AC out for 3 days with temps of 100 degrees

[EricR]

What would you do in this situation?
Central AC just died (Friday afternoon, of course) with temperatures forecasted at 99-100 this weekend.
*been looking at replacing anyway since unit is original from when I bought the house new about 28 years ago

Tank setup is 40 gallons with no sump, HOB powerfilter and wavemaker only,,, 4 fish, a bunch of inverts, and a smattering of soft corals.

Current plan:
- Getting AC replaced Tuesday anyway (but that's 3-4 days from now)
- Keep lights off for the next 3-4 days (and heaters) -- I'll just unplug everything that I think I don't need
- Stand-alone fans to move some air around with as much focus as possible near top of tank (((screen mesh top)))
- Open house at night of course but lows are only 70-73 at night
- Be here and just use Ziploc bags of ice to the best of my ability
***planning on keeping single Nero5 and Seachem Tidal 110 HOB running but maybe better to unplug both and just use air pump with some air stones instead???

Called LFS to see if they "rent" chillers but, as you could guess, that's a hard NO.

Any thoughts/suggestions?
*moving all livestock in smaller tanks/bins to neighbor's with AC is a possibility but this would be a HUGE ASK and a lot of work

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Window unit for the room if possible or even a portable one.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Put a fan on the tank and use evaporative cooling. Rotate floating frozen bottles of water. And what dude ahead of me says. You can buy one relatively cheap on Amazon.

 

[Reefering1]

A window a/c until placed near tank. A 120000 btu unit should be able to be bought for 2-300$ and will help keep you/ the room cool also

 

[EricR]

Window unit for the room if possible or even a portable one.

What would be an example of a window unit?
It's a very open living room type area (((no way to close it off from the rest of the house))) ... house is 3500 sq. ft.

 

[EricR]

A window a/c until placed near tank. A 120000 btu unit should be able to be bought for 2-300$ and will help keep you/ the room cool also

Thanks... food for research.

 

[Reefering1]

Is there a window near the tank?

 

[billyocean]

Any local reef group you could reach out to for a chiller?

 

[Reefering1]

You sure your a/c unit is toast? I assume you checked the drain and let the float switch hang to see if condensing unit comes on? When my blower motor went I stuffed a jeep radiator fan in the box that the filter goes, worked surprisingly well, kept the entire house cool

 

[EricR]

For last three posts:
- There's a window about 12 feet from the tank
- I know of no local reef group or aquarium owners
- AC is toast --- been patch-working it myself for multiple years now. (Current situation is fan motor dead and fried some electrical ... but I was/am already on the path to just replace the whole AC unit for multiple reasons anyway)

 

[Snoopdog]

For last three posts:
- There's a window about 12 feet from the tank
- I know of no local reef group or aquarium owners
- AC is toast --- been patch-working it myself for multiple years now. (Current situation is fan motor dead and fried some electrical ... but I was/am already on the path to just replace the whole AC unit for multiple reasons anyway)

A large 120v AC unit in the closest window or a portable AC unit, inverter type. Keep all other doors closed so you are only cooling the least amount of room where the tank is.

 

[ninjamyst]

Portable AC. If money is tight, be an butt and return it later. A strong portable AC can cool down a room easy. Will cost you 300-400

 

[EricR]

Looking into portable AC units now.
Good news is we have a stupid cat door maybe 30 feet away so I think I could duct the exhaust out that and not worry about an open window.
Bad news is the room where the tank sits is vastly open with no easy way to seal off that area,,, or any of the surrounding areas.

...thanks for all of the suggestions

 

[Snoopdog]

Looking into portable AC units now.
Good news is we have a stupid cat door maybe 30 feet away so I think I could duct the exhaust out that and not worry about an open window.
Bad news is the room where the tank sits is vastly open with no easy way to seal off that area,,, or any of the surrounding areas.

...thanks for all of the suggestions

Combination then. Use the AC to get the temp down a good bit, supplement with evaporative cooling which works surprisingly well.

 

[ThaBeast]

In my restoration and mitigation days we built containment fields out of pvc frames and thick plastic sheeting. Get a portable air conditioner and build a small room around the tank and AC out of plastic. Quickest way now is to use zipwall poles although I’m not sure where you can walk in and purchase those.

this very reason is why my new 185 build has a chiller plumbed in. My best reefing buddy asked me why I plumbed a $1000 chiller into my tank when I had LED lighting and external pumps. I said because I don’t have redundant HVAC in my home. I do have a whole home generator

 

[Reefering1]

Looking into portable AC units now.
Good news is we have a stupid cat door maybe 30 feet away so I think I could duct the exhaust out that and not worry about an open window.
Bad news is the room where the tank sits is vastly open with no easy way to seal off that area,,, or any of the surrounding areas.

...thanks for all of the suggestions

It will still cool the tank. cLose all doors and aim toward tank. Still do the ice, kill the lights etc. Itll be fine, don't need to partition the tank from the room.

 

[The_Paradox]

In my restoration and mitigation days we built containment fields out of pvc frames and thick plastic sheeting. Get a portable air conditioner and build a small room around the tank and AC out of plastic. Quickest way now is to use zipwall poles although I’m not sure where you can walk in and purchase those.

this very reason is why my new 185 build has a chiller plumbed in. My best reefing buddy asked me why I plumbed a $1000 chiller into my tank when I had LED lighting and external pumps. I said because I don’t have redundant HVAC in my home. I do have a whole home generator

This. Even better/easier is foam board and duct tape.

 

[EricR]

Thanks all,,, one last question -- do you think it would be better to:
- Turn OFF AI Nero 5 and Seachem Tidal 110 filter
- Instead use a couple of air pumps and air stones

*I honestly don't think Nero/Tidal create much heat since my tank doesn't naturally rise above ambient temperature but seems like, technically, that MIGHT be better (for heat issue), especially since Tidal filter has pump inside the tank

...just wondering if it's even worth considering

 

[Lavey29]

My ac went out last summer for 3 days. Temp over 100. Tried various tank cooling methods listed above. Tank hit 82 degrees. Everything survived fine.

 

[EricR]

My ac went out last summer for 3 days. Temp over 100. Tried various tank cooling methods listed above. Tank hit 82 degrees. Everything survived fine.

If my tank doesn't go much above 82 this weekend (with whatever I end up trying), I'll consider it a huge success.
I wish myself luck,,, we'll see...