How to: Lower the Temperature of your Hydroponic Reservoir

How to reduce the temperature in your hydroponic or aquaponic system reservoir. This video is in response to a myriad of questions I've had about lowering the temperature of reservoirs especially over the northern hemisphere's summer. It might be a bit late for those in the norther hemisphere but down here in the southern summer is coming up fast.
Hopefully this video helps you prepare.
Hoochos explores the worlds of Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Permaculture, Homesteading, Fermentation, Technology Vanlife and DIY Builds to look at the world through a larger lens that can incorporate the best of everything into a rich and rewarding lifestyle.
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Happy Hydroponicing!

[@stevef.m.2188]

Thanks Hoocho ,Making it simple and easy

[@rogerrodgersen7702]

Thanks mate, always good to hear from you, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@efyHealth]

Very much appreciated. I live in Mesa AZ and it's 115 F with lows at 80 in the summer. I'm either doing shade or putting the reservoir under shade like under the fruit trees. The cladding might work well with the plants on top of the reservoir. Make sure not to use aluminum for cladding as it transmits heat. Even aluminum based paint.

[@ghanio8010]

Once again great video, love the work!!!

[@elguis201109]

Daam bro you have a video for everything pretty much, needed this info big time cause its about to get hot and it's my 1st year gardening, Thank You

[@tonykennedy9811]

Living in Arizona this video has helped certainly given me some great ideas ! 👍

[@alanhunold7546]

Thanks mate, this subject has been on my mind lately with summer coming up and I will be moving my plants outside very soon. I was going to use a cooler on solar as it would only be needed when the sun is beating down but I will definitely be using some of these tips. Thanks!

[@brenohighland3259]

yep i will be looking at a sola panel charging a battery to run a portable caravan fridge --the returning solution would go through a coil in the fridge then into the tank-----sola free energy-i think the most temp the plants will take is 86 deg--31 c -here in australia we getting that now and we have months to go yet-so i better get cracking

[@j0nrages851]

Massively helpful as I transition from raised beds to hydroponics here in Hot Texas

[@greenbionomy4340]

This video solved so many of my problems. Big thanks!

[@philmay1970]

Mate what a excellent informative vid. Thank you

[@abdullaalmarri2232]

Great approach to the subject very good, new subscriber starting now!

[@addammadd]

This channels is going to blow up so hard.

[@cruikshank]

Thank you for this excellent information. I’m new to anything beyond Kratky.

[@MrBigedtc]

Great Video, Thanks.

[@rachelontv9696]

Got you in that method a few tips Ive learned and i wanna do it on my reservoir especially in my place very hot

[@kareneverling5860]

Great information... again!

[@stephenjohnson6967]

Very well done! Keep the great content coming. I will keep the likes coming.

[@growingheart8039]

Great video!🌞

[@WarGardensForVictory]

One of the last ditch Efforts we would do with aquarium world is freeze 2L bottle and put it into the sump. I thought about doing that with my NFT system into the res.

[@aaronspain3387]

OMG, three versions of Hoocho in one video! Moustached Hoocho, cleanshaven Hoocho, and bearded Hoocho! :)

[@quivoussavez]

😄👍👍

[@ashleyerriah167]

😂

[@Holodomor4.0]

Good onya Hoocho! This has been mighty helpful! Cheers- Observant Peasant (OP)

[@Hoocho]

Starksideofthemoon awe man. It’s real hard matching up the usernames across platforms haha.

[@Holodomor4.0]

Hoocho haha yeah mate I know! I only realised your other username was you about a week or so ago on reddit! Send us a follow request on there if you havnt already I have a question for you regarding aeration.

[@kavz187]

Hi Hoocho, thank you so much for the informative videos. With me being an absolute beginner, You've been able to equip me with enough knowledge that I was able to have a full on conversation regarding hydroponics with a professional grower at a local hydro supply store. He was quite surprised with my knowledge and I pointed him to your channel as my source 😊 I have 2 questions: 1) what material are you using for cladding? 2) would you recommend using an aquarium heater to keep the water at a steady temperature during colder periods? The one that I'm referring to has the ability to set a temp and it turns on and off just to heat up the water should the temperature drop below the predefined temp. Many thanks.

[@russellphipps911]

I found old freeza panel works reel good thanks again Hoocho

[@bobbiwest6625]

Freaking beautiful garden.take care.

