GreenDragon2k

I couldn't agree more on the fact that peltier chillers suck. Peltiers are very inefficient for cooling needs... The only place they shine through is in very small applications where efficiency doesn't matter and the size of the device does (such as cooling computers) For a hydroponics op they're complete wasters of electricity. Kinda like the difference between using an incandescent and a HPS

But I think that luke was talking about Drop-in chillers when he was refering to the "probe type" chillers. Where the heat exchanger is on a long flexible wand that drops into your reservoir, it doesn't use a pump to pump it into the chiller. The internal cooling components are the same. Like this one:



as opposed to one of these that pumps the water into the chiller.



The main disadvantage to the drop-ins is they're hard to locate outside the growroom which is almost essential unless you compensate with extra ventilation. Unless of course... Your reservoir is located outside the growroom

I still like drop ins, they're easy to clean... They're just less efficient, but still plenty more efficient than a peltier and perfectly suitable for growing if you can deal with the heat issue.

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Luke Highwalker

yeah i always thought all the probe chillers where those crappy peltier probes you see... ice pick or whatever they are called... yeah they def suck.

even the pc guys often end up water cooling the peltier itself. i guess its acting like an active heatsink?

i saw the probe chillers like GD2K has for the first time when i was searching for parts for my current mini. i cant see what application that would be good for... cause the wand is so close to the machine. i guess they would be cool if you had like a traveling lobster tank? lol i have no idea.

on a side note, the only draw back to Current chillers is there plastic is the cheapest crap on earth. the front panel clips break the first time you look at them. and the condensor fans seem to fail alot. but this looks like from exposure to water/rust a monthly hosing down with wd-40 would probably greatly extended motor life.

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Pesci

This has definately been a very useful thread to me and others.

It is unfortunate they do put out as much heat as you guys describe. I grow in a closed environment and cannot move anything outside of the grow area. My ballasts are all in the grow room. I have a window unit to cool the room down and assist with blowing in air. The only thing leaving my grow room is the water line drip from my dehumidifier.

Knowing all that stuff,

would you guys still recommend growing with a chiller? Or do you think they just put out too much heat if a grower cannot move them from the grow area.

My window unit does a really nice job of keeping the room cool, fyi. But it would mean it would have to work harder to keep things cool if I had another heat source

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then I'd like to say:
I believe a reasonably priced chiller can be fashioned from a water cooler

the question is:
1. take it apart and turn the cooling coils into a wand or
2. pump the res into the top where the bottle would sit with a hose hooked to the 'valve'

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Luke Highwalker

just to update this thread...the 1/10th hp mini chillers dont seem to put out that much heat.

compared to the heat that my 6500btu window ac pumps out...the chiller doesnt even exist! its been running in the room for a few weeks now...no plants in the system just testing things out. i dont know if roots in the water will heat it up {like packing people in a room} but without the chiller my res is 80 degrees, with it rock steady 65.

i set mine with the exhaust from the chiller facing my carbon filter, and a little cardboard duct kinda fashioned to keep any heat from blowing towards the plants....works great. my filter has a carbboard box around it to act as a sort of chimney. to pull hot air from the top of the room, instead of all the cool air from the floor the filter sits on. just too damn big to hang that thing.

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