DIY Icebox.

[snail240]

Chillers really are not that effective if the temp of the res is climbing. 10 deg bellow room temp unless its a bad mofo. I bought a bad ass one for my reef tank in the summertime and I still had to have a sump everything and do water changes alot still.

Go get a ice chest and a pump. Build a in tray inside the cooler out of pvc tubing and that egg crate stuff at hardware store(waffle looking plactic) so that frozen water bottles can sit on top of the tray. The idea is to cool the water down but not to much you could just let the frozen water bottles float around in the ice chest/res but it would get to cold causing that condensation problem your having now.

The proccess is the same as a water cooler and it doesnt cost $500 and 500 watts. And getting it cooler would be just ading more frozen water bottles to the tray inside the cooler. You want the water to move across something colder then itself thats all a chiller is just more controlable but for what we are doing it seems like a waste of money and energy.

 

[digitalliquid]

i plan on trying to make a DIY chiller ( http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=33123 )

and getting one of these bad boys (for a mere 40$) http://images.craigslist.org/3n83k53pa5Q65Pc5R09a1cff6242f8b81190f.jpg (itll look cool in my room)
so i can make a circulating system

 

[digitalliquid]

finished mine , parts were about 40$ and the duck tape was unnecessary but i just wanted the piece of mind that there would be no air leeks (or at least minimal) also it looks crocked in the picture but its not

 

[fatfarmer34]

Looks nice Digital, my only suggestion would be to make it deeper so the coils are not right up against the round hole side so you have more surface area exposed to the air going through. Hopefuly that makes sense it's hard to explain things in a post sometimes.

 

[mcinnc]

brilliant!!

 

[digitalliquid]

i would have set it up more infront but it wasnt long enough , it was only long enough to fill up the hole. im trying to get a cheap water chiller going , it works great when i add ice to my res it will go from 85deg to 70-75 thats a 10-15deg drop in room temp !

 

[uptosumpn]

DOES ANYONE KNOWS IF THAT ECO PLUS 1 HP CHILLER IS JUST AS EFFIECENT AS THE ONE ChillKing makes??? <their's is too damm much $$$$$.....gonna be using either 2 600hps or 2 1000hps with 3 iceboxes

 

[fatfarmer34]

Hey uptosumpn, I cannot answer your question but was curious you said you are running 3 iceboxes are you running one just in the room to help cool it?

 

[uptosumpn]

YES SIR< THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT! 2 in the tent, 1 in the room

Hey uptosumpn, I cannot answer your question but was curious you said you are running 3 iceboxes are you running one just in the room to help cool it?

 

[snail240]

DOES ANYONE KNOWS IF THAT ECO PLUS 1 HP CHILLER IS JUST AS EFFIECENT AS THE ONE ChillKing makes??? <their's is too damm much $$$$$.....gonna be using either 2 600hps or 2 1000hps with 3 iceboxes

I think you can cool 2x600 watts with one icebox each 1000 watt bulb will need its own Unless you got a bad ass chiller and 1hp is pretty fuckin good.

You will be fine just make sure it has warranty as far as I know most of those chillers are made by the same people just different company names until you get into industrial then you gotta have it built or do it your self.

1hp chiller should be good for 3x1000 watts or 6x600 watts maybe more depending on how your temps are year round and if your running a/c or letting the chiller do the work. But you got room to play and add more lights if you wanted to with that chiller for sure. How many? Not quite sure man this stuff is still new(somewhat) and I dont know much about your set up just wattage of lights but I would say your doing it right and over shooting for more room to play or more control if it gets hot.

 

[uptosumpn]

Oh ok, so you think that 1 Icebox is good for 2 x 600's? <that would be more effiecent for what i am trying to do for my set-up> My plan is a 56" x 56" x 78.75" Homebox XL tent with 2 x 600's or 2 x 1000's, (1 icebox & 1 500+ CFM inline fan per 1000)...BUT, instead of the tent standing straight up, I'm gonna lay it on it's side...{MOrE FLOoR SpAce..,78.75" WORTh cause i wanna grow about 5 diff. strains of 25-30 autos in 3 gal grow bags with good spacing...} those 600's or 1000's will be in CoOl SuN XL 8" reflectors with heat sheilds, windtunnel 6 inline fan, (409CFM,) attached to a odor sok or can 66 filter, dehumidifier, an icebox outside the tent, (with thermostat, to act as an A/C) 30 gal resovior, (with insulation) oscallating fans, ect...just need to get the right CHILLER!! How's that sound?

I think you can cool 2x600 watts with one icebox each 1000 watt bulb will need its own Unless you got a bad ass chiller and 1hp is pretty fuckin good.

You will be fine just make sure it has warranty as far as I know most of those chillers are made by the same people just different company names until you get into industrial then you gotta have it built or do it your self.

1hp chiller should be good for 3x1000 watts or 6x600 watts maybe more depending on how your temps are year round and if your running a/c or letting the chiller do the work. But you got room to play and add more lights if you wanted to with that chiller for sure. How many? Not quite sure man this stuff is still new(somewhat) and I dont know much about your set up just wattage of lights but I would say your doing it right and over shooting for more room to play or more control if it gets hot.

