Chiller needed for 10 days - shad stocking program

Would anyone in the Northern Va / DC area have a chiller they could loan to a school for about 10 days?

I am a volunteer at Waples Mill Elem. in Oakton, and we are participating in a program to hatch American Shad eggs and restock the fry back into the Potomac from whence they came, as part of a species restoration effort (and educational program for kids) that has been ongoing for over a decade.

This is a brief overview of the project (our project):

http://www.potomacri...?...&Itemid=110

Living Classrooms:

http://www.livingcla...hadTeachers.htm

Currently, it is a very laborious process to lower temperatures to acceptable (below 70) in the classroom tanks, by use of frozen 2-liter water bottles rotating in and out. Weekends and overnights access is very limited, and many fry are lost due to poor temperature control. We could use up to 3 chillers to control this process. One caveat, I'm not sure the school's electrical circuits are sufficient for the task, but want to give it a shot anyway, as this would really reduce the labor needed and improve results. The tubs appear to be about 60 gallons or so.

We expect the eggs to arrive next Monday, the 27th, and to take about a week to complete the process. Would anybody around DC have a chiller they could loan?

Thanks,

Tom Moran

It's a bit late now, but NANFA has grants for this type of thing. You could OWN the chillers and use them every year!

It's a bit late now, but NANFA has grants for this type of thing. You could OWN the chillers and use them every year!

Interesting, never thought of that. I wish I had just one to test and make sure it's going to work as anticipated before pushing hard to get them.

I suggest submitting a formal proposal to the BOD. This is exactly the kind of project they like to see. If you need help, Pmail me (once Drew has fixed the spam problem) and I can point you in the right direction.

Tom there are many ways you can make chillers to knock things down a few degrees for short terms efficiently that all revolve around the premis of puting a water delivery system/pump/filter within a small 2-3 cu ft fridge.