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Is there a way to chill TWO rez's with ONE chiller?

Hackk

Hackk

Member
Just as the title suggests, I want to try and figure this out. I have (2) 55gallon drums right next to each other, each on a seperate flower/nute schedule and I cant really find myself actually wasting the money, power, heat, and space by putting in a chiller for each reservoir.

Is there a method/tool/item/magic spell that can help me hook up both rez's to one chiller and NOT mix the two?
 
C

coconaut

Have a closed loop system with a radiator submersed in each res.
Maybe also a small pump in each res pushing water through the fins of the rad.
 
Lazyman

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
I've done it by buying 100' of 3/4" hose, and putting a large coil of it inside one res after it comes out the cold side of the chiller, then it dumps into the second res. Works fairly well unless your temps are out of control or your chiller is undersized. I'd recommend at least a 1/4hp chiller though.
 
Hackk

Hackk

Member
Lazy, let me understand what you're saying... You're recirculating the 2nd rez while just having the rubber hose passively cool the 1st?

and coconaut, thats what I figure needs to be done. But I've done the search and cant find anything like that. Do you have a link or name of the items I can search for?

thanks guys, I just recently sealed the room, and rez temps are at the "I know something microscopic and evil is growing in there, I just hope its not" stage...
 
Lazyman

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
Yep thats right, pick up a bottle of Physan20 STAT, it's a good thing to have in case something evil DOES show up, cheap and effective, can even be used in a running RDWC system or whatever you have.
 
C

coconaut

Sorry man, that was just off the top of my head, I'm not running a similar setup so I know no brands or products.

But again off the top of my head, for reasonably sized radiators you could look at computer water-cooling rads.
 
D

dtfsux

Member
I dont know how many radiators are designed to be submerged. It may not cool effectively and the fins may not hold up.

You could build your own using lazymans idea. Maybe use some pvc pipe to cover the height of the drum, then run a bunch of drip tubing up and down to act like fins. Maybe a pvc ring at the top, and a pvc ring at the bottom, maybe 4 pieces for support. then all the drip tubing. Just an idea off the top of my head. Lots of surface area

I doubt you will save any heat or electric. Two chillers should work half the time, one chiller works. Second you may never get both reses at equal temps, if recirculating one rez'es nutes through the second res. Obviously the nutes going through the chiller are going to get cooler first.

How about pumping the nutes out of the rez, and through a radiator? We used to use the hydrogen CO2 generators, combined with a 500 gallon rez. To keep the rez cool, we recirculated the water through their icebox and used a 6" fan to blow through it. It worked pretty good at keeping the water cool considering we were running 2 generators on a flip flop room setup. The co2 generators sucked though.
http://www.hydroinnovations.com/product6.php
 
Hackk

Hackk

Member
The "radiator" is more of a coil, preferably stainless steel, that you just dip into the rez. I figure I can either circulate one rez through the system to cool the coil for the other rez and have it dump back into the original, or I can just close the loop, and use two coils with the system filled distilled water or something.

Check this link out guys and you'll know what I mean, I've found a few other references, but nothing with a picture like this.
http://how-to-grow-cannabis.info/grow/growing/marijuana-cannabis-growers-almanac-FAQ-1285.html
 
Hackk

Hackk

Member
update: I've found a few places that sell them, HOWEVER they are either copper, or labortory equipment (way too pricey) or too small. Im gonna keep looking, if you guys have any other ideas, let me know. Thanks

and on a side note, Is too much green light bad during lights off? Just snuck in there and I can see pretty much everything because of the controllers/ac/dehum/etc little green lights. You think I should tape um up?
 
J

JoeBlunt420

Member
They have copper coils for brewing (beer and wine) that would work pretty well, and the last time I looked at them they were not outragously priced. Can't find it on my shops website, but I know they have them in the store.

Green lights will not interupt the dark cycle. Any other color will.
 
Hackk

Hackk

Member
thanks joe, but it was my understanding that copper can actually corrode with certain nutes and ph solutions...

am I wrong?
 
Lazyman

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
I'm tellin ya, regular hydro-shop 3/4" poly hose worked great, use an 800-1000gph pump on a 1/4" chiller, I ran my pump continuous (always have a spare!!!) but the chiller was flawless, and cooled a 40 and 55 gallon res from 78* to 55* if desired.
 
BORNaSMOKER

BORNaSMOKER

Member
I used to use an old beer chiller with multiple lines. Recirculating the resevoirs on a thermostat with a pump. Didn't cost me the earth, I just found a bar that was closing and bought the old one from there for way less than a garden chiller was going to cost me!
 
Hackk

Hackk

Member
Mcattak, that is almost EXACTLY what I was looking for... just more expensive :)

and lazy, I highly respect your opinion, I just dont see the 100' of tubing very easy to manage the way I have my rez's set up. But on a side note, later tonight I'll be posting a mother problem in the infirmary, and I would really appreciate all of your opinions. Just have to take the pictures now
 
M

mcattak

Active member
Hackk said:
Mcattak, that is almost EXACTLY what I was looking for... just more expensive :)

and lazy, I highly respect your opinion, I just dont see the 100' of tubing very easy to manage the way I have my rez's set up. But on a side note, later tonight I'll be posting a mother problem in the infirmary, and I would really appreciate all of your opinions. Just have to take the pictures now
Click to expand...


Hackk seems like everything around here is expensive...If those problems you are talking about are related to water temps than I guarantee those problems are more expensive than a chiller..

You have an audience tell us what the issues are..

mc
 
M

MerryPrankstr

Great Idea !!!

Great Idea !!!

But $149.00 is way too expensive.

You can buy 36" of 3/8 inch tubing at McMaster Carr (or probably Grainger) for $16.51 and bend it yourself.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#tubing/=6i6dj5
Then build 10 of those for the same price. The hose adapters are not that the expensive.

Show us some pictures of the fab when you are done.
 
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