 

[fatfarmer34]

Uptosumpn, I think you will run into a head room problem even with an auto flower strain. If you are going to try it I would def. go with the 600's cause you can have them closer to your plants. You have to figure how tall your grow bags are, the finish heigth of your plants, a very minimum of 12" space between light and your plants( even cooled reflectors ) and how tall the reflector is and how your going to hang it, that all adds up fast.

 

[snail240]

Built your own space those tents are only made to hold weight up top. 500cfm fan will cool 2x1000 watt lights (idealy) but ive seen people use them to cool alot more just depends on circumstances. You will be able to run one inline fan for all your lights if your planing on running a few 1000 watt lights soooner or later get 8inch ductng and 8 inch coolers and fan. You can buy a dimmer and control it better anyways if you over shoot your set up.

5 foot of head space I would be using 600 watt lights for better coverage and less stretch 1000 watt lights tendto make plants stretch a little because its like a god damn sun so be prepared.

I run two inlines but ones for a carbon scrubber inside the room and the other for the lights. Carbon scrubber just lays on the floor I dont pump any air out of the room. You should have a pretty good home a/c living in the south so use it in the summer time and dont pump any air out of your house or your a/c will be working constantly in the summer.

I use I beleive its just under 600 cfm to cool 3x600 watt lights and I feel confident it could take a couple more 600 watt lights just to give you an idea and I live where it gets hot as fuck in the summer aswell. This is without iceboxs to I havent got those yet still doing some reading but to help you out I am gonna only be running one icebox to cool all three of my 600 watt lights to give you another idea.

 

[uptosumpn]

Yeah, I did that already.....The height of the tent if its laying on it's side will be 56"......so, 12" for the bag itself, an avg. of 24" for the plants, and 8" for the reflectors....that adds up to 44", which leaves me with 12" of play/spacing for top of plants distance to light/reflectors....yeah, 600's would work better!!

Uptosumpn, I think you will run into a head room problem even with an auto flower strain. If you are going to try it I would def. go with the 600's cause you can have them closer to your plants. You have to figure how tall your grow bags are, the finish heigth of your plants, a very minimum of 12" space between light and your plants( even cooled reflectors ) and how tall the reflector is and how your going to hang it, that all adds up fast.

 

[uptosumpn]

I understand, but I already purchased the tent...so I gotta use it.....other than that, what's your reccommendation?? One 8" Icebox with One 8" 500-600CFM in-line fan connected to two 8" reflectors using 600HPS?? and the other icebox outside of the tent with fan and theromostat.....?
With a that windtunnel 6, (409cfm) in-line fan attached to a odor sok or can-50 or 66 filter, "Scurbbing" < because I will be using that CO2 boost bucket, [it was free, so i'm gonna try it out]<

What chiller would you use?
1/2hp or 1hp for 2 iceboxes and 2 600Hps
Thanks!

Built your own space those tents are only made to hold weight up top. 500cfm fan will cool 2x1000 watt lights (idealy) but ive seen people use them to cool alot more just depends on circumstances. You will be able to run one inline fan for all your lights if your planing on running a few 1000 watt lights soooner or later get 8inch ductng and 8 inch coolers and fan. You can buy a dimmer and control it better anyways if you over shoot your set up.

5 foot of head space I would be using 600 watt lights for better coverage and less stretch 1000 watt lights tendto make plants stretch a little because its like a god damn sun so be prepared.

I run two inlines but ones for a carbon scrubber inside the room and the other for the lights. Carbon scrubber just lays on the floor I dont pump any air out of the room. You should have a pretty good home a/c living in the south so use it in the summer time and dont pump any air out of your house or your a/c will be working constantly in the summer.

I use I beleive its just under 600 cfm to cool 3x600 watt lights and I feel confident it could take a couple more 600 watt lights just to give you an idea and I live where it gets hot as fuck in the summer aswell. This is without iceboxs to I havent got those yet still doing some reading but to help you out I am gonna only be running one icebox to cool all three of my 600 watt lights to give you another idea.

 

[digitalliquid]

i got a 50$ aquarium chiller ... hope it works out it says it can cool 10 gal up to 6-8 degres and my water is only like 1 gal when moving or maby 2 at most so 5 gal = 12-16 and 2.5= 24-32 so if im thinking this should work like i think it does it should hopefully bring my water down to about 50-60 degrees and that would bring my tent down to 65-75 degrees

 

[snail240]

I understand, but I already purchased the tent...so I gotta use it.....other than that, what's your reccommendation?? One 8" Icebox with One 8" 500-600CFM in-line fan connected to two 8" reflectors using 600HPS?? and the other icebox outside of the tent with fan and theromostat.....?
With a that windtunnel 6, (409cfm) in-line fan attached to a odor sok or can-50 or 66 filter, "Scurbbing" < because I will be using that CO2 boost bucket, [it was free, so i'm gonna try it out]<

What chiller would you use?
1/2hp or 1hp for 2 iceboxes and 2 600Hps
Thanks!

