Peltier Cooling System for Farm Water Reservoir
Jan 20, 2021 10:19:01 GMT -5
Sher, hakaku, and 3 more like this
Post by greenpea on Jan 20, 2021 10:19:01 GMT -5
Hi!
I posted earlier this month about my first lettuce crop that was very disappointing. The lettuce was super wimpy and delicate and I posted about it here. I ultimately concluded that it was most likely due to 80F and higher temperature in my Farm 12 water reservoir for extended periods of time. So I did some research and watched some YouTube videos here and here, and decided to make a Peltier cooling system! Fun!
Here is the design and the parts used in the picture:
Parts List:
Temperature Control Module - Part# XH W1209
Water Pumps - Qty 2 - Specs: 240L/H DC 12V 4.2W
Aluminum Water Cooling Blocks - Qty 2 - Specs: 40 x 80 x 12mm
Peltier Cooling/Heating Devices - Qty 2 - Part# TEC1-12706
DC Regulated Switching Power Supply - Specs: 12v 30a/360w
Power Cord for Power Supply (not included with Power Supply)
Power Distribution Block
Food Grade Hose for Cold Side - Specs: 1/4"ID 1/2"OD
Vinyl Hose for Hot Side - Specs: 3/8"ID 1/2"OD
Supplies List:
18 AWG Gauge Electrical Wire
Electrical Crimp Connectors
Soldering Wire
Silver polysynthetic thermal paste grease
Board - for mounting
Zip Ties
Reflective Duct Tape - for wrapping cold side hoses
Mounting Brackets
Staples - for staple gun
Screws - multiple sizes
Velcro - for mounting Temperature Controller
Bucket - for hot water to circulate
Tools List:
Philips Head Screwdrivers - multiple sizes
Wire Cutter/Stripper
Heat Gun - to soften hose ends before installing on pumps and blocks
Soldering Iron
Staple Gun
My husband and I have a good working knowledge of electronics and electrical circuits so we didn't have too much trouble. I will say that it wouldn't have looked so nice and organized if it weren't for my husband. If I did it alone it would have taken longer and the result would have been a jumbled mess - haha!
I bought a heavy duty enough power supply to handle two complete cooling systems, so I actually used double the parts listed with the exception of the power supply to cool a Farm 12 and a Farm 12XL. Here is a picture of both systems mounted and in use:
I mounted them so they would be concealed by the cabinet I have:
Once I paint the cabinet and route the cords, it'll look much better. But there you have it, my Farm's water reservoirs are now being cooled to 20.5-21.5 Celsius (lettuce) and 22.5-23.5 Celsius (peppers/tomatoes). That might be a little cold for tomatoes but I need to test the calibration of the temp controller because when I had it set higher, the water felt warm to the touch. I'll be documenting the affects it has on my lettuce production in my original thread mentioned at the beginning of this post.
Has anyone here done anything similar? Or had trouble keeping your Farm reservoirs cool?
I posted earlier this month about my first lettuce crop that was very disappointing. The lettuce was super wimpy and delicate and I posted about it here. I ultimately concluded that it was most likely due to 80F and higher temperature in my Farm 12 water reservoir for extended periods of time. So I did some research and watched some YouTube videos here and here, and decided to make a Peltier cooling system! Fun!
Here is the design and the parts used in the picture:
Parts List:
Temperature Control Module - Part# XH W1209
Water Pumps - Qty 2 - Specs: 240L/H DC 12V 4.2W
Aluminum Water Cooling Blocks - Qty 2 - Specs: 40 x 80 x 12mm
Peltier Cooling/Heating Devices - Qty 2 - Part# TEC1-12706
DC Regulated Switching Power Supply - Specs: 12v 30a/360w
Power Cord for Power Supply (not included with Power Supply)
Power Distribution Block
Food Grade Hose for Cold Side - Specs: 1/4"ID 1/2"OD
Vinyl Hose for Hot Side - Specs: 3/8"ID 1/2"OD
Supplies List:
18 AWG Gauge Electrical Wire
Electrical Crimp Connectors
Soldering Wire
Silver polysynthetic thermal paste grease
Board - for mounting
Zip Ties
Reflective Duct Tape - for wrapping cold side hoses
Mounting Brackets
Staples - for staple gun
Screws - multiple sizes
Velcro - for mounting Temperature Controller
Bucket - for hot water to circulate
Tools List:
Philips Head Screwdrivers - multiple sizes
Wire Cutter/Stripper
Heat Gun - to soften hose ends before installing on pumps and blocks
Soldering Iron
Staple Gun
My husband and I have a good working knowledge of electronics and electrical circuits so we didn't have too much trouble. I will say that it wouldn't have looked so nice and organized if it weren't for my husband. If I did it alone it would have taken longer and the result would have been a jumbled mess - haha!
I bought a heavy duty enough power supply to handle two complete cooling systems, so I actually used double the parts listed with the exception of the power supply to cool a Farm 12 and a Farm 12XL. Here is a picture of both systems mounted and in use:
I mounted them so they would be concealed by the cabinet I have:
Once I paint the cabinet and route the cords, it'll look much better. But there you have it, my Farm's water reservoirs are now being cooled to 20.5-21.5 Celsius (lettuce) and 22.5-23.5 Celsius (peppers/tomatoes). That might be a little cold for tomatoes but I need to test the calibration of the temp controller because when I had it set higher, the water felt warm to the touch. I'll be documenting the affects it has on my lettuce production in my original thread mentioned at the beginning of this post.
Has anyone here done anything similar? Or had trouble keeping your Farm reservoirs cool?
