Custom Chiller Setup for My Orchidarium

[saltcod]

Custom Chiller Setup for My Orchidarium – Achieving Night Cooling for Lepanthes

My first post so greetings everyone. Thank you for having me.

After some weeks of researching, I’ve made a reliable and efficient cooling solution for my dedicated lepanthes orchidarium - one that allows me to achieve the stable night temperatures, down to 10–12°C, that these cool-loving cloud forest orchids need to thrive.

I’ve included photos and a basic diagram below.

The Goal
Create a closed-loop, water-cooled system that delivers chilled air into the orchidarium at night using a car heater matrix and a quiet fan, without the cost or noise of a mini split AC.

Components Used
1. Hailea HC-15A Aquarium Chiller – Cools water to around 5°C.

2. 10-litre insulated cooler box – Acts as a thermal buffer/reservoir.

3. Submersible pump – Circulates water from the cooler box to the cooling matrix.

4 .Heater Matrix (BAU5043) – Originally from a classic Mini car.

5. 12V Computer fan – Pulls air through the chilled matrix and into the orchidarium.

6. Standard 12mm tubing – For water flow in/out of the chiller and matrix.

7. Insulation (bubble wrap foil) – Used extensively to reduce thermal gain on tubing and the cooler box.

How It Works
A pump in the insulated 10-litre cooler box sends water into the Hailea HC-15A chiller.

The chiller cools this water to about 5°C and sends it to the heater matrix (BAU5043) inside the orchidarium.

A computer fan pushes warm orchidarium air over the matrix, where it is cooled rapidly.

The slightly warmed water then returns to the cooler box to be recirculated.

The humidity extraction fan and misting system are separate and continue to operate as normal.

Results
Night temps now drop to 10–12°C with ease, even in a warm room.

Daytime remains at 19–22°C depending on lighting.

The fan is whisper-quiet, and the entire system is automated on a socket timer with minimal temperature drift.

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[Diane56Victor]

That looks like a very well thought out and executed system, Congratulations.
Have you been running it for long, how are your plants reacting to it?


Also, welcome to the forum.

[saltcod]

Thank you and I really appreciate the warm welcome

I’ve been running the system for about two months now, and I think the Lepanthes are really enjoying it. They’re definitely growing well, with noticeably more root development and lots of new leaves. That said, I’ll need to monitor things over a longer period before I can really quantify the benefits but early signs are very encouraging.

[estación seca]

Welcome!