WANTED: Quieter, cooler air pump for SF 4-bucket DWC (current one overheats)

[Damnati]

<span style=”font-size: 14pt;”>1 | Why I’m opening this thread</span>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>The stock air pump that ships with Spider Farmer’s 4-bucket DWC kit is driving me mad: it’s loud and it heats my reservoir instead of the water staying cool. Because the buckets are black, they already absorb lamp radiation; adding the pump’s own waste-heat pushes root-zone temperatures way past ideal.</span>

<span style=”font-size: 14pt;”>2 | Numbers that back it up</span>
<table style=”border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;”>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>Item</span></td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>Spider Farmer stock pump</span></td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%; text-align: center;”><span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>AC Infinity hydro pump (example)</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>Design</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>Diaphragm</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>Turbine / electromagnetic</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>Rated power</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>15 W for the 4-bucket kit</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>4 W (24 GPH model)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>Noise control</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>None – casing rattles</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>Internal muffler, rubber feet (“ultra-quiet”)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>Heat added to water*</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>≈ 3 °C per 24 h (106 L total)</td>
<td style=”width: 33.3333%;”>≈ 0.8 °C per 24 h</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>*Physics: All pump wattage ends up as heat in the air stream, which is injected straight into the water. 15 W × 86 400 s = 1.3 MJ → ΔT ≈ 1.3 MJ / (106 kg × 4.186 kJ kg⁻¹ K⁻¹) ≈ +3 °C per day. The 4 W AC Infinity pump would raise the same volume by < 1 °C.</span>

<span style=”font-size: 14pt;”>3 | Real-world impact</span>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>– I have to run a €600 chiller full-time just to drag temps back down.</span>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>– The diaphragm pump’s vibration is audible through two walls; hanging it doesn’t solve it.</span>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>– Because the pump cools itself with the intake air, it literally blows its own waste-heat into the nutrient solution all day.</span>

<span style=”font-size: 14pt;”>4 | What I’m asking Spider Farmer</span>

<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>Offer (or bundle) a turbine-based air pump comparable to AC Infinity’s – quieter and < 5 W.</span>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>List detailed specs (wattage, dB, airflow) so growers can size chillers properly.</span>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>Make it G-series compatible (or at least sell it separately) so we don’t need third-party gear.</span>
<span style=”font-size: 12pt;”>If anyone else is fighting noise or heat from the stock pump, please reply with your setup and how you’re coping. The more voices, the better chance we get a cooler, quieter upgrade.

Thanks</span>

[Damnati]

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