OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef

[jnarowe]

3-1/2 inches...

3-1/2 inches...

Finished blower side of the ventillation system:

I used basic home vent materials and built an adapter to hold the vent on the rim of the tank. These are sliders so that they can be slid out of the way in any direction and mounted on any part of the tank.

They are each attached to a 6" blower under the tank that will draw cooler air up and across the surface of the tank.

Blower side:

Blower top-down:

Blower backs:

Blower fronts:

The result is excellent. I am getting a wide flow of air that reaches the other end of the tank but does not disturb the lights. Hurray!

 

[jnarowe]

sorry about the DP!

sorry about the DP!

And for those ninnies out there (you know who you are) worried about the sharp edges on the vents, I solved that problem as pictured below.

I took 3/8" foam backer rod and cut a slit the entire lngth and filled it with silicone. Then I pressed it onto the vent edges. How's that for ghetto work??

 

[Hop]

Wow... Looks pretty good there! Ideas I see for my future

 

[jnarowe]

Thanks for the encouragement!

That is only half the vent system. I will build the exhaust side in the next couple of days. That will have two "receiving" vents above the opposite end of the tank that will exhaust the warm air to the outside and create negative pressure. That will in turn draw in fresh cool air from outside under my deck.

I know it sounds bizarre, but I cooled my first store this way and it worked fairly well.

 

[got2lb]

Instead of putting the foam on the edges of the sheet metal all you have to do is cut the corners back about 3/8" and fold it over (inward). Then you won't have any sharp edges and you don't have to mess with the foam.

 

[jnarowe]

That would have worked as well, but I am more concerned about catching the two upper corners with an elbow, and I felt that bending the edges would still leave pointy corners.

 

[cseeton]

I would recommend adding a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to your ductwork to save on heating and cooling costs.

 

[jnarowe]

I have given that some thought but need to wait on it. My biggest concern with that is the humidity issue, and of course the expense of the HRV. Haven't had time to really research it.

 

[melev]

That is really neat. It definitely gives your tank an industrial look to it.

 

[jnarowe]

LOL...yeah well when you step back and look at the whole thing it's a bit industrial to say the least. When friends check it out their eyes are in constant motion like they are reading a menu at a new restaurant. I am over 4 inches now. Just a wading pool but it's moving along. The sand in the fuge has settled down.

I just foamed between the tank and the wall for noise control, and I am building the exhaust system. I'll tell ya wrestling with that vent pipe and trying to make connections can bring out the best Irish swear words!

 

[got2lb]

I finally figured out why you kept posting 2", 3.5", 4". That must be how much water you have in your tanK!

Man I'm slow but it's sunday my mind isn't supposed to have to work today!

 

[Sparg93]

I love following this post... keep it coming!!

 

[jnarowe]

4 inches

4 inches

Wrestled with some more vent piping and resorted to cutting it to make it fit. You just know some sadist invented that crap.

Got some friends coming over Monday so I need to do a little cleanup. It's amazing what I find when I tear down a pile!

 

[BrianPlankis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6777457#post6777457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cseeton
I would recommend adding a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to your ductwork to save on heating and cooling costs.

I briefly read up on the HRV and it looks like it wouldn't be useful in Houston, TX. It seems that in Texas hot humid air would be drawn in during the summer and the HRV would send out hot humid air in exchange. It might help in the winter when it is cooler less humid air, but summer time it wouldn't help much. Does that sound right to you guys?

Brian

 

[jnarowe]

You would only run it in the Winter anyway like a supplemental heater. I would guess that there are models that dehumidify as well. I remember seeing reefers on RC that use them, and since there is so much heat put off by the lamps, it does make sense to capture it.

 

[cseeton]

The models that humidify/dehumidify are called ERVs, they have a semipermeable membrane (like gore-tex) that allows moisture to move between the two airstreams. I do not recommend them for big tanks as you only want the moisture to move in one direction -> outside.

Houston is a special case... ERVs could be used there as the outside air can be more moist than the air coming out of the aquarium room. You are probably just as well off to just run a duct fan and bring fresh air straight into thte room without a ERV or HRV...


Really, though, all this is academic and it comes down to price...

Cold climates - pay the extra and save $ on heating;
Warm climates - perhaps it does not make $ sense.

 

[jnarowe]

So what about my situation? I am in the Northwest...

 

[cseeton]

HRV. You are going to be taking in cold air in the winter and will need to heat it. An HRV will allow the outgoing moist air to warm the incoming cold,dry air and save on gas/electrity.

In the summer, your temps are cool enough that I doubt you will see any difference with or without an HRV. However, you will either need to run your fans to send the moisture outside, or you will need to run a AC to pull the moisture out of the air (or a dehumidifer and a chiller).

By the way, I like the mini-split AC units for cooling and dehumidification for the fish room, instead of taxing the home AC unit. Window units also work, but I don't think your location (basement) will allow it. Also, you can buy a mini-split with a sump heater and head pressure control that will allow you to run it year round, if necessary.

 

[jnarowe]

Thank you for your reply!

A little more info: my tank room has been completely isolated from the house. When the door (steel exterior weatherproof type) is closed, there is no interaction with the house at all. There is a free-flowing 15 x 15 air vent like what is used for attics, and an 8" outflow directed away from the inlet. These are both under the deck.

I am not sure what a "mini-split" is, but because the ambient temps. are moderate, I don't think I need any kind of AC unit for the tank room. Creating negative pressure from exhausting the warm air should be sufficient to draw in cool replacement air.

The issue at hand is whether I can utilize that warm exhaust air to heat the house. Since there is a house system vent in the tank room (which is sealed right now) I could potentially exchange the heat and drive that warmed air into the house vent system. But can that be done cost effectively?

 

[gumbybc]

Jonathan, I just realized you are about 20 minutes north of my future grandparent's in-law. I might have to swing by sometime when you are giving tours, or need a young-guys back to help with some of the tiedious (spelling??) jobs. I'm movin to vancouver, WA in May. I love the area up here. I love california too, but the people up here are so much nicer. Anyway, sorry for gettin off topic.