Cooling methods and successful experiences

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Sawyer

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I live in Fort Worth, Texas and as all of us in the US know that it gets very hot during summertime. In this particular thread I am not really concerned with dropping my newts temps to below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for breeding purposes because I already have a plan for that, but more so dropping the everyday temperatures in the tanks.

During the winter time my house averages roughly 72 degrees and in summertime 78 degrees with the most extreme never more than 80 degrees if the ac goes out or something.

I have no basement so that option isn't available and I don't have the space to allot an entire room to my newts and run a window unit.

I've read on the forum that simply exchanging an enclosed hood for a wire mesh lid will drop the temps roughly 3 degrees due to increased evaporation. Additionally I have read that by adding 2 different fans on the lid (one facing the water, one facing opposite) will cool the tank a potential 6-8 degrees.

Now on the average of 78 degrees, if I were to utilize both these methods, according to my research I SHOULD be able to drop my temps by a minimum of 9 degrees from room temperature bringing it down to at least 69 degrees.

My main question is that has anyone ever had this kind of success using these methods? If not what were some alternative methods you used and were successful with? Currently I don't have the funds to spend on an expensive chiller and don't intend to invest in one unless there are no other options.

To keep things simple assume that there is minimal heat from appliances and all other conditions are optimal because I understand that more appliances means more heat.

Lastly, the primary tank I am referring to in this would be a standard 10 gallon tank with 8 gallons of water. My other tank that I would like to use this method for if able would be a 55 gallon long aquarium with 25-30 gallons of water.

I know this was a long read. Just trying to do things right and get POSITIVE advice from those who successfully raise newts. I appreciate any who take the time to read an respond.
 
Hi,

I can't comment on the fan thing method as I've not used it.

What I use is this on my FBN tank,

wargar-albums-wargar-s-newts-salamanders-picture19685-fbn-tank-cooler-top.jpg


That white polly box on top is my home made cooler. I have a small pump inside the tank conected to approx 6 - 8 foot of pipe. Water is sent from the tank via that pipe, through the polly box which has about 6 foot of pipe coiled in it packed in ice and then back into the tank.

wargar-albums-wargar-s-newts-salamanders-picture25893-cooler-internal.jpg


I have found the ice packs last about 12 hours, the water coming out is about 8 degrees cooler than when it went in, This drops my overall water temp in the tank by 2-4 degrees.

This works for me because the temps here are lower than yours, however this design could be improved upon by using Ice cold water and acting as a heat exchanger.

Dave
 
Thanks, Dave. That is definitely an idea I will keep on mind.
 
HI . I live in Adelaide, Australia and the temp is going to hover around 39 degrees C next week, I rely on a water chiller for my tank. Maybe if you chill the water the rest of the tank will be cooler too
 
My only other thought is that you insulate the tank, so when the temperatures are reduced they aren't warmed up so quick. One summer I used polystyrene sheets around a tank..not pretty but it helped a lot.
 
I have been looking into more advanced cooling methods lately. My house has a broken A/C unit that will not be fixed anytime within the next decade so cooling my salamanders with more than just fans during the summer will be necessary. Also, I may go on vacation for a few days at a time so I can't rely on a unit that needs ice placed in it every day. Here are some methods that are cheap and relatively easy:

At first I was considering making a swamp (evaporative) cooler. This would work very well for amphibians since it both cools air and increases humidity, however I discovered that they do not work if the humidity is over 40%. Another drawback to this system is that water must be added to it twice a day, depending on the size of the unit or how you make it. If the area you live in is arid, this would be an excellent cooling method. You can find instructions for building a cheap swamp cooler (less than $50) by doing a google search. I saw an easy to make, portable one made with a bucket, a fan, some tubing, a water pump, and a swamp cooler pad. I'm pretty sure that Fort Worth is too humid for this system to work for you, but those living in deserts and mountains would have success with it.

Another option I have looked into is a Peltier device, which is a small pad that moves heat from one side to the other with an electric current. You install a heatsink and a fan on the hot side and the other end will get very cold. You can buy such a device on the internet for under $10 these days, although you may need more than one depending on the size of your setup. Wine chillers often use these devices. I recently saw 2 on a three cubic foot wine chiller cooling it to 50 degrees so I would guess 2 would be able to chill a 50 gallon tank to around 70 degrees if they were utilized correctly. The drawback to this idea is that it will take some basic, but easy to acquire electronics skills to assemble. Also, I have heard reports that these units can fail after a few years of use, although I am not completely sure about that. If you do opt for this idea, remember to check the wattage of the Peltier device before you buy it, more watts equals more cooling power.

