Creative thinking (Reservoir)

Ok with summer coming up reservoir temps will be a problem. I could run a chiller but donâ??t really want to pay for it or the elec that comes with it. Ice in 2 liters works but I think the water gets to hot and melts it before it really it really has a chance to work. So all this got me thinking

What if you were to take one small tub and put it in a big tub and pour concrete around it. this would provide it with a in the ground type cooling. The concrete wont heat up as fast so it will stay cooler longer. You could even push water bottles down into it while pouring so that you could add frozen ones to the concrete and cool down the entire outside of the reservoir and bring the temps down that way. Plus wouldnâ??t the concrete stay cooler longer?

Hmm concrete. Sounds like it would work. I have a friend who wont buy a chiller and got sick of using 2 lt's. He did almost the exact thing your thinking.
He took a large rubber maid, cut the correct holes for his 1/2" barbs and such. He lined the bottom of the rubbermaid w/ insulation. Then he set the normal controller/res (witch was the same rubbermaid just smaller) and hooked up all the tubing. Then he used Great Stuff foam insulation around the cracks between the larger rubbermaid and the controller. He also lined the larger rubber maids lid w/ insulation. It brought his temps DOWN. He didnt give me numbers he just said it worked great. I also had him build a box for his airpumps w/ 4" ducting blowing in cool AC air.

I started thinking a little after this and you could use a larger cooler to place your res in as well. Or just use the cooler as a res. They would all help w/ temps.
I also think concrete would bust most rubber maids but I could be wrong

I like your thinking man. I have been battleing temps in my veg as it has no AC but just fluro's.and good vents. Still you can't get any lower than the outside temps. latewood and I were talking of running 100 foot of line through a real small fridge and pumping through that to keep temps down. Problem is I can't put any more draw on my eletric at the moment. I do have an ice maker that makes 165 pounds in 24 hours. I have 2 , 10 gallon tubs for veg. All I need are larger tubs and some pvc to drain the water out. Kind of like keg coolers. Man I will try , it's a bit of work but I can handle that just not the electric. Try your way and we will see what turns out. IT's easier to try than to prove it can't be done

well here is a great deal on a chiller

http://www.aquastealth.com/index.asp...ProdID=93&HS=1

There is two DIY easy methods to low the reservoir temp.

One is put a fan blowing into the res, and a little aperture in the opposite side. Evaporation low the temp. Take into account that you must refill the res more often and with less nutrients concentration.

The other is a bit more complicated, and its useful when you need to use a humidifier. Use a ultrasonic humidifier, and attach it a duct wich passes through the res. This simple mecanism can low up to 10º, depending of the res temp.

Yeah that is a nice one. the problem isnt so much that i want or need a good deal as i dont really wanna plug in anymore stuff.. Im drawing alot on the meter and paying for it.. so i know that when you bury your res. that they drop and stay constant... i think about 6 inches will do.. i think the rubbermaids should hold since its not an entire tub full just a wall around the sides but ill wrap some tape around it just to make sure that it wont bust.... next i was thinking about making some holes that go half way in around the side this way maybe in extreme messure i could add dry ice in there to drop it rappidly.. what do you think. I think ill probaly get to it this week i still have a quite a few things left to do.... loc how much water does your system hold and is it reserculating? i would say that the freezer idea donst stay in contact with teh fluid log enuf with a large enought contact area this being teh idea that the entire tub is in contact with the solution... what you could do if you run a closed loop system just in the res. is to bury about 50 feet of pvc zig zaged in the back yard and have it attached to the res. this would work well but im not quite ready to cut up the slab. any other ideas are help full
knna what is the ultrasonic humidifier any links ill do a google.

You could hook up one or a couple of these to the outside of your rubbermaid I dont know how well they work or whatever but it might help http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=12326+PM

Yeah those would work i wonder or would be concerned about what it is made of... i heard you can use titianim but im not sure i think i would only run my nutes. though plastic to tell you the truth.. so wonder if they make one in plastic... these are all really good ideas... i think im gunna go a head and make the concrete one except that i wont have anything to compare it to since this is a new room.