# orchidarium case with cooling unit



## neo-guy (Sep 14, 2009)

Hi everyone, 
I thought some of you might be interested in my efforts to grow some of the cooler growing miniatures, even though I live in inland Southern California where it can get get quite hot in the summer time!

I came up with this orchidarium case that would be indoors with compact fluorescent lighting. Since we are in a dry climate and evaporative coolers or wet wall work well for cooling greenhouses, I figured it would work for my indoor case. The case is 3" long and 2 feet deep and tall.
Here are the steps below:

1) took a storage plastic case and cut a square out one end, and a circle on the other end. I used a fountain pump and hose through a short piece of pvc pipe. The pipe has several 1/8" holes so that the water can drip out. I have a piece of cooler padding under the pipe. This is my wet wall!
2) attached a desk fan on the other end with a dryer vent hose into the case. Voila! a mini indoor evaporative cooler!

For the first year of this case, i did not have the cooler unit next to a window to bring in cooler night air. I was able to lower the temp by about 5-7 degrees, but at night that only met low 70's as the house would be up 75-80. This was not good for my cool growers! Many cool growers can tolerate warmer day temps only if they receive lower night temps.

About 4 months ago, I moved the cooler and case next to an open window. Now when the night temps go to 60-65 degrees, the case will be 55-60.
The plants have responded wonderfully! I try and mist the plants twice a day when it is warm. The humidity is around 70% in the case. I use pure water with some MSU fertilizer in it.

I think I may be ready to try some more masdevallias again. I had stopped buying because I was killing them due to warm temps.

There are a few more pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/minicatt/sets/72157622232357347/
Let me know if you have any questions!
Pete

Orchid case (forgive the carpentry!)






Cooler unit





Inside cooler unit





Hose to orchidarium





Vent Inside





More happy plants


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## Candace (Sep 14, 2009)

It's amazing what we do for our orchids, isn't it? Good job planning and executing it.


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## neo-guy (Sep 14, 2009)

Yes, we go to great lengths and then some! I didn't even mentioned my failed attempt of using a chest freezer for cooling! It failed by pumping the cool air into the growing unit (it cycled on too much, plus the air was too dry), and I even tried growing IN the freezer, using a thermostat to maintain an even 55 degrees. I ended up killing a few of my precious mini's in the experiment!
Pete


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## biothanasis (Sep 14, 2009)

Wonderful work!!! :clap:


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## NYEric (Sep 14, 2009)

ADDICTED!  

No, that's very nice, I would have tried something like that but my orchidarium is a glass tank. Now besides the algae monster which has probably eaten the water pump and mini ultrasonic fogger in the bottom, all I have is the trags of the plants I steamed. I'm going to try again but not totally sealing the tank. Thanx for sharing.


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## Kavanaru (Sep 14, 2009)

interesting idea...


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## Kavanaru (Sep 14, 2009)

NYEric said:


> ADDICTED!
> 
> No, that's very nice, I would have tried something like that but my orchidarium is a glass tank. Now besides the algae monster which has probably eaten the water pump and mini ultrasonic fogger in the bottom, all I have is the trags of the plants I steamed. I'm going to try again but not totally sealing the tank. Thanx for sharing.



Eric, try to pump the water with an Eheim Fiolter for Aquarium... That's what I do in my orchidarium and works very well... water in movement and keeps water pretty clean..


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## SlipperFan (Sep 14, 2009)

Very clever, indeed.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm having a good chuckle right now....but I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you, or better yet, I'm laughing at myself! The things we do for love, Ah Oh!


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## SlipperKing (Sep 15, 2009)

The amazing contraption! A different twist to a warden case. I'd like to seen your failed test too!


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## Clark (Sep 15, 2009)

My wife has a project for me now. She's loving your collection.


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## neo-guy (Sep 15, 2009)

I'm glad I could be an enabler! :rollhappy:

On my failed freezer test...unfortunately I guess i never took pictures of my set up. The freezer is now being used as it was meant to be...a freezer for food! 

Pete


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## Paph_LdyMacBeth (Sep 15, 2009)

Kudos! Well done. 
Now we all have to find a place to put such a contraption? Humm?


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## neo-guy (Sep 15, 2009)

LOL! Mine is in my dining room....The orchids have taken over!
Pete


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## JeanLux (Sep 15, 2009)

great Job!!!! Bravo!!! Jean


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## paphioboy (Sep 15, 2009)

Great job! That's a spectacularly huge Heliamphora you have there..  CPers in Malaysia die for one that big..


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## TADD (Sep 15, 2009)

Nice Heliomorpha....


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## Ron-NY (Sep 15, 2009)

Pete...good idea. I know a designer of orchidariums, in Sweden, he incorporates a small freezer in the base to create cool orchidariums...his cases are absolutely amazing!


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## Kevin (Sep 15, 2009)

Cool idea! I too love the Heli! Which one is that? How much light do you have in that case? I thought they need a lot of light. Have you tried Darlingtonia in there?


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## NYEric (Sep 16, 2009)

Kavanaru said:


> Eric, try to pump the water with an Eheim Fiolter for Aquarium... That's what I do in my orchidarium and works very well... water in movement and keeps water pretty clean..



The dark stuff on the bottom is too scary to look at!  I steamed many, many pleuros to death so a cooler would be great.


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## neo-guy (Sep 16, 2009)

Ron-NY said:


> Pete...good idea. I know a designer of orchidariums, in Sweden, he incorporates a small freezer in the base to create cool orchidariums...his cases are absolutely amazing!



Yes, I've seen pictures of his cases. They are really nice. I don't know how he manages with the freezer air though, as my experiment with the freezer failed miserably!
Pete


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## neo-guy (Sep 16, 2009)

Kevin said:


> Cool idea! I too love the Heli! Which one is that? How much light do you have in that case? I thought they need a lot of light. Have you tried Darlingtonia in there?



The Heli is a hybrid called Tequila which is much easier to grow. I've had this one for over 2 years. It survived getting too dry once too! Hence some of the brown tips.
The lighting is 3 compacts, at about 70 watts total, so they do amazingly well with lowish light!
Pete


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