[@pjanoo6973]

I use Reflectix bubble foil around the reservoir. Air temp was around 90 and the water stayed at around 70

[@justinreid2422]

That's what I use indoors and outdoors

[@danm3755]

Hi Hoocho, I've been binge watching your videos the past few days. They all have so much clarity in how the information is presented. I can't believe I've persisted with growing in soil for so long. I think I'm now converted and will be designing a NFT system myself. A question about shading with a cover crop, more so with the actual system you are using that had the pickling gherkins in it above the IBC reservoir. How is this integrated into the NFT system? or have I just missed a video? Love your work!

[@Hoocho]

Dan M I was actually designing an aquaponics system and got side tracked by NFT, I used the chop and flip system I’d been planning on turning into an aquaponics system for the res. Here’s the vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ-nhZ9uj9l6o9U And here’s the update that I reference the vid. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q57HgZ-loM6cq5o They are old videos so excuse the editing/ quality Basically the top bed is a flood and drain with a bell syphon draining into the res which is the res for both nft and grow bed.

[@lancerwrx40]

Hi, tq info, very help me

[@megaflux7144]

shout out pa hydroponics! funny that you used garys clip.

[@uscitizen5656]

1 more option for you all might be the silver sided foam core bubble wrap or insulation material. I am going to try that this summer on my hydro. I live in the Atlanta Georgia region..

[@justinreid2422]

It works.

[@baussglassworks]

Great video. I used a cheap mini fridge with 50ft of coiled 1/2 tubing inside. I also thought about using a chest freezer for the Res.

[@papascott9653]

Cory, I am curious as to how the small frig with coiled copper tubing inside worked for you? I have all the parts and was thinking about using the small frig route to save some money cooling my reservoir. Thanks Cory

[@papascott9653]

Cory, how did the small frig cooler work out for you?

[@baussglassworks]

Not really sure on spec's but it did drop the temps very well. It was enough that It stopped my issues. It's better if you have a bigger res and you can bury it.

[@gorillamotors]

Another thing I do here in Florida is freeze a 1-3 gallon bucket of nutrient water and put that in my reservoir every couple of days.

[@FC2ESWS]

This was very informative. How hot can the water temperature be, before it adversely effects the plants?

[@MsSAinyourFace]

Beautiful homestead you got there! "Winter" in Oz looks so "severe". Shorts and t-shirts, how do you even survive! Great video, once again! What is the ideal temp for the nutrient solution then? Not sure I heard you actually say? Unless missed it... in which case, my bad!

[@Hoocho]

Off the top of my head between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit, 20 to 22 Celsius... But I'd have to consult my NFT bible.

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

Hi mate. I'm in the middle of setting up a solar pool heating system. The sort that has tubes on the roof. The controller has a cooling mode. So if the pool is over the target temperature and the roof is lower than the target temperature (eg at night) then the pump turns on to cool the pool. This could be an option for larger systems to cool things down.

[@buenocarrasco1738]

Burying is the best solution becuz of the ground being a cooler temp.and the best reservoirs to bury is use a ice chest cooler. The best is of course Yeti coolers.i live in AZ so I can imagine the heat we get over 120F°

[@giles1962]

I saw in one of your other videos that the growing solution should be between 20 to 30 degrees. So, in winter, would there be an advantage to heating the growing solution, to say a minimum of 20 degrees?

[@minikimboc]

Hell ya

[@timothyblazer1749]

Quick point: using NFT in hot climates, do you think that doing all channels in parallel is better? Chaining channels would gradually heat the water whereas in parallel you increase oxygen, level nutrient concentration, and keep temperatures low. Am I wrong?

[@trhosking]

A water chiller typically draws 100-200W. A small solar panel can drive that easily.

[@sobhygamil6323]

is it enough to have cold water and keep planets in hot weather or i should have cold greenhouse as well ?

[@galawismudin3110]

How about painting reflective paint on the pvc pipes. Or insulating the pipes with aluminium foil?

[@erichgallardo9772]

what’s the ideal water temperature ? you didnt mention.

[@leetpg]

I have no idea how my system is going to survive a Western Sydney summer. Only a single channel NFT in a 30 litre black bucket. We crack 40c + quite often.

[@jamess7398]

Really informative. Dumb question, but is there an ideal temperature for plant root growth I should strive for?

[@Hoocho]

Not dumb, I really should’ve included it. Between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit, 20 to 22 Celsius.

[@McFlysGarage]

That’s going to be hard to do in Florida for me

[@kidvinie6491]

What about throwing a 2lt frozen bottle of water in the reservoir twice per day. They will freeze over night?

