Swamp Cooler??

[toweraquaticservices]

Question to the smart guys....

If I pipe my overflow to a spray bar above my sump tank, and position a fan on the front of the desk to draw in air from the back, through the spraybar, and out to the room, wont this act like a swamp cooler, keeping the water cooler and introducing cooler air into the room? Just a thought, it gets hot here and my house is not insulated at all, and this tank may end up as my aquaponics fish tank in the future, and being outside, I may need to cool it alittle.

I know this is specific due to my tank being an old desk with a wind tunnel between the drawer towers...heres some pics

 

[Oddball]

It would work. However, it'll differ from a traditional swamp cooler in that the odors produced by the tank's bioload will blow throughout the room and the tank will experience increased evaporation. And, any aerosols used in the room (disinfectants, oven cleaner, insecticide, etc.) will be channeled across the tank's surface.

 

[aldiaz33]

Yup, it will work. I was reading on a saltwater forum where guys use this method to chill their tanks because their metail halide lights put off so much heat they need to bring temps down. I believe there is actually a company that manufactures this type chiller, but I'm not sure of the name.

 

[Oddball]

Placing small PC type box fans in the hood will also do the same but, at a much lower cost to run since many of these fans run on just 5VDC.

 

[toweraquaticservices]

Thanks guys for the responses....

I was thinking of using one of those window fans with the adjustable sides to get an exact fit...

I might even put an air filter, like for a furnace behind the tank to try to catch some nasties before entering the sump area....

I dont use aresols much, but I see the concern, but I would think any tank inside would be at risk for any airborne junk.

The smells I can also see as an issue, Due to me over filtering and the filters being outside the area in question, that the smells would be very limited.

I love this forum!

 

[Grundsau]

swamp coolers work best in low humidity areas, like Nevada and Arizona. I wouldn't expect a dramatic temp drop in Florida.

 

[cvermeulen]

1) Yes it will work but it will be heavily dependent on the ambient humidity as Grundsau points out.
2) If it works appreciably, your tank evap will be high, meaning if you're constantly topping up you could potentially build up minerals and hardness in the tank depending how hard your tap water is.
3) Something you might consider instead of a spray bar is actually letting the water trickle down a swamp cooler pad. This will cut down on noise and splashing, and may even make it work better.

Just some thoughts! let us know if it works out.

 

[toweraquaticservices]

swamp cooler pad? I have some pool filters that I removed the plastic inside(to use like light defuser) and I still have the screen from it, maybe a couple hundred micron, would that work?

 

[cvermeulen]

swamp cooler pad?

Google is your friend. Basically just an absorbent pad that allows airflow through it.

 

[toweraquaticservices]

thanks for the info!