beat the heat for cheap

[LoneStarSA]

the air will go out the pipe on the right side by the water inlet. the three water intake lines go in and simple flex tubing snake it down just past the exhaust pipe so water won't splash much. there is pvc 'stair steps' and ledges inside to help 'splash' the water around to have the air cool it off better. the holes on the bottom will be underneath the water line so water can flow out and around. hopefully by only using 1/2 inch holes and using just a few, the air coming blowing down will cool the water in the tube as well and keep it cool before it flows through the sump. the water flow in the sump is not too fast so i hope it will cool down good. not sure yet cause its not done yet but its a fun experiment

 

[LoneStarSA]

and my grammer sucks late at night lol

 

[bkiba]

lone star,

if the design doesn't work as well try adding a nozzle to the water inlet. I'm currently using the plastic spout of a watering can to get droplets.

You can also add packing to increase surface area for evaporation (not sure if you did or not)

 

[LoneStarSA]

i added packing but i can always add more, like left over bioballs and such.... i just got the fans installed at work now and will try to hook everything up when i get home this evening. i will post some pictures of it running tonight.

 

[jimbo045]

If you have ever seen those Dept. store drinking water fountains, with the red and blue little handals. You could hook it up own your own like my pal. Last time I checked yesterday he was at 74.6 JD

 

[LoneStarSA]

isn't 74 a little too cold for a reef setup??

 

[bkiba]

jimbo

how big is his tank... i think this is a similar plan to using a dorm fridge as a cooler. Problem is you can easily overload the compressor as it wasn't intended to cool such a large mass.... may work for a small tank tho

 

[mctabish]

Beat the heat for cheap (and get the poo out!)

Beat the heat for cheap (and get the poo out!)

Would this work? Hook up the cooling tower to the inlet side of a beckett modified ETSS skimmer?
(see gallery)

 

[mctabish]

Beat the heat for cheap (and get the poo out!)

Beat the heat for cheap (and get the poo out!)

Would this work? Hook up the cooling tower to the inlet side of a beckett modified ETSS skimmer?
(see gallery)

 

[bkiba]

mctabish - that looks similar in design to what we've built so far - I'm sure it would work. The only thing is the bigger the column (or better the packing) the better it will work so I wouldn't concentrate too much on saving space - good idea.

 

[LoneStarSA]

I was not able to take any pictures last night of mine up and running. Got home late after picking up some nice green Zoos from Wolf Reef . Pictures may come sometime this week due to me having night classes tonight through thursday. I am keeping a log and am changing up the variables to see how well it performs. Basically taking temp readings of the main tank, the sump, and the room air temp. Also keeping an eye on the weather outside. Currently in San Antonio its been 100 during the day and 76 at night. I will probably wait a few days to gather more data on the cooler before I post the results on here... :roll:

 

[GreshamH]

isn't 74 a little too cold for a reef setup??

Not really. Many of our corals come from around 75, even colder in some cases, Tonga for one.

 

[MarkS]

I hate to tell ou this, but I think your design will have problems. You have the air and water inlets reversed. In order to work correctly, the air must flow up and against the flow of water, which should optimally be a fine spay. With your set up, you are going to be blowing air into a tube full of water. Basically, just as if you placed a fan over your sump. It will do some cooling, but I doubt you'll get the level you might expect.

 

[bkiba]

Mark I think this will still work for him, unless he uses a good spray nozzle he won't get the proper droplet size, but he still has countercurrent water film contacting the air. That is why I think this design needs to be more conscience of the packing to increase surface area.

He could also tip the tower so the water part is vertical.

 

[MarkS]

Mark I think this will still work for him, unless he uses a good spray nozzle he won't get the proper droplet size, but he still has countercurrent water film contacting the air. That is why I think this design needs to be more conscience of the packing to increase surface area.

Like I said, it'll work, just not optimally.

 

[LoneStarSA]

Well like I stated before this is just a experiement, not my final design. Once I gather enough data from this I have an idea in my head to change it up... PVC is cheap....

 

[BeanAnimal]

At this point the size of these contraptions is not worth the cooling they provide. The sculpture above is about useless. You will get BETER cooling with a fan over the tank or sump. You will do it for less wattage and no heat gain from added pumps.

The "counter current" air against mist idea is ok, but creates a lot of "mist" going in the wrong direct that has to be collected or shielded from the fan or or the "air intake". Removing water vapor from the tank will not cool it. There is a difference between blowing mist out of the "loop" and actually doing some evaporation. I think you will find that the extra power needed to run the injector and air source (if used) outweigh the benefit.

If you MUST use an injector to create a mist, then you may want to try spray tips designed for pesticide use (plastic). The easiest setup would be a open ended horizontal tube with the injector firing directly into it. This will draw in air with the water mist. The "tube" only needs to be 4 or so inches long and can reside in the sump, above the water level.

Bean

 

[bkiba]

Bean.

While these are not optimal how are they not better than a cooling fan alone? I had a pair above my sump that couldn't bring down the temperature. Those same fans are hooked up to this sculpture work wonders.

I have recorded temps of 74F in the tower while the tank is at 82F and air temp is over 85F. There is certainly cooling occuring in this case and not just simple loss of water vapor

 

[BeanAnimal]

bkiba,

I was commenting on the picture above, not the entire thread or principle of forced evaporation. My point was with a "much smaller" setup, you could achieve the same results. My point was also that adding pressure pumps and becket injectors or similar devices is counter productive when a simple evaporative cooler can be made that does not need nearly the input power or energy cost.

The idea is great... it is how power plants cool their water.

Bean

 

[bkiba]

so what type of setup are you suggesting then a small one with nozzles or a large volume simple setup?

i think it makes sense to use the tank return for the water pump. I can't do this now cause my return hose will overflow cause I can't get the right ID for the return pipe