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Bubbleponics: water temperature question.
- Thread starter Panos
- Start date
Some additional information about water temps:
The sweet spot for hydroponics is about 68°F-72°F: this seems to be the range where water can absorb the most dissolved oxygen (DO). Below 68°F, biological cellular activity slows which can slow nutrient uptake and growth in the plant. Temps above 72°F will drop DO levels enough that root rot might set in in the reservoir.
I just started a DWC grow for the very first time so I've been trying to read and absorb as much as I can. Of course, nothing is better than real work experience and I'm learning stuff as I go along, too.
The sweet spot for hydroponics is about 68°F-72°F: this seems to be the range where water can absorb the most dissolved oxygen (DO). Below 68°F, biological cellular activity slows which can slow nutrient uptake and growth in the plant. Temps above 72°F will drop DO levels enough that root rot might set in in the reservoir.
I just started a DWC grow for the very first time so I've been trying to read and absorb as much as I can. Of course, nothing is better than real work experience and I'm learning stuff as I go along, too.
Thanks for the info.
I am at a lose as to how to control my water temperature.
Any suggestions?
I suspect the temp rising is caused by the water pump--just a guess.
I guess I could dump an ice cube once in a while but can't think of any other way.
My grow room temp is in the mid 60s.
Oh-- would a small fan to bring in more outside air help?
Panos
I am at a lose as to how to control my water temperature.
Any suggestions?
I suspect the temp rising is caused by the water pump--just a guess.
I guess I could dump an ice cube once in a while but can't think of any other way.
My grow room temp is in the mid 60s.
Oh-- would a small fan to bring in more outside air help?
Panos
furrysparkle
New member
Something like this hooked up to some metal tubing flowing into your res and back out into a bucket of mostly ice with a little water and set on a timer, you can figure out how long you need to chill the res through experimentation.
Submersible Water Cooling Pump 160GPH (600L/H) Amphibious Outdoor Birdbath Pump For Aquarium, Garden, Pond, Waterfall, Fountains, Fish Tank, Hydroponics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZYXKCD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1o5HzbREEWM9P
Submersible Water Cooling Pump 160GPH (600L/H) Amphibious Outdoor Birdbath Pump For Aquarium, Garden, Pond, Waterfall, Fountains, Fish Tank, Hydroponics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZYXKCD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1o5HzbREEWM9P
ellz
New member
Hi Panos and welcome. The water temps you have are much too high and you should work to lower them as best you can. Higher temps can decrease grow rate and increase the chances of root rot. That being said, there are a number of things you can try...
- Wrap the reservoir with insulating reflective wrap similar to this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Reflectix-3...5-ft-L/1014123
- Use only cool water when changing your reservoir. You could put the water in the refrigerator before adding it to cool it as well.
- Use some plastic bottles (20oz soda bottle, 1-liter bottle) and fill it with water, freeze it then place it in the reservoir to cool the water. Just be sure the lid is tight so it won't leak.
- Buy an aquarium cooler (very pricey and uses quite a lot of power).
- Build an aquarium cooler (you can use a peltier cooler or a radiator with fans). I am currently working on this myself.
- Try a combination of the above to get the temps where they need to be. Sometimes a combo is needed to keep temps down. For example, using the ice bottles without having insulation will cause the water to warm faster.
- Wrap the reservoir with insulating reflective wrap similar to this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Reflectix-3...5-ft-L/1014123
- Use only cool water when changing your reservoir. You could put the water in the refrigerator before adding it to cool it as well.
- Use some plastic bottles (20oz soda bottle, 1-liter bottle) and fill it with water, freeze it then place it in the reservoir to cool the water. Just be sure the lid is tight so it won't leak.
- Buy an aquarium cooler (very pricey and uses quite a lot of power).
- Build an aquarium cooler (you can use a peltier cooler or a radiator with fans). I am currently working on this myself.
- Try a combination of the above to get the temps where they need to be. Sometimes a combo is needed to keep temps down. For example, using the ice bottles without having insulation will cause the water to warm faster.
abadtrip
New member
There are lots of ways u can cool your res the cheapest is freeze water bottles and swap them out every day. I personally only have a problem with temp in the middle of summer so I am going to add an ice probe. I know there was a thread going about the peltier cooler ://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/116456-50-peltier-water-cooling
Sammy
New member
After going through many problems and root rot last year pretty much gave up on dwc. Over the course of the winter did a lot of reading research on this website as well as others. So I invested in a thermal ice probe it's actually made for a aquarium I'm using the same 10 gallon totes at Walmart right now I'm running 4 gallons of water, temperature stays between 64 and 66 plants freaking love it. They don't show any signs of slow growth at that temperature. Plant is literally growing like a weed, The Roots growing almost as fast as the plant. So far I haven't even had to adjust pH yet start off about 5 7 it was at 6 1 when I changed out last night. Oh yeah also failed to mention I did insulate the container quite well that seemed to stabilize the temperature.
ellz
New member
I think this is the one he is using Aloner: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JSVLB...t=&hvlocphy=9029189&hvtargid=pla-319865085565
alltatup
New member
Great job, Sammy!! I wish someone would come up with something small and submersible because I can't use one of those on my small grow box. I got a big chiller for my big box and it's great, but I sure would like to add a small one to the other box. WHEN are they going to come up with the technology????
ellz
New member
alltatup It sounds like you could use a peltier cooler that could be mounted outside the reservoir and just run lines to it with a small pump. They have kits online that you can buy. How big of a reservoir are you needing to cool? If it is small, you would only need a little cooler. Here is a pre-made 70W cooler that would just need a power supply and a water pump: https://www.amazon.com/TOOGOO-Aquar...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R95RXH013R4W4A8EJM23
alltatup
New member
ellz My small grow box has a 2-2.5 gallon reservoir. What the heck is that thing and how does it work? There is a water pump in the reservoir already, and an air pump in the grow box but not in the res. (of course). There is a good sized hole at the back of the box where all the electric cords run out to the surge supressor. I will have to read about "peltier cooler."
ellz
New member
alltatup Sammy here had a post on it a while back: http://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/116456-50-peltier-water-cooling
Basically, it uses the peltier effect to cool one side of a module and heat the other. The cold side gets freezing cold while the hot side gets scorching hot. Water passes through a cooling head that is chilled by the peltier and then cool water returns back into the system. Here is a website where a guy built one himself for his fish tank: http://www.shine7.com/aquarium/chiller.htm
That thing I linked is basically an all-in-one unit with a thermostat. You would just need to provide a power supply and either use the water pump you have now or get a separate DC powered pump and run it off the power supply for the cooler. If you use your existing pump, you would want to pump the water to the cooler straight from your reservoir, then back into the drip system. Otherwise, you would just have a separate pump that cooled the tank.
Basically, it uses the peltier effect to cool one side of a module and heat the other. The cold side gets freezing cold while the hot side gets scorching hot. Water passes through a cooling head that is chilled by the peltier and then cool water returns back into the system. Here is a website where a guy built one himself for his fish tank: http://www.shine7.com/aquarium/chiller.htm
That thing I linked is basically an all-in-one unit with a thermostat. You would just need to provide a power supply and either use the water pump you have now or get a separate DC powered pump and run it off the power supply for the cooler. If you use your existing pump, you would want to pump the water to the cooler straight from your reservoir, then back into the drip system. Otherwise, you would just have a separate pump that cooled the tank.