How would this work?

[One_Divided]

I was just thinking of ways for cooling for the 50gal I am setting up.. I know 400watts of halide will get pretty warm..

The room I have my tanks in is about half way below ground level in the basement. Right next to a shaded wall outside.. I was thinking of maybe putting a large rubbermaid tub outside and running water through it contstantly for cooling.. I think if it was on maybe a Mag 5 or so, it would be slow enough to give the water lots of time to cool.

Has anyone ever tried this? I'm just wondering how effective it might be before I start drilling holes in the wall.

Also, would it be a good idea to put it on a timer to shut off at night so my heaters aren't working soo hard?

[Aquattro]

Adam, I think you'd be better off with a strong fan in your hood. Maybe some ventilation on the top to allow heat to escape.

[One_Divided]

I'll be doing that too of course! [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Still will egt pretty hot with just a fan or two..

[ 30 December 2001: Message edited by: One_Divided ]

[DJ88]

Use a large enough fan on for longer periods of time will work. Make sure your lid isn't sealed front and back so hot air can escape..

Get some big 6" fans if need be..

Running plumbing outdoors is asking for trouble... Keep It Simple..

[Reefmaster]

adam i hear ya on this.
my opinion is the idea itself is a good one, use nature to rid excess energy in your system. saves energy on the fans and the g.d. noise they produce.
there was someone on the net with a large system (was it john rice?) who decided water was cheapter to buy and waste than electricity, fans etc., so he had a thermostat controlled cold water line that coiled through the sump and dumped down a drain to cool the tank.
i like your idea and have considered something similar, but for our system we would need a two stage control device to turn off the heaters and then turn on a pump and v.v., but this control is about $130.

[ 30 December 2001: Message edited by: Reefmaster ]