How to run a CHILLER without wasting WATER!

Water Cooled Chillers are a great way to cool down any space.. hence the reason they are used in many commercial refrigeration applications as they are typically much more cost effective to run. The problem with these chillers when used in a home grow, is they are designed to have a constant flow of cold water or refrigerant in order to work. Most urban homes these days are on metered water.. and a friend of mine recently got slapped with a $700 water bill after buying a water cooled chiller for his grow room... I dont think he realized just how much water he was going to use when considering his electrical savings from running the chiller as opposed to an A/C.

Here is a system I helped him set up to help keep his grow room cool, and keep the heat down on his water bill!

First off, we found a deep freeze on craigslist (I live in a HUGE metro area.. so we actually picked it up for free.. SAWEET!) We then got a rubermaid container that was big enough to fit in the bottom of the freezer, I think its about 30 gallons or so. Next I ran a hose with an inline water pump in a loop from the chiller to the container inside the deep freeze and back again. I had to cut a little bit of the door seal away to allow the hose to feed in and close the lid on top of it. I filled the resivoir with RV plumbing antifreeze (the kind you put in your RV to keep the water pipes from freezing over winter, Not automotive antifreeze.. although this may work too.. but I have a feeling would be much more toxic!) I hooked both the chiller, and the pump up to a coil style thermosat controller with a 2 output box attached to it.. so when the chiller turns on.. the pump turns on as well. The deep freeze is set at its very lowest setting.. just enough to keep the fluid cold.. And man does it work slick! He has 6x1000 hps lights burning in there, and that 2 fan chiller only cuts in for 2 mins out of every 5.. No wasted water, no outside equipment, and happy plants... Hope this helps someone out there!