Mmm Chillers, My favorite topic
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Originally Posted by Pesci  It is said these guys will prevent bad growth in the hydro reservoir and will keep the solution at the optimal temperature thereby uping the tds of oxygen which in turn also helps nutes absorb and prevent bacterial growth.
Why can I not just add an airstone to accomplish the same result? |
Keeping the water cold raises the dissolved oxygen holding capacity of the water. Warm water doesn't hold much oxygen and favors the growth of nasty stuff. Cold water holds significantly more oxygen and the temperatures themselves inhibit the speed at which bacteria grows. Combining the two means a healthier environment for your roots... However without proper oxygenation such as an air stone or a waterfall then your chiller is pretty much useless. The two must be combined for a synergistic result.
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Does this mean If I have one of these I would no longer need to use things like hydrogzyme?
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In general - Yes. Barring equipment failures, bad water sources, user error, etc. causing a bacterial infection. In which case, you'd want to use something like h2o2 or hygrozyme to combat it... Once they're healthy again you wont need it anymore. Keeping your reservoir water between 62-66F (15.5 - 18.5 c) is by far the best preventative measure for root disease. Most of the time you can cruise with just the chilled water and proper oxygenation methods. But once you have an infection, you usually have to combine attack methods to beat it out.
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And why are we all just now getting this information? Where were these things several years ago?
In other words, though hydroponics as a public hobby is relatively new, why are we just now figuring this out?
I am asking because I already wanna purchase a digital ppm meter.
I dont wanna dump say, $500 or more dollars down on a chiller if their lifespan isnt that long or if I am still gonna have to keep purchasing additives to keep down algae growth etc.
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Good question. I'd never heard of anyone using a chiller 5 years ago when I bought one... I found out about them via the saltwater aquarium dudes. Now they're almost commonplace in the hydro world.
Its a rapidly developing field...I think the primary reason may have been the explosion of methods such as DWC and Aeroponics which demand keeping your water colder than conventional methods due to the roots constantly sitting in the nutrient solution...
The more common/older style Run to waste/drip, passive hydro, & ebb&flow methods are less prone to root disease and usually dont need chilling because the roots get most of their oxygen during the drying cycles, not by keeping the water at maximum oxygen saturation. In fact chilling could even shock the roots if your growroom was warm enough. Large NFT greenhouses have been using chillers for decades. Probably the better manufacturing capabilities have brought them into a more affordable range for the small-time grower. I'm not sure how long aquarium buff's have been chilling their tanks though, surely for quite some time.
Theres plenty of other cheaper methods to go about cooling your reservoir though (check the link @ the bottom of my signature) You don't always need a chiller... Theres lots of ways around it. Then again, I wouldn't even consider growing in hydro without one myself.
Aqua logic seems to be the best brand that I've found. Current-USA is okay but I've got one that needed a new fan after only 1 year of use... Although that only cost 80 bucks and a screwdriver to fix. I'd say stick with aqua-logic. My aqua logic has been cranking away for over 3 years now problem free.
Pump-ins are more efficient than drop ins, but drop-ins are easier to clean. I think the best way to clean a pump in is to soak it in bio-green clean and then pressure wash it out... (have yet to try this) but the drop-ins you can just scrub. Pump in's are preferable because their easy to locate further away from the reservoir. Keep in mind these things crank out a LOT of heat into the atmosphere.