Fish room Idea???

[Mr Smiley]

Those with a fish room, How do you controll humidity, and ventulation?

I have an idea but not sure if it would go anywhere.
If you were to have a decent size room, and a large tank, i know humidity and tempature are real issues. I know you can use a window A/C unit, but i believe they are inefficient and take a long time to get the job done.

So what about a Pachake A/C unit? This past summer I helped my brother-in-law pick up 2 units for his 2000+sqft home with leakey windows. We were able to get them installed and he tells me it keeps his home around 72 with no problems.

The unit is basically a A/C unit and coils all in a box outside and a return and supply that you plumb into the house. Supply power and a thermostat and your set?

Id think this would make for a better option then using the home A/C and making it work harder, and more feasable then a window unit. And i know you can find them with built in heaters if you need heat in the winter months.

Am i thinking right or staring down the wrong path?

 

[hvacman250]

A package unit?

What size room?
What is the heat load?

You really cant just buy a unit and throw it in and expect it to work properly for years. If youre trying to cool and/or dehumidify a small fish room, there are much better options than a package unit.

 

[jasoncw]

An HVAC guy brought this up in another thread yesterday. I would get an HRV. If you are a DIY guy, you can install yourself. It is basically an air exchanger (pulls in fresh air from outside, pushes stale air outside; also heats and/or cools depending on the season). You can have it set to pull air out of the fish room and push in to another room. They run a few hundred $.

 

[tankdude]

What is an HRV?

 

[hvacman250]

What is an HRV?

Heat recovery ventilator. http://www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/HVAC/energy-recovery-ventilators.

And expect to pay $750-1200 for a decent one, like Honeywell.

IMO, when dealing with moisture removal from a saltwater tank, buy the cheapest thing possible, like a box store room dehumidifier. The salt in the air is going to eat it away anyway. A typical AC unit lasts 12-15 years here in the upstate of SC. 3 hours away at the coast, about 5-7 is average. Salty air eats coils quickly.

 

[jasoncw]

Good point, but depending on the price differential between the HRV and a decent sized dehumidifier, the HRV may be cheaper in the long run. It will usually pull <1A, while a decent sized dehumidifier will pull ~5-7A. Running 24-7 for larger tanks, this will use quite a bit more electricity.

 

[polywise]

I have my fishroom set up on a temp/humidity controller, directly vented outside, and supplied from out side as well.
My set up is rather unique, as I use only (1) fan that runs off the controller. I rigged up a relay so when humidity control is called for the fan turns on at a adjustable minimal speed, and when temp control is needed the relay switches and the fan runs at full speed. Has worked well for me in a 188 sqft room.