I've grown hydro before and never had this problem, but this is the first time growing inside a tent. I have a ~2.5 gallon reservoir for 3 plants and I covered it with tin foil to shield the light. The tent temperature is 70 - 75F. I have an air bubbler from outside the tent where the temp is 66F. However, the water temp ranges from 91F to 107F. Since I put on the foil, that seems to have dropped it into the low 90s. Could the pump be heating up the water? If so, I have it running constantly. Should I switch it on and off? I am using NFT in 4" PVC pipes. TIA
What the hell is the temp when you putting the water in? Does it feel actually warm? Is your thermometer shit? Something seriously doesn’t make sense about it at all, what is your res made of? I haven’t heard of anyone wrapping their res in tin foil before but shit if it gets your temp lower, man I would definitely throw a bunch of frozen water bottles in it as often as possible but to be honest maybe hydro isn’t for you in that condition lol not trying to be rude just water temps over 74 will grow slime and bad bacteria in the buckets... what the hell man Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Seems counterintuitive, but sounds like you might need a bigger air pump. If the pump is struggling to get air through the stones, it'll heat up. I was trying to use too small of a pump with large airstones and it put a ton of heat into my tank. Now I have an overkill type pump and run it at like 1/4 power. Works way better and cooler. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
The silver bubble wrap stuff knocks a few degrees off it too mate. Your air pump could be what’s heating it up. not something I’ve ever experienced or would even have agreed on untill today but I saw a dude earlier with the same problem. he got a better pump and the temp dropped in line. Also, as you’re struggling with temps I’d stay away from bennies and use peroxide or whatever to grow sterile. Gotta love the hydroguard but it’s not designed to work at those temps. Bleacher of some sort keeps shit safer Oh aye and get a bigger res mate. 2.5gal is small for 1 plant never mind 3 lol. I grow NFT aswell but use the nutriculture GT205. 20L per plant and only use 2w airstones. Got any pics of your set up?
I don't think that was me lol. At least I don't remember posting about that on here before. I didn't notice he said it was in 2.5 gal. A shit air pump can heat that size bucket in no time I bet. I had all my heat struggles when I was using a 5 gallon bucket. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Im going with the overheating and underpowered air pump theory due to the fact that nothing else adds up. I wrapped my res and buckets in thin insulation. You can buy rolls of it for like 20 bucks at home depot or lowes. I built a water cooler out of a mini fridge, check out my grow journal to see how! Han-Bolo's DIY RDWC Indoor Grow
The air pump may get slightly warm to the touch but wont be transferring heat to the air. You already have air pump sited in the best location where it is drawing in cold air. No do not turn pump off, the roots need air around them at all times or it will likely cause more problems. It is most likely the ambient temp of your tent which is causing the issue. If the ambient temp at the bottom of the tent is (for example) 90f then within a couple of days the water will have warmed up to within a few degrees of the ambient air temp! Try opening one of the duct outlets at the top of the tent and one of the mesh flaps at the bottom... if that still doesnt bring your ambient temp down you may need to think about running your extraction on a rotary timer 15min on, 15min off.. What I find works better than foil tape is to use milar coated, self adhesive foam insulation! I absolutely swear by that myself. Like attached photo, it is usually listed as automotive insulation, available in 4mm-12mm thickness (4mm has always been good enough for me!) If you still have problems moving to a rdwc setup with a larger 5gal res outside the tent will provide A. Larger res (taking mich longer to heat up) B. The res outside tank will allow some cooling of the water too. Snoochie Boochies!
It’s the water pump running 24/7 that is causing the temp increase. 2.5gallon is a tiny Rez. run the pump on a timer. Your have to figure out what your NFT can survive with. You could also add frozen water/soda bottles and keep swapping them out or build a chiller
All submersible pumps warm up whilst running. There is no need for one in a 2.5gal dwc bucket though as a large air pump and stone is sufficient. Submersible pump is only necessary when using rdwc as it's for 'r'ecirculating water between the resevoir and plant tank. Snoochie Boochies!
I have a RDWC and a chiller, so two pumps in a 20 gal reservoir. odd, I did not seen it discussed in all the threads I read before building my system.
Something’s gotta be wrong with your chiller or the way you’ve set it up if you’re using one & your water temp is still at 90 degrees. And submersible water pumps will definitely increase water temps significantly & you have 2 in the reservoir. Air pumps raise temps as well. As air is forced through metal manifolds & tubing, the friction will create an increase in temperatures that is then transferred to your reservoir. If you’ve got a decent chiller that works and it’s sized & set up properly, it should manage water temps no problem. I also use Mylar insulation around my buckets and they’re very effective. I made mine like life jackets so they can snap on & be easily removed so I can pressure wash my RDWC.
I MAY have missed something...........as I was "mind already made up" after reading the OP post.........but I have ALWAYS used foil to RETAIN heat.........not the other way around..........