If your temps are right you can use a smaller chiller. 1/2 hp is plenty for about any set up unless your running lots of 1000 watt lights.

If your running 600 watt you will only need one icebox for every 2 lights. Some people have them for every 3 lights depending on locality.

Only time you will need 8inch iceboxs is running LOTS of lights and when I mean lots I mean LOTS like 8x1000 watt lights and big ass inline fan like 1200+ cfm.

one 6 inch icebox at the end of the ducting will cool the hot air off of 2 600 watts easy with a 1/2 or even 1/4 hp chiller if you went with the 1/2 hp you could add a few more lights and another couple iceboxs.

Stay away from the 8inch unless you got plans to run LOTS of 1000 watts or alot of 600 watt lights (like 10) its just way over shooting unless thats somthing you want to do its not needed BUT it does leave room for expanding and its not that much more to over shoot.

 

[uptosumpn]

Wow! appreciate the info BRO! So all that crap those dudes we're telling me at hydro innovations was just to make me spend a chunk of cash, huh?!! Sounds like you haved used all of this stuff before....

So ok, just to re-cap..
If i go with th 2 600's, put them in 6" reflectors with one 6" Icebox at the end/exiting side and use a 400-500 CFM inline fan on the intake side, with a 1/2 hp chiller???
30 autos in 3 gal bags in 78.75" of floor space...

AND/OR, FOR FUTURE SET-UPS...
A GrowLab G145L, (4'9"x 9'6"x 6'7") 2x1000 in 6" reflectors, with one 6" Ice box on each reflector??, using 1 inline fan with a 600-700CFM, OR 2 500-600CFM FANS?? with a 1/hp or 1hp chiller??? (this set-up by the way will be at diff location when it's time to expand the op!!!) perpetual harvest!!!!!!
whatta ya think?

If your temps are right you can use a smaller chiller. 1/2 hp is plenty for about any set up unless your running lots of 1000 watt lights.

If your running 600 watt you will only need one icebox for every 2 lights. Some people have them for every 3 lights depending on locality.

Only time you will need 8inch iceboxs is running LOTS of lights and when I mean lots I mean LOTS like 8x1000 watt lights and big ass inline fan like 1200+ cfm.

one 6 inch icebox at the end of the ducting will cool the hot air off of 2 600 watts easy with a 1/2 or even 1/4 hp chiller if you went with the 1/2 hp you could add a few more lights and another couple iceboxs.

Stay away from the 8inch unless you got plans to run LOTS of 1000 watts or alot of 600 watt lights (like 10) its just way over shooting unless thats somthing you want to do its not needed BUT it does leave room for expanding and its not that much more to over shoot.

 

[snail240]

Wow! appreciate the info BRO! So all that crap those dudes we're telling me at hydro innovations was just to make me spend a chunk of cash, huh?!! Sounds like you haved used all of this stuff before....

So ok, just to re-cap..
If i go with th 2 600's, put them in 6" reflectors with one 6" Icebox at the end/exiting side and use a 400-500 CFM inline fan on the intake side, with a 1/2 hp chiller???
30 autos in 3 gal bags in 78.75" of floor space...

AND/OR, FOR FUTURE SET-UPS...
A GrowLab G145L, (4'9"x 9'6"x 6'7") 2x1000 in 6" reflectors, with one 6" Ice box on each reflector??, using 1 inline fan with a 600-700CFM, OR 2 500-600CFM FANS?? with a 1/hp or 1hp chiller??? (this set-up by the way will be at diff location when it's time to expand the op!!!) perpetual harvest!!!!!!
whatta ya think?

I think you planned great 1hp chillers are bad ass if I had a chance to get one I would even to run a smaller set up you can turn them down and still have more cooling power incase A bitch ass summer comes threw like last one you wont have to work your home a/c as much witch is what makes electric bills climb in most cases. Usually the guys with small lights pushing air out of the attic all day use more electricity then a decent setup cooled right because they are pushing all the cold air out of the roof with the hot air.

A/c is working over time in most peoples homes with grows.

 

[LoudBlunts]

yes watercooling is great.

has the ability to remove way more heat than air (water has the ability to remove around 4 times more heat and around 20-25 times faster).

what people dont realize is that with an a/c, as soon as the area comes in contact with heat, the a/c is losing its efficiency. you get penalized for cooling wattage....where as you could be using those wasted a/c wattage on some more lighting? you know?

truth be told, around 30-35% of energy the a/c produces is able to 'cool' the rest is pretty much wasted (this is without leaks, other heating issues, etc )



for calculating equipment..... a general rule of thumb is 3.41 btu are produced for every watt. soooo a 1k watter will run about 3500 btu.

this is a general scale:

1/2hp chiller = 6k btu
1hp chiller = 12k btu
1.5 chiller = 18k btu
2hp chiller = 24k btu



last but not least your icebox can be used as your room a/c.... thas the bad ass part about it. talk about 2 birds, 1 stone!!!!!!!