Wine Chiller Terrarium? - Orchid Board

Goods14 · #1 10-16-2011, 01:17 AM

I've always wanted to try to grow C-I Pleurothallids and Oxyglossum Dens. like Den. cuthbertsonii, but there's no way I could do it in my current conditions. Living in Louisiana, it's next to impossible to grow anything much cooler than I-W.

I was talking to a northern vendor at a local show, and she told me she'd heard of people growing cool growers in florist fridges and installing lights strong enough for the plants to grow. This got me thinking. At this point, I have no room for a huge florist fridge or money for that matter...

It hit me that maybe I could use a thermoelectric wine chiller to keep my temps down. Depending on the model, these keep temps anywhere between the upper 60s to the mid 40s. If I did this, I'd buy one with a glass door and light it from the outside using either CFLs or high powered LEDs to reduce heat.

What I don't know is how the chiller unit would hold up to the humidity needed for these plants and also if air is circulated by the unit. I'm just in the thinking/ research stage at this point. I'd love to hear everyone's input on this both positive or negative.

This idea might be totally farfetched and impossible to achieve. If you guys think that's true, let me know, so I don't waste time trying to figure that out myself. If you have other suggestions for cooling a tank set up, those are welcome as well.

Ray · #2 10-16-2011, 04:49 AM

If it's a thermoelectric chiller, I doubt moisture will be an issue. Don't forget that at low temperatures, even at high relative humidity the mass of moisture in the air is relatively small.

I think your biggest issue will be light. All I've seen are like mini-fridges with tinted glass doors only, making exterior lighting awkward.

Goods14 · #3 10-16-2011, 06:18 PM

Thanks Ray. I knew there was less possible moisture in the air as temperatures dropped, but I am also concerned about actual water from watering. I can always simply water outside of the tank, so that's not a big deal.

Also, I've found a few with clear doors. Do you think these would work ok? If you have a suggestion for interior lighting that wouldn't build up too much heat, I'd like to hear that as well.

pleurothallid · #4 03-21-2012, 03:41 PM

I built a wine chiller terrarium several months back. The main issue is trying to find where the cooling coils are and, as is intuitive, not hitting them when drilling. I plumbed both a misting system and humidifier into it. Lighting is accomplished by means of 2 high output LEDs. One issue that had plagued me is the condensation from the cooling unit drains into a pan, which can easily overflow and drip a bit on your stand/table. Good luck and go for it.

Here's an older photo: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

Goods14 · #5 03-21-2012, 03:49 PM

Is that you, Justin? This is Zach. I ended up going with a visi-fridge instead of the chiller, but I seem to be having good results.

pleurothallid · #6 03-21-2012, 03:54 PM

Silly usernames. Glad it's working well. I know I searched for quite some time for any info about how to do it before I bought one and chopped away. Took a quick break to poke around here as it's been months since I checked in and saw that. Keep it up.

Goods14 · #7 03-22-2012, 12:39 AM

Yea, the information is really hard to come by. I found the biggest help was the highland CP growers. Many people have done it using a few different methods to grow Nepenthes. I'm happy that what I have in there is still alive after almost six months, but I'd like to see a bloom from something in the tank.

On a different note, I saw Tin tonight. He said he'd be happy to show you any day. He said he just needs about a week in advance to set up everything you want to see. He also wanted to know what part you wanted to learn. I told him you'd probably be interested in seeing each step of the process (the original flask, reflasking, and the deflasking).

FIT BMX · #8 03-22-2012, 02:09 PM

Check this thread out.

Cold tank autocloud - Dendroboard