts down dramatically.

You know how you said that 1/2HP chiller heats up your room already (in the winter)? Multiply that heat by four times and then add in the fact that it's going to be summertime as well - your basement will get fugging HOT.

At the very least, email HI and ask them what their thoughts are on the matter - pretty sure they'll tell you the same as they told me.

The new chiller will be in a different room then the current one. Its still in the basement, but located in a large room that has an open garage. This part of the basement is unfinished and stays very cool. Cool enough in 3 seasons to run the chiller with ease. Don't forget that a properly sized chiller will not turn on as much as an ac unit being that water stays cooler more efficiently so the room will never get that warm.

The one I have now heats the room to about 70 max so it stays cool too. I can open the door too if I like so the room stays open to the unfinished garage part if I need it cooler. The room is only 7x7 BTW so with the door closed and the temp maxing out at 70, it stays perfect. I am using the system as a bastardized geothermal system making it ultra efficient. I bet you could do the same thing to a larger unit in the winter and run the vent from the warm air coming out of the chiller into the hvac system.

You can place the system inside if you want, you just have to make some modifications if your room is insulated or its not open like mine is. A fan, temperature sensor, and ducting is all you need to move the excess hot air out if its a problem.

If a chiller is just not an option, they make all sorts of reservoirs that can be buried outside. A 1500 gallon one would be good for a multi light setup without the chiller.

T

 

[Bobby Smith]

Lol, see the link below (lots of good info on watercooling and has a link to my email exchange with HI) - my original plan was to put ~300 gallons in my crawlspace which stays <70F year round (even with summer temps in the mid 90s):

 

[Tesseract]

Lol, see the link below (lots of good info on watercooling and has a link to my email exchange with HI) - my original plan was to put ~300 gallons in my crawlspace which stays <70F year round (even with summer temps in the mid 90s):

You have the right idea for sure. If the water starts off at 70, and you run your lights, its going to heat up a lot more and will have a hard time cooling back down in time for the next round. It all depends on how many lights you have.
The easiest thing to do is stay with a 50 gal res and just use a properly sized chiller.


The proof is in the pudding my friend. I lucked out on my space no doubt and its not for everyone, but I have built a system that surpasses any ac system equal to its size in cost efficiency, room efficiency, and safety which you really can't put a price on.

T

 

[Tesseract]

I did have the room in a vertical setup before this, but couldn't walk around as much and was always tripping on ebb and flow lines.

The good thing was not needing reflectors and a more efficient method of light desperation.

The bad thing, which the pic does not show, is the extra lines that are needed. You have to pump the water up through the jackets in order to keep them full of water. Running the water downwards causes less water buildup due to gravity.

T

 

[Nobodynobody]

the water moving downward is not good. check on BCG site no that. My idea of putting a 2400g tank underground was a good idea. just i veg for 18 hrs and haveing another doing 12. no good.

 

[beachenguy]

A radiator will work great to remove heat energy from the water, if the air passing
through it is 10 degrees cooled than your desired temp. For example you want 65degree water, the air passing through it must be 55 degree. There will also be variables
+ or - degrees due to more surface area or thicker radiators. You can obtain more cooling with more radiator, unless your air temp rises above your desire temp, it can heat up your water. So running a thermostat connected to your radiator fan is great Idea. Bottom line you wont overheat a water cooled system with a radiator inline. This can also save energy instead of running a chiller all the time or you can lighten the load
on the chiller.

 

[BlindDay]

Suppliers?

Hey, I am new to this site. Can someone post links to all the good water cooled light makers?

 

[water wise guy]

I know this is an old one but here's my .02

i installed a Fresca Sol a few weeks ago, i got the entire unit with reflector for 300.00 shipped. Purchased a 100 gal industrial trash container at Lowes for 100.00 along with a 60.00 pump and some 1/2" hose. This thing has been working flawlesly.
I'm runnning a 1000w HPS 18/6 on it. the water temps in the 100 gal res are starting to get up over 90 when it's hot out, the light though is still cool to the touch though.
with the summer months upon us and the prospect of adding additional units it was decided that it was time for a chiller.

Last night, we took a 100.00 window a/c unit and converted it into a chiller. My rez is now under 70 with the temp control @ about 60%.

i basically have 600.00 in this reflector, chiller, pump, rez setup. Compared to the 400.00 i spent on a cool tube and 8" fan, it's a bargin.

The lack of fan noise is incredible and will facilitate a whole new level of stealthiness, which will open up this hobby to thousands more!

this is a good system on a budget

 

[water wise guy]

If I might add some "green input": While we are extracting most of the heat from the bulb, why not put that heat to use to save us money, instead of spending more money trying to rid ourselves of it? Think about this for a minute, why would you dump that heat outside or, to make it even more insane, run air conditioners to remove that heat, in turn spending more money to rid yourself of a resource that you will inevitably pay again for later on...

Install a simple boiler, perhaps an old electric boiler for which the components broke down and circulate the water contained within through the Fresca Sol / Liquid Lumens lighting armature. Hook up the boiler between your cold water feed and your regular hot water kettle/boiler. Cold water will first flow through this boiler and then to your water heating system.

Hence, the heat extracted from the bulb will pre-heat your hot water supply, in turn minimizing the amount of energy (fuel/electricity) spent to heat up your hot water to the required temperature.

Don't struggle to remove that heat, it's precious! Do you fancy burning gas, oil or paying for electricity to heat that water and remove the heat from your grow room instead? Just move the heat around to where you can use it, your op will become über-stealthy and your utilities bill will be lower than ever with those hundreds to thousands of Watts of heat at your disposal! ;)

x2 re use the energy you have already spent the money for the power to your advantage.

 

[water wise guy]

Hey, I am new to this site. Can someone post links to all the good water cooled light makers?

check out www.bestcoastgrowers.com

they have the fresca sols and the plantinums and thye realy know thier products and can tell you exactly how to run your system the best