Cooling with aquarium chiller and radiator/fan

I’ll text him and see if he has some time this week to post something.
 
I think I might move all the recent posts over into your other one just to keep his thread clean.
 
The two threads are merged now (and looks like two convos) but this will be a great place to keep asking questions. You might think you’re the only one asking questions but there are many lurkers thinking the same things.
 
H2O said:
The two threads are merged now (and looks like two convos) but this will be a great place to keep asking questions. You might think you’re the only one asking questions but there are many lurkers thinking the same things.
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Much appreciated H2O!
 
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I'm pumping cold air directly into my chamber using a 5000 BTU window air conditioner. It definitely drops humidity so I'm using a cool mist humidifier and controller to keep RH @ 85%+. I'm eventually going to install a mistking as well since I have one leftover from my dart frog keeping days - just need to figure out the water reservoir. It'll be nice if I can keep it all contained.

I'm eventually going to build my own chiller and use a radiator as described in this guide: http://edencps.com/diy-air-conditioner/ The air system will be closed-loop so it'll pull hot air from the upper section of the chamber, pass it through a chilled radiator, and back into the lower portion of the chamber.

I currently keep day/night temps at 24C / 13C with my set up.
 
Lloyd Gordon said:
Why not run the a/c through a humidifier?
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I'm not sure how to do that so I just have a coolmist humidifier pumping directly into the chamber for now.

Here's a pic when I first turned everything on (humidity/temps haven't stabilized at this point). Also, I'm going to cut a 2nd hole at the lower shelf level opposite the current vent. I plan on using the upper vent to pull hot air out and the lower vent to pump cold air in. I will also be adding a couple small foggers to the very bottom where I have a water reservoir:
4SrRY1R.jpg
 
Stanley said:
I'm pumping cold air directly into my chamber using a 5000 BTU window air conditioner. It definitely drops humidity so I'm using a cool mist humidifier and controller to keep RH @ 85%+. I'm eventually going to install a mistking as well since I have one leftover from my dart frog keeping days - just need to figure out the water reservoir. It'll be nice if I can keep it all contained.

I'm eventually going to build my own chiller and use a radiator as described in this guide: http://edencps.com/diy-air-conditioner/ The air system will be closed-loop so it'll pull hot air from the upper section of the chamber, pass it through a chilled radiator, and back into the lower portion of the chamber.

I currently keep day/night temps at 24C / 13C with my set up.
Click to expand...
I looked at this link. That’s crazy complex but looks very effective! Thanks for sharing!
 
H2O said:
I’ll text him and see if he has some time this week to post something.
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@H2O, still no reply from Avery?? I’m dying to know if he got an off-the-shelf, store bought radiator(s) to work effectively. I’ve seen so many people discount the concept but I really feel he was on to something with his particular setup. Just wondering if he took it t the next level.
 
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Pleurophile33 said:
I looked at this link. That’s crazy complex but looks very effective! Thanks for sharing!
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I looked into aquarium chillers but they don't seem worth it for the cost. I bought my AC for $40 used, got a cooler for $27 off amazon, as well as some pumps and tubing. Only need to pick up some coolant. Total cost of this chiller is ~$150?
 
@Stanley I absolutely agree that cost is a major issue. I had convinced myself that it almost would be worth it if the resulting solution was a nice and neat, clean, aesthetically pleasing system that allowed a drop below 60F at night.

I still want to explore just cycling antifreeze directly from a chest freezer to a radiator like the Ice Box, through insulated lines, and then right back to the freezer on a closed loop. I am curious if this can be made to work by tweaking the radiator used and possibly insulating the terrarium.

This is why I really want to know how Avery got on with testing an off-the-shelf radiator and/or an aquarium chiller.

There has to be an elegant solution that doesn’t break the bank but also doesn’t leave the terrarium looking like the side show to a huge complex apparatus of torn apart air conditioners, coolers and ductwork. I don’t have that much space to work with .
 
I was planning on using an old cabinet to contain most of the cooling system but there would still be some duct work exposed. I guess it really just depends on how much you're willing to spend.
 
And if you think about it, with an aquarium chiller you still need a large reservoir to hold the fluid you will be circulating. Having a cabinet to hide all of the apparatus is a good way to go and, regardless of which route I take, I will aim to hide as much of the equipment as possible. But my main goal, beyond temperature regulation, is to have a terrarium that serves as a showcase for the plants. As someone pointed out in a previous post, the plants should be the focus. It's why we're all here, right ;)?
 
100%! My cabinet isn't the best looking but it's also an apparatus I keep in the basement for my personal enjoyment. I would look into (custom) fish tank cabinets for ready-made set ups or, if you can afford the space/cost, an in-wall display where all the cooling equipment is housed in a completely separate room would be absolutely amazing!

Another option is insulating and cooling an entire room for the plants. I think someone on the forum (forgot who) does that.
 
Hey everyone!!

Thanks so much for the interest. I’m sorry I’ve been so so busy these days. I will write up a thread (with pictures) for cooling with a chest freezer. I am not currently using this setup, but I will gladly give some pointers on what I found works best. You’ll just have to be patient with me. I’m in the midst of building a large indoor terrarium, which I will also make a thread about at some point. Anyways, I’ll make a thread ASAP! Thanks!

Avery
 
Thanks for dropping by Avery! I’m excited to see the thread when you get time!
 
Avery said:
Hey everyone!!

Thanks so much for the interest. I’m sorry I’ve been so so busy these days. I will write up a thread (with pictures) for cooling with a chest freezer. I am not currently using this setup, but I will gladly give some pointers on what I found works best. You’ll just have to be patient with me. I’m in the midst of building a large indoor terrarium, which I will also make a thread about at some point. Anyways, I’ll make a thread ASAP! Thanks!

Avery
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Thanks so much for responding @Avery! I thought your use of a chest freezer with your diy radiator was such an elegant method for cooling and it got me thinking about how affective an off-the-shelf radiators like the Alphacool radiator (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=...+Radiator&unfiltered=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1531878719) would work. I am dying to know if you ever tested one or even tested an aquarium chiller. The chillers are expensive but also neat and tidy if they will get temps below 15C over night.
 
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