Condensation

[Lachlan McKillo]

I recently set up my chiller and now I have another issue, Condensation I have scoured the forums for anything on this seen a few tricks most seem in effective at least in my environment though glad wrap did work kinda.

So I got the idea from my father that maybe car windscreen anti rain solution might do the trick. It may not prevent it but it might stop it from sticking to the glass.
It should be safe as long as I don't get any in the tank.

whats your thoughts on this?

 

[Boomsloth]

I wouldn't risk spraying anything with chemicals near a tank. Even if you don't get any in the tank, just the vapors alone might be enough to cause damage. My school lab was breeding zebra fish and lost most of them because the janitors mopped the floors using a bleach solution. Idk how dangerous that stuff would be to your axolotls though.

 

[auntiejude]

Condensation is a simple matter of temperature gradient and moisture - if your tank is cooler than the surrounding air the water in the air will condense on the outside of the tank.

What's the tempertaure difference between your tank and the surroundings? And can you measure your humidity? The bigger the tempertaure difference and the higher the humidity the more condensation you'll get.
Obvious solutions would be to lower the temp or humidity in the room or raise the temp of the tank.

The anti-rain stuff for cars is only a wax, and causes the condensation to run off in rivulets, you'll just end up with puddles on the floor. A better option would be to wipe down the outside of the tank regularly - this will help reduce the humidity in the room.

 

[Lachlan McKillo]

The tank water is 19-20 C the room is at least 26-28 C and would be hotter during the day.
Where I live is usually not to humid but it's been raining a fair bit the last 3 days which is when I set up the chiller. The forecast says the humidity is 58-65% today.

Something interesting I found on the forecast site, the dew point is 21 C today so I think that means condensation will form on anything 21 C or lower? I think..

 

[auntiejude]

Something interesting I found on the forecast site, the dew point is 21 C today so I think that means condensation will form on anything 21 C or lower? I think..

Yes, exactly right.

 

[Lachlan McKillo]

I guess I'll just wait out this rain and see what it's like during normal weather, and if it's still an issue I may have to get a thicker walled perspex tank instead of my current 5mm glass tank.

 

[Boomsloth]

Maybe try blowing a fan across the surface of the tank glass which might prevent water from condensing but this might only work if its not extremely humid.

 

[Lachlan McKillo]

I did try that but to no real effect.
I will wait till Monday as the dew point is predicted to be 18 C and see what happens.
If this is an issue that only arises around when it rains then I should not really have a problem.

Even today there is much less condensation than the day I posted this topic, I'm sure as the rain clears the condensation will also clear up.. for the most part.

 

[Lachlan McKillo]

Solved my condensation issue by painting the stand where the tank sits with Ormanoid with a pipe leading to a small container to collect run off, and insulating all the pipes. Condensation only occurs when it rains here so hurray!