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Old 06-29-2010, 01:20 AM
watercatwn6535nd watercatwn6535nd is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: washington state
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Default cooling and parts

I have used copper back in the day in my nute system and never had issues. it turns green and oxidizes but no issues i have ever saw.

i build nute coolers. i buy used wall shaker air conditioner on Craig's list for cheap that work. Then on ebay i buy stainless plate heat exchangers. you get order them in what ever pipe size you want. i cut the evaporator and condenser off the units and install the plate exchangers in there place and recharge with a cheap can of r134. it only takes a smidge of the bottle and a a/c shop should be able to charge it for you for cheap.

I then take a poly 55 gallon drum and install a small pond pump in it and fill it with water then flow that through one plate exchanger and the nutes through the other and you have what would be a very expensive chiller for $200 bucks. the drum has enough surface area if its in the shade outside it will work perfectly. i had two 20 btu wall shakers heating a hot tub for a few years with a pond pump circulating it and it maintained 120f in freezing weather and super hot in the summer we had to install a car radiator on it with a fan and therm o fan switch. so surface area is what the tank is all about.

if you only install a exchanger o the nute side for cooling you will be able to still use the fan and a/c system as a air to water and if your real care full pull the temp prope off teh front and un coil it to stick it in your nut tank or tape it to the input line of the nutes and wrap it with insulation and the unit will turn on and off at the temp you set it at just like it was doing a room and you can install it right in a window just like it should be.

Or a extreme igloo cooler from wall mart and make your blocks of ice to keep the cost down and run lots of copper line in it and just let your current system flow through it. i've been there before. ice is always your hydro buddy. 1 for your hydro system and 2 cubes for your margarita while you sit and watch over the grow in that awful heat. 5 ft of copper in ice water is amazing on a small pond pump. also find a car heater core thats is aluminum and plastic and install a couple or one large PC fan on it and leave it running. every btu counts or makes your ice last longer.
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