Yeah the Vortexes are ok, between the Phason and the foam wrap they are so much quieter now, but lately I've been thinking about using water cooling for a future setup (could do it at my current spot too.)that vortex is a gnarly son of a bitch eh? Couldn't imagine having 2 of them going.
mosquito dunks - do you put them in something before tossing them in the reservoir? I just threw one in and it fell apart - "contaminating" my reservoir with little flecks everywhere! Next time I'll definately put it in a panty hose or chessecloth or something.
What brand are those coco chips? They look very nice and seem like a good alternative to hydroton in my ebb&gros. I'm about to try these huge sure to grow cylinders, but these chips look like they'd be right up my alley if the cylinders dont work out.
I think I may be able to order the below chips (hydrofarm brand) from my local shop. Do they need rinsing or anything before use?
Yep those are the exact chips I used, good stuff! DIdn't do much to them, but man do they soak up cal/mag like a sponge, I have to add a LOT to compensate.
The mosquito dunks seem to be made of bacteria and vermiculite, so yeah I've got a bunch of verm floating around now, I may skim it off with a pool skimmer if it causes any probs. If I still have gnats in a few days I'll go get some Gnatrol, no biggie.
More thoughts on cooling, I like the idea of using water cooling over air, quieter, more efficient, less amps, etc.
I have a good place to hide a 1HP chiller or the like in the shade, and I could run ice boxes, a hydrogen Co2 generator, even water cooled lights (Scary!) but I think if I ran an icebox on each light and ran cold water through them, I might be able to use NO air conditioners. I'd look at having some 12" vents/roof caps put on my roof so i can vent the Vortexes straight up, and water cool everything else. It would be quieter and probably use less juice, and I wouldn't need anything to vent out my windows! That would be my favorite part, the windows are kind of a weak spot (physical security, noise, air flow, light leaks etc are always a worry)
I dunno, I'm an old hot rodder at heart, so I think I could further cool the hot water discharge with, an automotive aluminum radiator and cooler fan, so the chiller doesn't have to work too hard. Just plumbing it inline before the chiller ought to dissipate a good chunk of heat, I hear the Hydrogen puts out a metric assload of heat! Wish I had a pool, pond or stream I could use, but I am on a well so I could use that as long as it doesn't create a ton of waste water.
Hmm, maybe I'd put the ice boxes on the chiller (could downsize this to 1/2 hp) and just run well water through the hydrogen and drain to waste, it wouldn't run 24X7 anyway, just 15 minutes about 4 times a night or so I think. THis way the hottest water just dumps outside and the chiller only has to cool the ice boxes. This would still add a lot of plumbing (bitch to set up and break down 2x a year!) but might be worth it.
I even considered putting a mister system on my roof to keep it cool, but I don't want it to be visible from outside. I heard of a guy getting busted this way by his landlord anyway.