I plan on creating a Peltier chiller for my setup within the next few weeks. My idea is to use two Peltier devices with heatsinks on both sides, having a fan blow the cold air into a duct leading to my two enclosures. In addition to the Peltier devices, the fans, the heatsinks, and the duct, it would require a DC power supply around 12 volts (depending though, on the particular Peltier device and whether your fans will use it too, also don't forget take current requirements into consideration). Also, you probably want to put some thermal putty between the Peltier device and the heatsinks. This is cheap, however, and readily available at electronics stores, computer stores, and on the internet. My guess is that all of these parts would probably cost the same as building a swamp cooler, so less than $50. I will probably make a post with more detailed instructions and pictures if I have any success building it.

I believe it is also possible to build home-made vapor compression cycle (standard A/C unit) systems and thermoacoustic systems. But this would probably be too complicated, expensive, and time consuming for the majority of us.

Hope this helps, good luck beating the Texas heat!
 
Lugubris said:
I have been looking into more advanced cooling methods lately. My house has a broken A/C unit that will not be fixed anytime within the next decade so cooling my salamanders with more than just fans during the summer will be necessary. Also, I may go on vacation for a few days at a time so I can't rely on a unit that needs ice placed in it every day. Here are some methods that are cheap and relatively easy:

At first I was considering making a swamp (evaporative) cooler. This would work very well for amphibians since it both cools air and increases humidity, however I discovered that they do not work if the humidity is over 40%. Another drawback to this system is that water must be added to it twice a day, depending on the size of the unit or how you make it. If the area you live in is arid, this would be an excellent cooling method. You can find instructions for building a cheap swamp cooler (less than $50) by doing a google search. I saw an easy to make, portable one made with a bucket, a fan, some tubing, a water pump, and a swamp cooler pad. I'm pretty sure that Fort Worth is too humid for this system to work for you, but those living in deserts and mountains would have success with it.

Another option I have looked into is a Peltier device, which is a small pad that moves heat from one side to the other with an electric current. You install a heatsink and a fan on the hot side and the other end will get very cold. You can buy such a device on the internet for under $10 these days, although you may need more than one depending on the size of your setup. Wine chillers often use these devices. I recently saw 2 on a three cubic foot wine chiller cooling it to 50 degrees so I would guess 2 would be able to chill a 50 gallon tank to around 70 degrees if they were utilized correctly. The drawback to this idea is that it will take some basic, but easy to acquire electronics skills to assemble. Also, I have heard reports that these units can fail after a few years of use, although I am not completely sure about that. If you do opt for this idea, remember to check the wattage of the Peltier device before you buy it, more watts equals more cooling power.

I plan on creating a Peltier chiller for my setup within the next few weeks. My idea is to use two Peltier devices with heatsinks on both sides, having a fan blow the cold air into a duct leading to my two enclosures. In addition to the Peltier devices, the fans, the heatsinks, and the duct, it would require a DC power supply around 12 volts (depending though, on the particular Peltier device and whether your fans will use it too, also don't forget take current requirements into consideration). Also, you probably want to put some thermal putty between the Peltier device and the heatsinks. This is cheap, however, and readily available at electronics stores, computer stores, and on the internet. My guess is that all of these parts would probably cost the same as building a swamp cooler, so less than $50. I will probably make a post with more detailed instructions and pictures if I have any success building it.

I believe it is also possible to build home-made vapor compression cycle (standard A/C unit) systems and thermoacoustic systems. But this would probably be too complicated, expensive, and time consuming for the majority of us.

Hope this helps, good luck beating the Texas heat!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great and informative info. When I get a chance I am going to have to chat with you more in detail with the peltier chiller.
 
In my office at school the temp is usually around 77 or 78 degrees F. I use a big box fan set on low to blow across the top of the tank and the tank hovers between 68 and 70 degrees F. The tank is 4 feet long and 40 us gallons. I keep it filled to the top and do not cover it. It is winter here at the moment. In the summer there is AC so that is what saves me then.

But with just a 20 inch box fan set to low I see about 8 degrees of cooling with the 40 gallon tank. Surface area will play a roll, if your tank is smaller, i'm not sure you would see a full 8 degree cooling effect in say a ten gallon tank due to less surface area and less water mass.
 
Dr0gr1n said:
In my office at school the temp is usually around 77 or 78 degrees F. I use a big box fan set on low to blow across the top of the tank and the tank hovers between 68 and 70 degrees F. The tank is 4 feet long and 40 us gallons. I keep it filled to the top and do not cover it. It is winter here at the moment. In the summer there is AC so that is what saves me then.

But with just a 20 inch box fan set to low I see about 8 degrees of cooling with the 40 gallon tank. Surface area will play a roll, if your tank is smaller, i'm not sure you would see a full 8 degree cooling effect in say a ten gallon tank due to less surface area and less water mass.
Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Sounds very similar to my house. In winters temperature within my home average about 71 degrees, but in summer time 78 degrees is about the norm. After reading ideas on Caudata culture I was curious to see if the fan cooling methods would work.
 
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