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Best way to lower temp

1K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  All your base 
#1 ·
It's getting pretty damn hot over here in California, 100F today where I'm at. I have 2 fans running on my 20L but the water temp is still 76F. I'm trying to keep the max temp in my CRS tank 74F, but that's not working. I've had to run the fans 3 days straight just to keep the temperature 75-76F, even during the night. With my two 3G tanks getting ready for shrimp, I'm more worried about keeping those tanks temperatures down. Doesn't help that my room is facing the sun either:mad:

I've been thinking about a window AC unit, but my mom's against it because it's "tacky." Not sure what that means. lol Besides the fact that I'd like to keep the water temp down, I'm getting kinda tired of getting sweaty when I'm just sitting or lying down.

I'm still gonna try to convince the window unit, as I'll be paying for everything and all, but if not, are portable AC units good? They are a lot more expensive than window units though..
 
#2 ·
"I'm still gonna try to convince the window unit, as I'll be paying for everything and all, but if not, are portable AC units good? They are a lot more expensive than window units though.."

The ones I've tried were slightly better than nothing, but nowhere near as good as a good window AC.
 
#3 ·
Bah, I guess the higher price isn't justified? I'll try to press the window unit.

Thing I noticed is that I only have a single sliding window in my room, with window screen on the side that has the sliding glass.
Something like this, but total length is like 7-8 feet, and like 4-5 feet in height. Maybe it's just that I don't have much experience with these, but I'm having a bit of a hard time imagining how a window AC unit would fit.

Am I just SOL?
 
#4 ·
To put a a/c window unit in a sliding window, you will probably have your window completely open to fit the unit. You will then need to cut some plywood or chipboard to fit the top part of the window that would be left open above the a/c (you will need to remove the screen). If you can paint the plywood to match your siding, it will look better from the outside of the house. This approach will cut down about half the light that you normally get from that window - but window units are really best designed to go in double-hung windows, not sliders. Once cooler weather comes, you can remove the a/c unit and the board and you have your window back.

Another option, although it requires a lot more work and should only be done if you know at least a little bit of house construction, is to install the window unit into a new cutout in your wall - this leaves the window still fully functional.
 
#6 ·
california resident

the secret to cold water is getting a 5 gallon bucket at walmart then goin to the water vending machine and filling it up then cover it up tight with a bag or something so it dont leak then put the bucket of water in the fridge it will be very cold whatever else you do with the cold water do at youre own discretion! matter factly i just made room in my fridge for this!
 
#9 ·
Have you looked into diy chillers? There are some options out there for using old dehumidifiers (good for larger tanks), but there are a lot of explanations for peltier-style coolers (the same style used for liquid cooling CPUs) that should be more than enough for the 3 gal tanks.

For a lot of us, those options are overkill, but it sounds like you're concerned and are working under some extra constraints.

Good luck
 
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