Ideal-Air Commercial Air Conditioner - 21,000 BTU. Will This Work For My Situation??

[phillipchristian]

I build homes for a living. You always oversize your a/c. That way they run more efficiently. Even in a grow room setup. I'd much rather have a dehumidifier cycling on and off using extra power than an a/c running continuosly using a much larger draw. Plus, a dehumidifier will not add that much heat to your room if sized properly. Since air that has been dehumidified is easier for your a/c to cool then the added heat from the dehumidifier is actually offset by the lightened cooling load of the dehumidified air. I'd rather be paying for a dehumidifier to cycle on a little more at maybe 500-700 watts than an a/c running continuously at 1200-2000 watts.

 

[oHsiN666]

yeah EC, i have never agreed with much you have posted. thanks again Phil for taking the time to shed some light on the subject. after talking with a few people and realizing my room has a coplue of major leaks. i have to over-cool it for everything to run efficiently. i can't run my main a/c 24/7. the portable a/c unit i have now is shit! i dont think you caught the main jist of my concern, EC. you need to understand why i need that specific unit first. it will be perfect. and i do get a decent discount at the hydro shop. so it will be well under MSRP after taxes, for me anyways. then after the summer is over it may not even get used. and i want to i can just exhaust it into my living room and not run my heater. SAVE ON ELECTRIC!!!!! you must live some place uber cold. i dont think you realize how difficult it is to keep temps in check in the desert, especially in a room with leaks.

 

[phillipchristian]

yeah EC, i have never agreed with much you have posted. thanks again Phil for taking the time to shed some light on the subject. after talking with a few people and realizing my room has a coplue of major leaks. i have to over-cool it for everything to run efficiently. i can't run my main a/c 24/7. the portable a/c unit i have now is shit! i dont think you caught the main jist of my concern, EC. you need to understand why i need that specific unit first. it will be perfect. and i do get a decent discount at the hydro shop. so it will be well under MSRP after taxes, for me anyways. then after the summer is over it may not even get used. and i want to i can just exhaust it into my living room and not run my heater. SAVE ON ELECTRIC!!!!! you must live some place uber cold. i dont think you realize how difficult it is to keep temps in check in the desert, especially in a room with leaks.

No problem man. Don't give up on the chiller idea though. You could do it all for under $1000. Just get a 1 ton chiller and 2 Ice Box Heat Exchangers. That will basically remove the heat that your lamps make and then your current portable will have no problem cooling that tent. Let me know if ou are interested and I'll walk you through it.

 

[ECHydroceuticals]

I'm sorry guys...I'm not here to argue...I was on my phone so I'm sorry if my posts came off short or dickish...or short dickish lol. The problems I have with this is I think sealing off the room, ducting the heat from the lights out of the room, and going with the smaller unit is the way to go here...You'll have a better idea of what you need after you fix the problems with the room. Ideal-Air's 21k BTU unit needs to be ducted out of the room anyway...I believe 12" intake and 16" exhaust ports...so a few 6"-8" holes/window openings/however you plan on ducting the A/C...used for the lights...shouldn't be a problem. Right now the OP says his 10k BTU is "okay, but not the best"...and the room isn't set up to be cooled efficiently...why jump to the 21k BTU unit instead of fixing the room and going from there?...that's all I'm getting at...Ideal-Air's 21k BTU unit puts out 21k BTU's of heat as well...that needs to be exhausted...which will pump right back into your room if it isn't sealed properly...and Ideal-Air's 60 pint dehumidifier puts out 5500-6000 BTUs of heat...which is pretty much the equivalent of another 1k watt bulb...IDK...to each their own.

 

[oHsiN666]

^maybe you should reread my posts my friend. i do not have some of those options open to me. sealing the room is not an option. over killing it with cool air is though.

@Phil, thanks man! ill be sure to reach you some time soon bout all that. i need to get the flower room perfectly running before it gets outrageously hot here. there is a slight gap in my Arcadia door from the way the frame sits in the grooves. may have to send you some pics so you have a better understanding of where the leaks are and what they look like. someone mentioned that expandable foam shit. but im pretty sure that shit is a bitch to get off come move out time. i have sealed as much as i could with tape. but i still have a few open gaps. i also can not figure out where a few little leaks are at. but soon enough ill have some extra funds to do it up proper.

ALSO!!!!! if my tent is at 75 degrees with 2x600w lights, how much more would heat increase if i cranked the ballasts up to 1000w each? i almost feel as it i can do it, but i dont want it reaching 80.

 

[phillipchristian]

Glad to help man. Send me pics anytime...i'm sure there are a few easy fixes for that door.

Cranking those lights up to 1000w will probably push your a/c to it's limits if it's struggling now. Hard to say without actually testing it though. They do throw off a ton of heat at that wattage though.

 

[ECHydroceuticals]

I read your post, but it doesn't make sense to me...why can't you seal the room? Even if it is a rental...you aren't damaging any property by sealing the room...especially if you're paying utilities...you have the right to make your home more efficient...rental or not. As far as holes in walls...yes...that's damaging their property...but how are you planning on ducting the A/C?

 

[phillipchristian]

Oshi, you want me to explain it to him or will you....?

I've actually helped this guy set up his room a little. He's is a situation that's a little different than you may be thinking off EC. No disrespect, but he has cooling issues you are not factoring in. 21,000btu may be overkill but 12,000btu might not be enough. Better to err ont he side of caution. Kwikool makes an 18,000btu unit and a minisplit is still a viable option. I just don't think you are fully aware of his situation or the climate where he lives. HOT as hell.

