Anybody use this chiller?

You'd be better off playing the frozen water bottle challenge.

Get a 'real' water chiller. You'll spend almost $500 on these and they'll end up in the trash.

 

I use a refrigerator with a switch I made so the refrigerator turns off if the DWC systems gets too cold.
People give fridges away.
But the switch is close to 100 bucks to make and then you have to make the pluming cooling system.
Plastic or stainless steel coils in the DWC system. and a water fountain pump too

 

I have three separate 20 gallon reservoirs

 

Your NOT flowing the water from your DWC reservoirs through the refrigerator.
You have a reservoir in the refrigerator One pump one manifold with valves to make sure the flow of cooled water is the same going to each coil/heat exchanger in each dwc reservoir

 

I have a 80 watt small fridge i use for a 20 gallon system.
Its best that your DWC reservoir is insulated like Igloo cooler

 

I have been busy and will post a new res build soon. Don't commit to a purchase yet.
And if you do, don't forget the nice electronic coolers.

 

$100 for parts for the switch, labor to make the switch, labor/parts for plumbing the system, SS coils (expensive), gas/time to run around town and gather the necessary parts, and then buy the water pump.

Or you can spend about the same $$ you'll have in parts/labor/time/frustration to purchase a chiller that is specifically designed, tested, and marketed for the purpose of cooling water in hydro/aquarium systems.

Why 3 different reservoirs? Are you running clones, veg, and flower simultaneously that require different nute strengths?

Ambient air temps, water temps, humidity %, and lighting are the CRITICAL elements needed to control for successful growing.

Why risk it all over some DIY dorm fridge that Bubba gave you just to save $50? I 100% GUARANTEE this WILL bite you in the ass. Eventually.

Risk versus reward/savings, simplicity, ease of use, and peace of mind should NOT be overlooked!

Just get a damn chiller already. In fact, you need 2. One will be a spare!

 

do you know how a chiller works? Its pretty well just a mini fridge. Its ok if people do things differently you know. I am never going to spend money on a prefab chiller. In the case of having 3+ reservoirs, I would do as @Headhunterpipes suggested and use a fridge, but even better, I would just get a chest-style freezer and place the 3x 5gal pails in there and run it off a temperature controller set to 15-19C.
I don't understand why you are set on having this individual use 'a chiller'.
and I've used ice bottles for years without a problem, other than a burst bottle on the rare occasion. The only problem with it is it don't work when I leave town.

We've discussed these matters before, like here: Question about CPU coolers and radiators where other alternative ideas are presented.

anyways, not trying to discredit or anything bad hydro, but there is more than one way to 'skin a cat'.

 

I already had the small refrigerator. Free
Plus I was given a large refrigerator Free
I am chilling up to ten, twenty-gallon DWC systems . A chiller that size will run a couple K.
I am chilling the water on 300 watts, Ten chillers would be 1000 to 1500 watts minimum . and that size of chiller will not chill a 20 gallon DWC reservoir , ( thats why I said use insulated DWC reservoir's ) like a igloo ice chest.
The Chiller's in the DWC system makes no sense . Yes it chills the water but at the same time its emitting heat too because its in the DWC system where the refrigerator is not in the grow room or tent.
The switch and all the pluming can be used in any working fridge and refrigerators are free on craigs list always and normally not far to go pick up ,, I also own a truck and a appliance hand truck.
I used coiled plastic tubing instead of a SS coil .( which is cheap .
You want the water chilled in the dwc systems at 65 to 68 degrees F.
That is where the chiller water temp is set ....... is at the DWC system .
Therefore the refrigerator/freezer will never go below freezing.
Most DWC systems start dripping condensation at 65 degrees F at 74 Degrees F tent temp at 60% RH.

 

That chiller has a 62 % customer satisfaction rating .
Have you looked at the reviews ?
1st review one I looked at
This product and the supplier suck. When I started using the probe it wasn’t even cooling the water down 1 degree. Contacted seller (intank) they told me they couldn’t help me because I was over the return window by a few days. They also gave me a fake site for manufacturers warranty. This product is garbage and so in the seller. Do not buy this product. If I could give it Negative stars I would. Very disappointed.

After reading a lot about this product and how it could keep an insulated container full of water cool I thought I would give it a try. After installation into an 8 gallon insulated tank I've been running it for 3 hours now and the water temperature has only dropped .2 degrees. from 72.3f to 72.1f. I reached in the tank to feel if the probe was even cold. It was slightly cooler than the water towards the base of the probe. Doesn't even feel like heat is being pulled off the heatsink. Although I do feel just the slightest bit of warmth on the outside where the peltier attaches to the heatsink. I'm starting to think I should have just made my own.... I do have an external mag-drive pump for circulation. But that doesn't heat the water enough without the Ice Probe to even consider it being a counter. Room temp is 72f also. So it looks to me like the Ice Probe they sell here is a very inferior product.

I can not recommend this product to anyone.

Edit: 24 hours of continuous running and my water temp only dropped 2 degrees. Water is sitting in an Insulated 8 gallon container. Ambient room temp is 66f Water temp has not drop below 70f. I cna reach in the water and grab the ice probe feeling no cooling at all. However I do feel a very very slight warmth at the base of the heatsink, which means it must be working? Terrible product.

I would need two of those chillers for one of my DWC systems .
Its a 50 watt chiller times two per dwc system 100 watts times ten equals 1000 watts VS one 300 watt fridge that works where the reviews on this product says its crap .
Good luck .
Me I will stay with the refrigerator's
PS you still have to buy a thermostat for that chiller IF it ever gets the DWC system down to 65 degrees .


You can get a fridge for free and freeze water bottles and be better then buying something that may not work.

 

Absolutely. I once skinned a cat with a .50 Barrett rifle. I wouldn't recommend doing it that way!!!

I've been on grow forums for the last 15 years. This is the number ONE posted topic. For the AVERAGE home grower, a chiller is the simplest, easiest, most reliable, consistent, and most cost-effective solution. I've done the 'water bottle shuffle', and used DIY solutions to save a buck or 3. In EVERY instance it was a major pain in the ass and/or it eventually bit me in said ass.

MOST want a plug-it & forget solution that works 99% of the time. I can remember setting alarms during the middle of the night to add frozen bottles or check on Jo-Jo's POS fridge that he gave me to ensure it's still working properly.

And that fridge that Jo-Jo gave me? I lost a 50-plant grow in the final 2-weeks. Trying to save a few hundred $$$ LITERALLY cost me THOUSANDS. So yeah, I have a chiller. And a spare sitting on the shelf just in case. No more 2 a.m. alarms, no more paranoia, no more sleepless nights.

Buy a damn chiller. Buy the extended warranty, plug-it in and forget it!