fishroom temperature control

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K

kokosnood

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 3, 2009
156
0
16
Santa Ynez, CA
Hi,

I'm in the beginning stages of planning a fishroom. I have an attached "leanto" room which I built onto my mobile measuring 12' x 20'. I am currently using it for storage; but with the new barn done I should be able to clear it out in the next couple of months. I will then wire it for electricity. I already ran a propane line there with a shutoff valve.

The windows are recycled single paned and are not energy efficient (they leak.) The windows take up a lot of the wall space since that saved me money on materials (I already had the windows.)

The roof is corrugated tin; with one panel (2x12) of clear pvc as a skylight. The floor is decomposed granite (gravel.)

We have hot summers (90+) and mildly cold winters (lows around 32 at night but a lot of sun during the days.) If I wanted to turn this room into a fishroom, what would it take to control the temperature? I'd like to use propane for heating, and can easily install a propane greenhouse heater. For insulation, I can add rigid styrofoam over the plywood, and possibly seal up the edges of the windows with silicone (but then they won't open anymore.) Could I use a propane swimming pool heater to heat the water directly instead of the air in the room?

I suppose the single pane windows will still lose a lot of heat even if they are sealed closed, but I reckon I can live with that--besides the water should collect solar heat during the day retain it at night.

I am more concerned with summer cooling...I hate to run another AC in addition to the central air for the house. My electric bill is too high already. I suppose I'd have to cover the large "skylight" during the summer...it lets in a lot of heat and light. Perhaps evaporative cooling...but then the windows would have to be open which again would let in a lot of heat and light.

Any input?
 
I'm thinking that your issue will be the high temps. The room should be well insulated, including the walls and the ceilings, but it should work. One other option is to have good circulation to help dissipate the heat.

We have fishrooms in the midwest that are in garages with just space heaters and they do well.
 
Pharaoh;3683928; said:
I'm thinking that your issue will be the high temps. The room should be well insulated, including the walls and the ceilings, but it should work. One other option is to have good circulation to help dissipate the heat.

We have fishrooms in the midwest that are in garages with just space heaters and they do well.
Click to expand...

I agree with the heat issue. I was forced to tear down my fish room, and move it to the basement. I live in Kansas City, and this summer a few months after getting the fish room setup, my tanks where steady 92F. I didn't Know what to do I tried everything, I had no air condition for that room and couldn't afford a chiller.

So I learned my lesson and moved the tanks to the basement, lesson is, that its easier and cheaper to heat water then it is to cool it. My blessed wife every hour while I was at work switch out the frozen gallons of water floating in the tank.

I took the tops off the tanks and put fans blowing over the water, took the top off the sump, evaporation can't cool the water if the room is hotter then the water. IMHO no way to keep the water cool without a chiller or running AC, if the room gets to be 92 then the water will get to be 92.
 
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