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Thread: Cooling the Bait bucket or livewell

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    Default Cooling the Bait bucket or livewell


    I was reading the TN fishin.com web site tonight and the question came up as to how to keep the bait wells cold. Seems someone has a 300 gallon bait tank that he wants to keep colder than the ambient (outside air) temp. He wants something to help lower the water temp down about 10 to 20 deg below the outside aire temps. If the tank is setting in a building and it's 90 deg outside the water would be cooled down to around 70 deg F or 20 deg cooler than it would be without the cooling unit

    Someone mentioned getting an old dehumidifier and somehow running the copper tubing with the coolant in the tubing into the tank water.

    Do we have any HVAC guys in this forum that know if this would work? Would a Dehumidifier work well enough and be able to cool 300 gallons of water 20 deg below the summer time air temps?

    I know that they make these new coolers that run on just 12 V DC power and they can cool 48 quart coolers down 40 deg below the outside air temps. Coleman makes one of these and I have seem them on sale at the local Wal-mart in the sporting goods dept. They sell for about 68 bucks for the 40 quart sized models. They also sell the smaller units that will hold a couple of coke cans and a sandwitch inside them. All of these can be powered off your vehicles cigarette lighter or an adapter can be used to convert 110V AC power to the 12V DC power when you have an AC plug available.

    I think these would be nice to have when on a day trip or a camping trip if they work as advertized. If it's 80 deg in the shade then they should be able to cool the stuff inside them down to about 40deg F and that should be cold enough to keep food. Even 45 deg F would keep the milk cold enough for a few days of camping. You would not have to mess with buying ice and draining the melt water out of the cooler. And these new units are big enough for a 2liter pop bottle to stand upright inside them
    Regards,

    Moose1am

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    Might be a good deal for keeping minnows. Wonder if the temp can be varied and what the power consmption is? Looks like I'm gonna have to do some research.

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    Barnacle Bill is offline Super Mod and 2014 Crappie.com Man of the Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Quote Originally Posted by reelcrappie
    Might be a good deal for keeping minnows. Wonder if the temp can be varied and what the power consmption is? Looks like I'm gonna have to do some research.
    2 key words here. "Power consumption". How many batteries would be needed for x amount of time? You could always take a small generator along if you can put up with the noise while it recharges the batteries or even run it all the time. It would make for some interesting research, especially to keep it portable.
    Fair Winds and Following Seas

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    I know of a few baitshop owners now who are buying used milk house coolers to use for their primary minnow tanks. They are stainless steel and temp controled. With the controled temp unit they can keep the water cooled enough so the minnows won't go into spawn mode. That keeps the stress down and they'll live longer.
    One thing you have to keep in mind this time of year though is the temp factor. Taking minnows from cold water, placing them on a hook, and using them in a lot warmer water will kill them very early so you are constantly changing baits. The best way I have found to keep these cooled baitshop minnows in the boat longer is to slowly replace the water in the bucket with lake water 1/2 pint at a time at 20 minute intervals. Later in the day when/if the water gets too warm, I put a little ice in the bucket. I seldom have trouble with this method unless the minnows were already in spawn mode. Then I just try to keep the water cool to slow them down and buy extra minnows knowing I'll be losing a few during the day. Keep the water oxygenated. I use a aerator bucket called 'Aerobait' from the magic bait company.

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    You're probably right about the power consmption. My guess is that there is no way to regulate the temp, either. If you could controll the temp this would be a good way to keep minnows healthy while camping, or at home between trips. Some models advertise keeping food hot or cold so I assume they would have a temp controll of some type. Whether it is infinate or not I'll have to find out.

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    Default power consmption

    Ok this subject I know about first hand. I drove a truck 25 years OTR and these cooler hit the trucking market a long time ago. I still have one but do not use it because of the power consumption. Now the newer models may use less of the power consumption than the older model I have.

    The power consumption of one of these cooler in a 24 hour time frame can and do pull a 24 volt battery system down to the point it will not start a truck. Remember truck starters take a lot more power than a car. Many are 24 volts starters but the newer trucks have a 12 volt starter.

    I do not think the unit in these cooler which is inside the cooler can be underwater. Also direct sun light and heat would make these coolers work more and be less help.