[@Hoocho]

Definitely

[@ekanthgopl]

What about water evaporation.. Does it need to refilled with nutrients or just the water is enough since nutrients get left over and won't get evaporated with water? Please reply. Learnt a lot from your videos. Thank you

[@isanBen]

He answered this in the video, saying something like "when the water evaporates, the concentration of nutrients go up and you will have to add water.. You also answered your own question 🙂 If the nutrients doesn't evaporate like the water will, add more water 🥳

[@ekanthgopl]

@@isanBen Thanks for clarifying 👍🏽

[@gilbertdiaz7913]

🎉

[@thaviratpiriyothaisakul6784]

does burying the reservoir help in lowering temperature in a hot-climate country?

[@briankathy2580]

Yes it does and Hoocho mentioned it briefly about 7 minutes into his Vlog. Be careful to leave a few inches of the tank above ground, or you might regret it during heavy rain, if the tank does not have a water tight lid.

[@user-pb1yx3gs5y]

👍👍❤

[@dimitriv4987]

What temperature is your systems running in F°?

[@ryanlopes1346]

Will temperature ranging 27-29 degree Celsius work?

[@JJones_1]

Definitely not! roots will cook and die as you stretch over 22° 19° is ideal and 22° is your limit

[@ryanennis3199]

i grow in 5 gallon drink coolers and i have yet to get root rot

[@kurtcooper3699]

Ok......here's the best way to control the summer temperatures of your reservoir. U can use a much cheaper "chiller " by substituting a cheap & used small deep freeze w/adjustable Temps. U can get an extremely efficient electric. Solar is best w/just 1 panel or propane that cost pennies a day U simply cut a hole or entry point for your reservoir tubing into your deep freeze & adapt to a aquatic friendly garden hose by which u can run 50'-100' in a circle & adjust your freezers temperature to high around 60'-70's which as the 50'-100' hose fills w/cooler water exists the freezer & into the nft system. U can run extra hose back outside to raise the Temps coming out the freezer if it's too cool so as not to shock anything. It's the best way to cool your system when u reach 90° plus & easily manage it. This is used in aquariums when we're too cheap to buy an actual chiller for large saltwater tanks costing well over $1k. Give it a try! Desperate? Even a small frig will work. Cheers!

[@generalawareness101]

Yes, I have a water chiller for my laser system, and it wasn't cheap plus I can imagine my electric bill now running 24x7 with the inflation costs across the USA with some at 80-100% more than before Biden's recession/inflation. Oh, and I can't get the water temps below 22-24c else the chiller never turns off due to 37-40c days.

[@mattb7895]

Hoocho, or anyone. How hot is too hot?

[@clippends]

2 bottels of water freez them put them in the reservoir works fine for me not mutch effort

[@andrewdollins2321]

Coper in nutrient solution me thinks that is a bad idea.

[@orveahava]

Hydropermaculture

[@Wonderfulwork01]

Any tips on controlling PH? Brisbane tap water is 8.2 and I cant get it down to 5.5-6 PH.

[@dI0x0Ib]

I personally just use a commercial hydroponic ph reducer which is basically just sulphuric acid. You need a ph meter to use it, because it's really easy to go too low. And of course you need to be careful with it, because you could burn your skin. But it's been working great for me. Don't be tempted to use an organic acid like vinegar or citric acid, bacteria will just eat it up and after a day you will be back to your original ph with a dose of bacteria sludge

[@niklask.5593]

Im using phosphoric acid which I dilute to a 20% concentration. Then it’s easier to not overdo it and dose it right.

[@Wonderfulwork01]

Hey guys thanks for the advice. I have some Mantuec PH down I’m using but after testing and measuring out the correct amount to achieve the desired PH it seems to rise again fairly rapidly.

[@niklask.5593]

Jac ruhle I had the same in the beginning because I used a 3 component fertilizer. I added all together which caused a nutrient lockout and a raising ph from 6 to 8 within two hours. In case you have multiple components in your fertilizer you need to add each component single and stir till all is solved. Then add the next one. I use a Ready blend first, then Magnesium and then calcium sulfate at the end. I was searching long what was wrong.

[@briankathy2580]

@@niklask.5593 Niklas: I’ve used the Masterblend for years. When making 5 gallons, if you mix each component in a separate gallon container, with warm / hand hot water, they completely dissolve. Then just mix them with 2 gallons of cold water. I’ve never had a problem with either fallout of nutrients or varying PH after they have been mixed.