Chilling question

fabizpwn

Well-Known Member
Even if it's an aquarium chiller? It's no big deal setting up a wort cooler, but it is a little extra money. But, if it extends the life of the chiller then its probably worth it. Ever heard of anyone running some other liquid that's made for closed-loop chilling, or just purified water?

Do I ever have to change the water in the chiller and coil?

Thanks for the advice. Appreciate it

I use propylene glycol/ RO water 50-50 it keeps the lines inside of the chiller lubricated and resists corrosion.
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
Copper works fine in a closed loop system and is a third of the cost of stainless. This will not harm your plants....most people's domestic water systems are made from copper lol. You change your res often anyways so any leached metal is going to go down the drain.
I hear ya. I was actually thinking the copper was better because it was more expensive.

Do you use that a/c for your chiller?
 

HempletonState

Well-Known Member
Copper works fine in a closed loop system and is a third of the cost of stainless. This will not harm your plants....most people's domestic water systems are made from copper lol. You change your res often anyways so any leached metal is going to go down the drain.
No copper should not be used in the buckets with your nutes look it up this guys is the only person I have ever heard say copper is fine because it is not.
 

JSB99

Well-Known Member
No copper should not be used in the buckets with your nutes look it up this guys is the only person I have ever heard say copper is fine because it is not.
I was going to go with the stainless steel. Most everyone has said the same about copper so I made my decision based on the overwhelming majority.

No offense, fab
 

HempletonState

Well-Known Member
I was going to go with the stainless steel. Most everyone has said the same about copper so I made my decision based on the overwhelming majority.

No offense, fab
Trust me I wish copper would work cause as a plumber I have tons of it, but unfortunately it will wreak havoc in your system after I few runs and a 50 ft coil of stainless steel is only about $70
 

fabizpwn

Well-Known Member
I hear ya. I was actually thinking the copper was better because it was more expensive.

Do you use that a/c for your chiller?
That is my chiller.

Chillking 3 ton.

www.chillking.com
No copper should not be used in the buckets with your nutes look it up this guys is the only person I have ever heard say copper is fine because it is not.
I have yet to see anyone make a blog, post, website claiming "copper coils are terrible they killed my crop"

if everyone is under the assumption that copper is bad and everyone uses stainless there is nothing to compare to. I guess I'll be the lone soldier on this one lol. Been running it for years with no problems. Maybe it's the nutrients i use who knows.
 

HempletonState

Well-Known Member
That is my chiller.

Chillking 3 ton.

www.chillking.com


I have yet to see anyone make a blog, post, website claiming "copper coils are terrible they killed my crop"

if everyone is under the assumption that copper is bad and everyone uses stainless there is nothing to compare to. I guess I'll be the lone soldier on this one lol. Been running it for years with no problems. Maybe it's the nutrients i use who knows.
Again not trying to get into an argument with you but I was simply pointing out which JSB also points out there is a reason that everyone says to not use copper and since I have seen how certain things corrode copper big time. Also this is the standard when setting up anything not just hydro grows. When setting up hospitals and food centers with all the plumbing necessary anything that is going to be used for human consumption or anything that needs to be sterilized , stainless steel is the only thing used never copper because of its corrosiveness
 

fabizpwn

Well-Known Member
I was going to go with the stainless steel. Most everyone has said the same about copper so I made my decision based on the overwhelming majority.

No offense, fab
I'm not trying to say use copper. I was just letting you know it works for me. Everyone has there opinions on what works an what doesn't work. Fortunetly copper works for me. I can't use the stainless coils in my systems because the diameter of the stainless coil is much larger, i can make copper coils half the size. I think 3/8" stainless can only be made into something like a 10"-12" diameter coil before it starts kinking.
 

fabizpwn

Well-Known Member
Again not trying to get into an argument with you but I was simply pointing out which JSB also points out there is a reason that everyone says to not use copper and since I have seen how certain things corrode copper big time. Also this is the standard when setting up anything not just hydro grows. When setting up hospitals and food centers with all the plumbing necessary anything that is going to be used for human consumption or anything that needs to be sterilized , stainless steel is the only thing used never copper because of its corrosiveness
I agree with this that copper is more corrosive. I look at my coils though and see no corrosion. Maybe this is because they are 99% of the time submerged in water and have very little contact with air. I see what you're saying but since you're a plumber i know you have seen 50 year old pipes in a basement all green, corroded leaking from the joints and when you replace them the inside of the pipe has went from shiny to dull, no green and corroded like the outside. You don't see the same corrosion on the inside of the pipe as you do the outside.
 
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