 

[oHsiN666]

through a "doggy door" style frame i made to put into my Arcadia door. it is thee only way. i have tried 3 other ways. i live in a townhouse with a flat roof, so there is no attic, just straight insulation. i have thought about blocking off duct work, exhausting out bathroom, exhausting into house, none of those methods will work for me. and after trying everything else this is the only way i can get it to work. i know that in the winter i will be golden as that room never gets above 68. and im not positive about this yet, but i may not even need the portable a/c at night. so in the winter i should be cool to run my 2 1000w lights at full bore. until then im highly restricted and limited to what i can and can't do. i have thought about caulking the frame into place, but encase there needs to be a repair or some kind of maintenance, i can slip the frame out and shut the Arcadia door and it looks like nothing is being done. honestly man, im all ears. if you have a suggestion around that, then please tell me. i also have a huge gap under the bathroom door in that room. which sucks in air from some where. that in itself is an easy fix, but that is just one of the many leaks i have been dealing with. going from 90+ to 75 is a major improvement, imo. like i said in the winter i shoudl be fine. oh and 1 more key note. the IDEAL-Air unit has the ports that i can port right into the tent. and i know that i can hook the ductings up properly enough that it will work exactly how it is designed. all it does is take 75-80 air and make it 20 degrees cooler. in the end it will go from 75 to 55, then the ambient air will be 50 degrees. if the tent is sucking in that cool of air, or i can push cool air into the tent, then i know the lights can go full bore. i may be able to get away with the smaller unit. but the smaller unit only has 1 port on it. im getting it mainly because i can port it straight into the tent. and with the lights cranking out 3,000 BTU each, that is only roughly 3x the amount of BTUs. and in the winter i can exhasut the a/c into my living room and BAM! save a few bucks on heating the house. so, it could save me a few bucks in the cooler months. and about the dehumidifier...ive never had an issue with it being too humid. not in the desert. if, and i use the if to be positive, it rains we may get a little bit of humidity. but i have never had issues with any high humidity issues.

 

[oHsiN666]

Oshi, you want me to explain it to him or will you....?

I've actually helped this guy set up his room a little. He's is a situation that's a little different than you may be thinking off EC. No disrespect, but he has cooling issues you are not factoring in. 21,000btu may be overkill but 12,000btu might not be enough. Better to err ont he side of caution. Kwikool makes an 18,000btu unit and a minisplit is still a viable option. I just don't think you are fully aware of his situation or the climate where he lives. HOT as hell.

Thank you Phil! i have been looking at the mini-splits Ideal makes. the only thing with them is the installation part and leaving it behind when i leave. i seen the 24,000 BTU system. that would be very efficient i think. then i could possibly shut that Arcadia door. if i were to go with the hood chillers and a 1hp water chiller can i leave those in my bathroom and possibly shit the Arcadia door? that would be the best scenario and possibly the most affordable route. i may just do that. the more i think about that the more i think that will work. i would really love to use the portable a/c unit i have back into the veg room were it works way better. the a/c unit i have cools the veg room down to 64-68 in the middle of the summer. that room IS sealed and if it was bigger i would flower in there. even with all the lights on in the closet and the closet door open the closet is never above 78. works great in the small room. 2 hood chillers are about $400, the water chiller i think is about $1000. what else what i need? just those 3 things, hoses and some clamps, obviously. shit i may just have to do that for now and get a 15,000btu portable a/c unit as a back up for super hot days and maybe port it out the bathroom. i really want that Arcadia door shut. its not stinky back there yet, but boy will it be soon! the next few weeks are going to be slightly nerve racking. thanks again Phil!!!

 

[kamie]

Thank you Phil! i have been looking at the mini-splits Ideal makes. the only thing with them is the installation part and leaving it behind when i leave. i seen the 24,000 BTU system. that would be very efficient i think. then i could possibly shut that Arcadia door. if i were to go with the hood chillers and a 1hp water chiller can i leave those in my bathroom and possibly shit the Arcadia door? that would be the best scenario and possibly the most affordable route. i may just do that. the more i think about that the more i think that will work. i would really love to use the portable a/c unit i have back into the veg room were it works way better. the a/c unit i have cools the veg room down to 64-68 in the middle of the summer. that room IS sealed and if it was bigger i would flower in there. even with all the lights on in the closet and the closet door open the closet is never above 78. works great in the small room. 2 hood chillers are about $400, the water chiller i think is about $1000. what else what i need? just those 3 things, hoses and some clamps, obviously. shit i may just have to do that for now and get a 15,000btu portable a/c unit as a back up for super hot days and maybe port it out the bathroom. i really want that Arcadia door shut. its not stinky back there yet, but boy will it be soon! the next few weeks are going to be slightly nerve racking. thanks again Phil!!!

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/p-14202-ideal-air-mini-split-13-seer-air-conditioners.aspx
says no technician required. i was thinking about this

 

[oHsiN666]

yeah but what they do not inform you of is you still need to install it. and to install it, you basically need to cut a hole in your wall for the hose to meet the exhaust system. im renting. i may go with 2 hood chillers and one 1hp water chiller. that way my room will be tight. and i can possibly remove frame out of Arcadia door jam. then i can seal the room up a lot more!! that i think would be ideal. i still need to figure out the carbon filter and exhaust aspect.