10000 BTU portable A/C not helping, would a 12000 BTU split unit suffice?

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rebelhalfacre

Member
I have a 4X6X7 tent with 2 600 watt cool tubes and have been trying to figure how to cool and run CO2. I figured a little portable 9k with the six inch duct out would work but then I couldn't run CO2 correct? I also thought of hanging a car radiater with fans converted to 1/4" tubing piped through a small refrig with a pump. That way I could run CO2. Any thoughts? Am I out of my mind? lol
 
Little Tommy

Little Tommy

Well-Known Member
One of the benefits of running CO2 is that the plants will tolerate higher temps, but there is still a limit to how high you can go and still be productive.
 
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formfactor

Member
Hey all I finally got that 18000 BTU klimair split ductless in. OMFG this thing really works. Running about 4000 watts, with virtually no cooling, and the room stays at 74 without even batting an eye. I'm pretty confident I can get it down in the 60s.

I'm interested in maybe trying a super purple strain, and dropping temps in the dark. What would be a good temp in the dark?
 
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formfactor

Member
assistantreaper said:
20 feet of ducting for a portable ac is way to much resistance, i bet your getting half the airflow that thing is capable of. What about installing an inline fan to boost your cfm, this may be a way cheaper option.
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Yea previous to that I had maybe an 8-10 foot hose, venting into the ceiling, unfortunately there was only 1 roof vent above, so all that heat was coming back in.

Now I have this 18000 BTU ductless, and it gets rid of the heat no problem. That 10,000 btu portable just wasn't powerful enough.

I'm so happy my heat problems are in the past. Installing the split ductless was a pain, but as an added bonus it's odorless :). My next big purchase is going to be a co2 system. That's a few months off yet though :(.
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
Window units are very inefficient and almost do nothing if they are not pulling air out of the room to cool it then return it. Just blowing cool air into your room will affect little change.

I just installed a shinco 12,000 in my sealed 3,600wt room with AC hoods and it is struggling to keep it at 78. Perhaps it's the co2 burner.
 
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formfactor

Member
whitegato777 said:
Im having the same problem, does the window units only come in 220v? Also how do we deal with smell?
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Well a window unit is going to also blow the smell right out. But you can get 110v window units... Maybe up to 10k - 12k btu. My 10000 btu was not helping. Now that I have this split ductless 18000 btu unit, cooling is a problem of the past. It was a bitch to install (I'm NOT handy) and required a 220v so I had to add a 220v breaker, but another great thing about the ductless units is they are 100% odorless!!!

I love the thing, and am very happy I made the right decision. I wiuld really recommend it!
 
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whitegato777

Well-Known Member
formfactor said:
Well a window unit is going to also blow the smell right out. But you can get 110v window units... Maybe up to 10k - 12k btu. My 10000 btu was not helping. Now that I have this split ductless 18000 btu unit, cooling is a problem of the past. It was a bitch to install (I'm NOT handy) and required a 220v so I had to add a 220v breaker, but another great thing about the ductless units is they are 100% odorless!!!

I love the thing, and am very happy I made the right decision. I wiuld really recommend it!
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Ductless? Does it just recurculating the are so it doesnt blow the smell out? I wonder if it will keep the co2 in?
 
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formfactor

Member
whitegato777 said:
Ductless? Does it just recurculating the are so it doesnt blow the smell out? I wonder if it will keep the co2 in?
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Yes, the way it works is you drill a 3" hole through the wall and you run 2 copper tubes through the hole. On the outside of the room I the compressor which blows the heat off the cooling coils. Inside the room is the inner fan part of the system and that just cycles air across the very cold inner cooling coils. So the 2 Coper tubes are so the warm coolant can run outside, where it loses the heat and gets cold and runs through the inner coils. So it just cycles air across very cold coils, and will definitely keep co2 in.
 
Red1966

Red1966

Well-Known Member
You made a mistake with the single hose portable, they're crap. Even with a two hose(much more efficient than a single hose) your duct line was way too long. Even 6' is too long. The mini-splits are the way to go if you can afford them. I just hope your giant electric bills don't attract attention.
 
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formfactor

Member
Yea, unfortunately I didn't have much of a choice. The room I use had no place to vent, but I am definitely aware of the loss of efficiency due to the long hose, compounded by all the heat radiating off the hose back into the room. Additionally that 10000 was cheap. Only 300$, and I have repurposed it, so not reall a huge loss. But yea they are crap. It was. Learning experience.

Now I have a ductless spli that does the job masterfully. I am not worried about the bill causing suspicion. My grow is completely legal in this state. In fact I make sure to stay just under my legal numbers so there's no misunderstanding. Additionally my grow is relatively small compared to some of the big fish in my area.
 
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whitegato777

Well-Known Member
formfactor said:
Yes, the way it works is you drill a 3" hole through the wall and you run 2 copper tubes through the hole. On the outside of the room I the compressor which blows the heat off the cooling coils. Inside the room is the inner fan part of the system and that just cycles air across the very cold inner cooling coils. So the 2 Coper tubes are so the warm coolant can run outside, where it loses the heat and gets cold and runs through the inner coils. So it just cycles air across very cold coils, and will definitely keep co2 in.
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Im guessing you cant buy it this way do you have to make one out od a window unit?
 
stelthy

stelthy

Well-Known Member



I've just bought a 9000 BTU portable remote AC unit and it keeps both my room and grow room in check.. it lowers the temp in my room to between 17 and 18 oC and keeps my cab (currently running an air-cooled 400 MH) at an ambient temp of 26.1 oC during lights on, the best thing is I got the AC from E-Bay for only £60, life saver or what :) - STELTHY :leaf:
 
TheGreenHornet

TheGreenHornet

Well-Known Member
I have a 12,000 BTU that looks just like this, maybe a little larger. Cools the shit out of my closet grow and living room ( I vent my 600watt back into my room). Works pretty damn well, but the bill is fuckin retarded. I had it set to 68F(it kept not only my room and closet cool, but my entire upstairs as well). Still, my bill went up about $150 ... so I had to unplug it. I'm looking into beefing up my regular house AC now.. I just wish they didn't burn so much juice.. damn son.
 
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formfactor

Member
Yea that's similar to the 10000 portable I tried, but it just didn't cut it for me. It almost did, but when it got really hot out the thing struggled. Also, the electric bill was insane!
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
A portable AC is the most inefficient AC you can buy. Yeah, they are super cheap...until you actually have to run the fucker.

That unit is about 10 SEER..less actually.. it uses 935 watts to pruduce 9000 btu of cooling power. My mini split is rated 18 SEER so it uses half of the electricity for more (12k) btu). So if I you saved $75 a month, my unit would pay for itself in a year or less.
 
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