Outdoor cooling water?

Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:59 pm

Hello everyone!

I plan to build an outdoor aero system to grow mostly tomatoes and maybe lettuce. I will be using 2 square PVC fencing posts about 6ft long and sealed on both ends. I will drill some holes to fit in 3 inch net pots. I will run 1/2 inch piping through the inside of the fencing posts. I will have sprayers attached to the 1/2 inch piping. The water will drain back into the reservoir using piping.

The only problem I will run into is how can I keep the water temps down on those steaming hot days of summer? I was going to buy a large cooler to work as my reservoir as it should keep the water cool as long as I put in 2-3 bottles of frozen water. Hell when I go to the beach my small cooler will usually keep everything cold as long as it has ice so why wouldn't it work for this? Will a cooler work or should I just go with a rubbermaid tub and if so how can I keep the water temps down?

Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:29 pm

How about digging a pit and burying a coil of hose in the ground. Where I live about 3-4 feet down is a constant 54 degrees.

Eric

Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:26 am

DoubleDogFarm wrote:How about digging a pit and burying a coil of hose in the ground. Where I live about 3-4 feet down is a constant 54 degrees.

Eric

Wish I could do that but I have concrete all around the house. The reservoir will have to sit either on the ground or a few inches off the ground.

Sun Mar 06, 2011 6:05 pm

Anxious to hear more replies.

I have the same concerns as the nearest shade will be about 8 feet away. I do not believe a "chiller" is econimical for what I am doing.

I thought along the same lines with ice, frozen water bottles, or freezer ice packs.

Along with the OP, I have no ability to bury a reservoir, but I believe that is probably the best overall solution.

Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:42 pm

Yep, been scratching my head trying to figure this one out myself. Two best options have been tossed around already; buried resv and a chiller. Chiller is not an option for me either, original costs and operating costs make them way out of my budget. Burying the resv is an option for me and probably the most viable. The main issue with warm water is the lack of DO, will more than likely try and keep it shaded and insulated with a sizeable air pump for starters before I go and dig a big hole for the first trial.

hydroguy

Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:14 pm

I had the same problem last summer using a plastic reservoir in a Gazebo. I put the plants next to the Gazebo and put the reservoir in the shade, but the water temps were still high. Burying the reservoir or any digging for that matter was out of the question.

I read someone had shade 8ft away, I suggest using it and getting a stronger pump to pump the water the extra 8feet. I think a reservoir surrounded by another reservoir that has ice in it might work to keep the temp low enough, but it might get too low when the ice is there and too hot when it melts.

Are we trying to find an automatic solution that doesn't need to be refilled every 4-8 hours? I think a chiller is the only automatic solution. If we can figure out a cheap way to automate it, I will be surprised.

Is paying someone $15 dollars a week to be there every 3 hours to refill the ice more economical than a chiller? LOL

Thu Mar 17, 2011 1:33 am

Last year I tried a small aero grow using a large rubbermaid tub. I couldn't keep the water temps down even though I constantly put in frozen bottles of water. This year I don't want to run into the same problem so I went out and bought a large cooler as my reservoir. I still feel it will be the cheapest way to keep water temps low on some of those steaming hot days of summer. If it can keep beers and soda cold all day long at the beach with just a little bit of ice I hope it will work for this. I will keep a journal when I start my grow in mid May and will report back here monthly along with pics.