Everything is looking beautiful…
My only advice would have been to put the new 12 in 3 to 6 weeks after the first 12 , so that you weren’t doing all of the trimming and curing at one time…
You have alot of work to look forward too… 
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Roots have already made it through my 10” net cups and are just swimming in their root jacuzzi
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Also have topped a few and experimenting on a few others.
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Thanks for the advice…I’m gonna get on a better rotation after I get this grow under my belt.
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Oxygenated R/O water and my flexi storage tank. 105 gallons and takes up literally no space…we’ll maybe a little but not much!
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Looking good!
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One question for ya…if I do decide to get a chiller, I would need 1 for each res? Currently 12 buckets with res is close to 70 gallons…so I would need to chill 140 gallons. Easy to plumb in? I like pics! I guess that was more than 1 question.
Hmm, sizing a chiller would be above my expertise. But let’s ask @peachfuzz @TDubWilly or @Myfriendis410. They’ll definitely know, or know how to figure it out.
…meanwhile, googling came up with:
" What Size Water Chiller Do You Need?
If you’re set on getting a water chiller, it’s vital to know the size of your reservoir in relation to know what size chiller you need.
Here’s the best formula:
- As accurately as possible, calculate how much water is in your hydroponic system.
- During the hottest part of the day, turn everything in your garden that produces heat on. The goal is to let the room get to the max temperature.
- Now, chill your system down to your desired temp (often 60-70F). Do this with sealed bags of ice or frozen two-liter bottles so you won’t be adding extra water to your system.
- Once you reach your desired water temperature, remove the ice from the system and circulate the water.
- Start a timer and write down the starting temperature.
- One hour later, write down the current temperature.
- Subtract your starting temp from your 1-hour temp and write it down – this is your temperature differential.
- Now, use the following formula to calculate the BTUs you need:
Gallons of Water X 8.34 (weight of a gallon of water) X Temperature Differential
Now you know how many BTUs you need to adequately chill your system.
Example Reservoir Calculation
If you have a 75-gallon system, your max temperature is 80F, your desired temperature is 65F, and after an hour the water temperature is 70F…
75 X 8.34 X 5 = 3,127.5
Here are your conversions to the standard sizes that water chillers are sold in:
| Tons | BTUs |
|---|---|
| 1/10 | 1,200 |
| 1/4 | 3,000 |
| 1/2 | 6,000 |
| 1 | 12,000 |
It’s recommended to give yourself a bit of a cushion, especially when buying a low-end chiller. Typically, they won’t put out their actual power rating, so I would recommend adding about 25% to your total BTUs when deciding.
That means in the example above, you would want to boost up to the ½ ton chiller just to be safe."
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Dang. That’s pretty laid out. I would think the amount of plumbing vs. containers would vary that slightly, too, but using real world measurements like that suggests, you can’t go wrong.
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Perfect thanks. I did google it. I just want to know from experience, all those that have one and since I don’t know who to tag or how just yet, I’m looking towards you to help me play tag!
For sure! Those with experience will likely have lots to add
I forgot which, but @Haildamaged or @DoobieNoobie set up a RDWC chiller not too long ago, too.
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Heat load is the key. The chillers are usually rated for aquarium size, and in your case the heat load should only be applied to liquid in the warm space. If your rez is not subjected to heat you can discount that volume from the total. A 1/4 horse would likely be enough but is at the max. 1/2 horse would probably do it for you.
Insulating from the canopy space can help too.
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Ok, thanks. I will take a pic when lights come on. My reservoirs sit out the tent In a finished room. I feel like I should size it with the res. in mind. Your saying only include what’s in the tent because that’s your heat load? The water in my res is still subjected to warm ambient temperature. Wouldn’t I still have to plumb it through my res?
Don’t really know but I think we’re heading in the right direction!
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If you have the reservoir sited in a warm space then yes; you need to account for it.
I would also suggest you do whatever you can for heat management inside the grow space. A piece of 1" styrofoam laid over the buckets and under the plants will reduce a lot of the heat load and then you only have to deal with convection and conduction; not radiation.
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So styrofoam under plant but on top of hydroton?
Any links for what chiller to use?
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When you want to tag someone, just put @ in front of their names…they will get a special notification as in @Grundo.
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Here’s the journal that supported that grow:
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