10 replies to this topic

[Mandelstam]

I live in an apartment and don't have access to non heated rooms etc, plus my fridge is pretty small. 

 

I have a balcony though and the other day I got an idea for an outside hibernation setup. I'm just looking for input if you think this could work.

 

The idea is to make a box out of styrofoam sheets, maybe 4-5" thick, put a heating mat or a heat cable on the floor and then some simple shelving inside to put the colonies in. The heat will be monitored and controlled either via a simple thermostat or a micro controller with an open source reef controller software that I'm using for a vivarium. A small interior cpu fan for some air movement and heat distribution. Maybe a few bottles of water to add some thermal mass.

 

My area usually stays above freezing daytime during winter and drops a few degrees below during night. Of course that is just average temps and lower temps occurs. 

 

My thought was to try and make this non permanent so when spring comes I can just store away the styrofoam sheets in the basement storage. Basement is heated unfortunately... 

 

The "box/fridge/cooler" should probably be as air tight as possible to keep in the heat. Could this be an issue? Maybe open it once in a while when it's not too cold?

[Silq]

You could look for a used wine cooler if you have the space in the apartment and money. Others use a mini fridge which can be useful as you can have more fridge space now. If you go your route, you will have to have an electrical outlet outside or some line going outside, have enough insulation or wattage to overcome the temp differences. If you use a heat cable and even with a fan circulating air, you may get very warm areas and very cold areas even with a fan. Humidity might help in that aspect. It sounds like you know more of this than me.  

 

 

I used this to monitor temps but your setup sounds similar.

https://www.amazon.c...,aps,237&sr=8-4

[Mandelstam]

You could look for a used wine cooler if you have the space in the apartment and money. Others use a mini fridge which can be useful as you can have more fridge space now. If you go your route, you will have to have an electrical outlet outside or some line going outside, have enough insulation or wattage to overcome the temp differences. If you use a heat cable and even with a fan circulating air, you may get very warm areas and very cold areas even with a fan. Humidity might help in that aspect. It sounds like you know more of this than me.  

 

 

I used this to monitor temps but your setup sounds similar.

https://www.amazon.c...,aps,237&sr=8-4

 

 

I'll look into wine coolers and mini fridges but the ones I've seen are both small in actual interior space and pricey. 

 

A normal winter the outside temp is usually very close to hibernation temperature so my guess is that with a very well insulated box the heating element won't have to put in too much work. With some thermal mass inside it and well insulated I don't even think the temp will have time to drop much during a cold night. To me it sounds more efficient in terms of energy spent than running a mini fridge inside. 

 

Like you say, it's important to make sure the temp is the same throughout the box. I think that if you stack the colonies right with air being able to move around everywhere it can be done. 

 

If I have time this winter I'll try and throw a mockup together and see how it performs.

 

Thanks for the input! 

[Martialis]

Your plan sounds pretty okay to me. I'm wondering if the weather in your area will impact how your setup does, too. I'm not sure how much snow or precipitation your area gets in the winter, however.

[Mandelstam]

Your plan sounds pretty okay to me. I'm wondering if the weather in your area will impact how your setup does, too. I'm not sure how much snow or precipitation your area gets in the winter, however.

 

Winters here are real s*itty. Lots of wind and rain most of the time. Few degrees above freezing during the day and then dropping below during night. Relative humidity I'm not so sure about but probably more wet than actual humid air. 

 

It'll need to be weather proof of course. But I think that should be pretty easily done by covering it up well in some thicker plastic and securing it so the wind don't rip it apart. 

Edited by Mandelstam, September 17 2019 - 10:27 AM.

[Boog]

Also, keeping your setup out of direct sunlight while on the balcony would be a good idea. Keeping track of the temperature readings without having to open the setup would also be helpful, I think. Good luck!

[Mandelstam]

Also, keeping your setup out of direct sunlight while on the balcony would be a good idea. Keeping track of the temperature readings without having to open the setup would also be helpful, I think. Good luck!

 

Good point! Actually I think that may be the weak point, not having an actual cooling function. A week with hot weather and the temp may rise too much. 

 

As for monitoring I'll monitor both temp and humidity as the sensor I'll be using monitors both. The data I'll probably send to a web based service like Adafruit IO where you can present it visually and log it and access it online via a browser. 
 

[Boog]

 

Also, keeping your setup out of direct sunlight while on the balcony would be a good idea. Keeping track of the temperature readings without having to open the setup would also be helpful, I think. Good luck!

 

Good point! Actually I think that may be the weak point, not having an actual cooling function. A week with hot weather and the temp may rise too much. 

 

As for monitoring I'll monitor both temp and humidity as the sensor I'll be using monitors both. The data I'll probably send to a web based service like Adafruit IO where you can present it visually and log it and access it online via a browser. 
 

 

 

Cool! Interesting seeing the graphs, what type of sensor are you using?

[Mandelstam]

 

 

Also, keeping your setup out of direct sunlight while on the balcony would be a good idea. Keeping track of the temperature readings without having to open the setup would also be helpful, I think. Good luck!

 

Good point! Actually I think that may be the weak point, not having an actual cooling function. A week with hot weather and the temp may rise too much. 

 

As for monitoring I'll monitor both temp and humidity as the sensor I'll be using monitors both. The data I'll probably send to a web based service like Adafruit IO where you can present it visually and log it and access it online via a browser. 
 

 

 

Cool! Interesting seeing the graphs, what type of sensor are you using?

 

 

I'll be using a DHT22 sensor. Cheap and pretty reliable. Of course there are sensors that only monitor temperature too but humidity can always be interesting to monitor as well.
https://www.adafruit.com/product/385

[Martialis]

I’m wondering what sort of affect condensation will have.

A higher humidity inside the box would probably stabilize temperatures, but would also mean some other problems that would need to be solved.

[Mandelstam]

I’m wondering what sort of affect condensation will have.

A higher humidity inside the box would probably stabilize temperatures, but would also mean some other problems that would need to be solved.

Hopefully it will be well enough insulated so there isn't any surface inside with a lower temperature where water will condensate. I'm not an engineer and can't do any calculations for this though so can't say for sure or what it'll take in terms of insulation. I think only real life testing and measurements can answer that.