    If you have a direct question I maybe able to help. Ask away.
    Duane

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    Default Using ice to cool down the water

    The use of Ice to Cool down the water can be good and bad. First only use ice from a bag or from water that does not have chioline in it. I used ice from my ice marker a couble of times and killed all my minnows. I learned quickly what I had done. I now freeze empty soda bottle with water and use them for both my cooler with drinks and food when I can also use them in my minnow bucket as needed. But please do not do like Tom (CP) does and drink from the bottle after it has been in the minnow bucket, sure the water inside is ok but the inside would be nasty.
    Duane

    My soon to be ex-wife calls me a CrappieHead

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    Default Please don't drink the minnow water

    I agree with you duane. I shivered a bit when I think of someone drinking bottled water when the outside cap of the bottle has been exposed to the slimely water of a minnow bucket.

    Why not take some other water along and keep it clean and away from the minnow buckets.

    Good discussion going here on the bait bucket cooling devices.

    I would like to clarify one thing though.

    I am actually talking about two different type of devices.

    1. A commercial cooling device for large bait tank that the bait shop owners can use. This could run on AC power.
    2. A small minnow bucket that could be cooled using the pizo electric effect that runs on 12 v DC power. A spare 12v battery may be used to run this device. Or you could just plug the thing into the cigarette lighter of the boat.
    The device in Number 1 above would be something like a dehumidifier while the device in Number 2 above would be a small 5 gallon or less minnow bucket that possibly could be designed to run on smaller "D" sized batteries or an external battery pack.


    I envision two different markets for these devices. One for bait shop owners and fishermen that spend a lot of time on the water. Guys like Jerry Blake that go fishing with minnows over 200 days per year.

    The other market would be for guys like the rest of us crappie fisherman that need to keep small quantities of minnows alive while fishing in the summer months. Something that can keep the bait bucket cooled down for a few hours. This market may not be there as its just too easy to take bottles of water and freeze them and then dump them into the minnow buckets. This method workd great if you have an insulated minnow bucket and an aerator system. I can keep 4 dozen minnows alive easily with this system. And I am fishing in 95 deg F weather out in the sun for at least 6 to 8 hours. But I need to take 4 bottles of frozen water along. Each bottle is about 16 oz of water (ice ) inside it. I keep one bottle in the live well until the ice inside the bottle melts and then I take another iced bottle and put that in the minnow bucket. I keep the extra frozen water bottles inside a seperate insulated cooler. When I get home I clean the outside of the water bottles with a bleach soln, rinse them off really good and dry them. Then and only then to I put them in my home freezer compartment of my refrigerator. These will be frozen by the next morning if I put them in the freezer before 10 pm. I normally don't get back home until after dark and this time of the year that is 9 pm. By the time I get the boat stowed and the charger hooked up and the fish out the boat it's 9:30PM. Then by the time I clean the fish and bury the guts it's 10:00pm.
    Last edited by Moose1am; 07-16-2005 at 10:43 AM.
    Regards,

    Moose1am

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    i have a cooler and 2 small refrigators in the summer in the heat they dont work good i use one at home with a adapter to keep drinks for the grandkids . the other cooler hasent ben used in years . i have used it in the camper with the air on to keep extr fiid that dont require that cold of temp . as far as a minnow tank a old aircondishoner works . pull the casing off and drop the cooling coil into the tank . . you will have to carefuley bend the coils enough to sumerg them . a humidiier would work and by the way i have one i will try . the motor that runns the fan burnt up . if you could find a 12 volt camper type refigidator. thatw ill work most work on gass 110 and some work on 12 volt also they are verry expensive . for kepping them overnight a little ice and a airiator pump like you use in a aquarium . i have a mattress pump that my dad had hen he passed away . i ran a hose ti a 6 inch aquarium stone . works great . it has 2 outlets on it that changes frome one to the other . can aeriate two bucketts at a time .
    this works good in the boat it at wal-mart put the pvc pipe on it and drilled holes in it to sprey water down left the end open . just keep the water cool and they will live good

    Last edited by papasage; 07-16-2005 at 12:13 PM.
    retired and now i will always fish

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    Just freeze your old water bottles and place in the minnow bucket/cooler during the day. Keep the lids on the bottles and your set, just use bait keeper or shiner-finner to help also. Minnows will keep for 24-36 hours, during the summer heat. Also keep the minnow bucket out of the sun the best you can. And the bubbler running and you wont loose any.
    Ted
    Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will keep me from crappie fishing!
    2010 Lake of the Ozarks Super Slab Champion

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