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wiggles
Miffed a Milf


Registered: 11/09/05
Posts: 2,615
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate
#5944512 - 08/08/06 03:29 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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After reading this thread: http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/5940753/page/0/fpart/all/vc/1
I've been wondering.. has anyone ever attempted liquid cooling of deep bulk substrates? For instance, suppose you'd modify a grow box so that there were a number of pipes running through it, from one side to another (through the substrate, not up and down through it, but long wasy, like a water pipe would run in a house). Have them set up so that no pipe is ever too far from another. Basically, it would be similar to a water cooling system for a PC, or ballast.
Then, when mixing in the spawn and bulk substrate, fill it in around the pipework. Then simply let liquid which is chilled to say, 60 or 65 degrees flow through the pipes (or cooler/hotter, depending on species). This would achieve cooling to keep the compost from fermenting, while still allowing the myc to grow fairly unmolested. I've seen mushrooms grow around water pipes in the wild, so I don't see why it wouldn't work here.
I think the biggest concern would be condensation on the pipes, and what it would do to the myc. What does everyone think? I'm considering giving this a shot when I have some spare cash. It might work pretty cool.
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  You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug, especially when its waving a razor sharp hunting knife in your eye. Hunter S. Thompson
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creamcorn
mad scientist


Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
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Re: Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate [Re: wiggles]
#5944567 - 08/08/06 03:45 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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ive had a similar thought, although my thinking was more of a tub-in-tub style where the inner tub is a fruiting chamber, and the water between the tubs could be cooled with old refrigerator or A/C parts... would more evenly distribute the temps and condensation and such wouldn't be a problem
in effect you'd be building an 'environmental chamber' - which is basically the same sort of thing as an incubator, but instead of just warm temps, it can provide cooler temps. would be interesting to have or build out of junk parts on a rainy day to attempt to cultivate cooler climate species in...
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wiggles
Miffed a Milf


Registered: 11/09/05
Posts: 2,615
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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Re: Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate [Re: creamcorn]
#5944583 - 08/08/06 03:50 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hmmm... would that still have the downside of heat problems at the core of the substrate, wouldn't you? That's why i was thinking something going through the substrate to keep it cool at its core so that it never reaches a fermentation point. However the tub added on the bottom could serve as a reservoir for the tubing, and a chilling unit, plus it would help keep a nice even distrobution of temperature through the whole of the substrate...
I feel like getting all engineery now hahahaha
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  You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug, especially when its waving a razor sharp hunting knife in your eye. Hunter S. Thompson
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creamcorn
mad scientist


Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
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Re: Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate [Re: wiggles]
#5944613 - 08/08/06 04:00 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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sure the core might be a LITTLE warmer but keeping the whole thing under refrigeration of sorts would keep it in a safe zone. you're still getting at it from the bottom and sides, probably more surface area that way than running cooling pipes straight through the middle of the sub... you shouldn't be using a substrate so thick that active cooling covering the whole bottom surface can't reach the middle anyway.
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wiggles
Miffed a Milf


Registered: 11/09/05
Posts: 2,615
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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Re: Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate [Re: creamcorn]
#5944629 - 08/08/06 04:05 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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That's the point behind the water cooling though. Its a theoretical thing - what if you were able to keep the whole body of substrate at a regulated temperature. In theory then you could have much more substrate, at much larger volumes, which should lead to larger yields with each flush. Instead of 4 inches, you could have 40 with liquid cooling. The center wouldn't reach bad temperatures because of the the water pipes. Following my line of thought now?
I'm just wondering how it would all work out. I've heard of 2 foot monsters growing before.. I can't even imagine what they could do with that much nutrition at their disposal. Think they'd get burnt the same way cannabis can?
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  You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug, especially when its waving a razor sharp hunting knife in your eye. Hunter S. Thompson
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creamcorn
mad scientist


Registered: 03/13/06
Posts: 2,962
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Re: Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate [Re: wiggles]
#5944665 - 08/08/06 04:19 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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well you'd also need to come up with an aeration system then... heat isn't the only problem with that much substrate... gas exchange is too, the inside of a substrate that thick is suffocated by the rest of the substrate.
if you're looking to grow a monster, here's an easier thought for you. how about an all opaque container that can hold a few inches of substrate, say 4-5 (no need to push it), that's also large (say maybe 2 foot square) yet come up with an opaque lid where only a small circle, say 6" in diamater or whatever, in the center is exposed... case that little exposed area so you only get pins there... now you have a large volume of substrate supporting very few pins, and the possibility of really big results. think like it could sort of happen in nature... where there's a big network of mycelium underground, but it only makes it to the surface in a small spot and fruits there...
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wiggles
Miffed a Milf


Registered: 11/09/05
Posts: 2,615
Last seen: 10 years, 5 months
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Re: Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate [Re: creamcorn]
#5944675 - 08/08/06 04:22 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hmmm, now that's a cool idea too. Gah, I wish I had something colonizing now
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  You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug, especially when its waving a razor sharp hunting knife in your eye. Hunter S. Thompson
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beatnicknick
The Innovator


Registered: 05/25/05
Posts: 1,074
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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Re: Liquid Cooling a Bulk Substrate [Re: wiggles]
#5944812 - 08/08/06 05:07 PM (17 years, 5 months ago) |
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I thought of something like that... You take a tall, like 5 feet tall, plastic tube that is only like 3-5 inches in diameter, and fill it with substrate. The result might be something of a "shroom tree" that you can just go over to and graze on whenever you want to trip. Imagine a 6 foot tall stem with a 3 foot wide cap.
-------------------- I don't think for myself. I think as though I'm explaining my thoughts to someone else. I'm concerned only for those listening.
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