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Post by mar on Mar 20, 2005 11:28:35 GMT -8
Hey Eric, do you have any info on that heat pump you found? I like this idea a lot as a possibility.
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ericj
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Post by ericj on Mar 20, 2005 11:42:44 GMT -8
Hey Eric, do you have any info on that heat pump you found? I like this idea a lot as a possibility. Actually, I have numerous choices. It looks like my 'perfect' one will take too much fabrication to produce... Once I identify a suitable power supply and unit, I'll post them here. It's good to know that you're still interested in the concept - I must be going in the right direction. |
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Post by IguanaKing on Mar 20, 2005 11:57:27 GMT -8
Just curious...what is the heat pump?
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Post by mar on Mar 20, 2005 11:59:25 GMT -8
If there would be a way to have the cooling coils on the outside of the cage it would be great. I am surprised that I have never seen something like a window unit heat pump like there are AC units -- just reverse the AC unit and make a few tweaks for efficiency.
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ericj
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Post by ericj on Mar 20, 2005 12:12:35 GMT -8
If there would be a way to have the cooling coils on the outside of the cage it would be great. I am surprised that I have never seen something like a window unit heat pump like there are AC units -- just reverse the AC unit and make a few tweaks for efficiency. Because the complexity isn't usually worth the savings. However, one of my friends once worked in a unique field that is closely related to this. He still wonders why people waste so much energy when more efficient systems are so simple... One of our crazier discussions was how to build an electric car that could run indefinitely in warm, dry climates. |
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ericj
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Post by ericj on Mar 20, 2005 12:24:44 GMT -8
Just curious...what is the heat pump? Devices that work on the peltier effect to transfer heat in one direction. That is, one side will have a major loss of heat, while the other will have a dramatic increase in heat. |
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Post by IguanaKing on Mar 20, 2005 17:17:14 GMT -8
Ahhh...I get it. Please don't take offense to this, but I'm not sure how effective warming the air in the cage will be.  |
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ericj
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Post by ericj on Mar 20, 2005 18:38:54 GMT -8
That's what the fan is for. |
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Post by IguanaKing on Mar 20, 2005 18:41:06 GMT -8
Oh...I know you have a fan. I was just saying that warming the air isn't the most efficient method for heating your ig. |
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ericj
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Post by ericj on Mar 20, 2005 18:46:18 GMT -8
So, a 72 degree enclosure (summer setpoint) is a better option? I have a feeling that warm air is better...
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Post by mar on Mar 20, 2005 18:49:32 GMT -8
It will be very efficiet for raising amb. temps IF the heat transfer coils have proper ventilation to the outside of the cage. If the coils are inside the cage this idea will be a horrible waste as the only energy going into heating the cage will be the losses of the motors internal to the heat pump. Being that you are in Florida why do you need to fight with ambs, 70 to 75 minimum should be easily maintained much of the year.
Also the heat pump is only effective down to about 10 degrees F, which should be no problem in Florida or the inside of your house but is why they aren't used in places like northern Michigan (where I grew up). Below 10F the pump is not able to adiquatly exchange heat from outside to the inside of the house and resistive becomes the more efficient method.
Sean:
A heat pump is an AC unit / refridgerator installed backwards. The whole system is essentially a long tube of fluid under different pressures allowing it to exchange energy with its surroundings. When pumped to the outside of the heated area it is cooler than ambient and collects energy as it reaches thermal equilibrium. It is then pumped to the area to be heated and the conditions changed such that it is warmer than surroundings. The heated area warms as the fluid cools then the fluid changes conditions again as it exits the heated area to collect more heat from outside.
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Post by IguanaKing on Mar 20, 2005 19:10:50 GMT -8
So, a 72 degree enclosure (summer setpoint) is a better option? I have a feeling that warm air is better... Eric, that's not what I meant by that. Yes, ambient cage temps also have some bearing on an iguana's body temperature. But...an iguana's body is set up to absorb direct IR radiation from the sun. There are lots of ordinary incandescent bulbs out there, in all kinds of wattages which emit plenty of IR which will actually do a better job at maintaining your ig's body temperature than warm air will. Incandescent bulbs just seem like a simpler method for heating your ig, the IR also heats cage surfaces, which, in turn, will raise air temps. I like to think of it as creating your own, miniaturized version of how the Earth and Sun work together. Mark, I'm familiar with Peltier devices. I gave serious thought to installing one in my home-built computer to cool the processor, but my PS isn't quite up to the task along with handling my massive power hog of a video card. Anyway, my ordinary Volcano 7 HSF does a fine job...and I have been able to OC to 3.8GHz without overheating. ;D |
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