A/C window unit light leak...

Has someone found a convenient way to block out the light leak that comes THRU a window unit A/C? Damn thing is like a window during night cycle....

You need to take the unit apart and spray paint the white styrofoam filter piece black. I don't have any experience doing it myself, but I saw sub explain it on a weed nerd episode a while back. He explains it at 4:17 in this episode...

Actually yes i have. Had the same problem. I used dark tape duct or gorilla tape will do just fine. I taped all the vents accept an 8 inch circle then tape 8 inch ducting straight to the side of you ac make it like 4 or 5 feet with a bend... This worked for me after try a few other ways.

my solution was to scour craigslist until I found a good used portable unit. In the mean time at 7am and 7pm I had a towel I would put over the outside and a curtain I would hang over the inside...this wass of course in addition to taping cardboard over the side flaps. Trust me bro, I was PISSED when I checked that thing out on the first dark cycle. Mostly pissed because I hadn't thought of it, but also pissed because I spent a hundred bucks on a window unit that actually made life harder! Now it's in my veg room, which is 24 hour light anyway, so it doesn't matter...even if I switch to 18/6 I won't worry about the leak since it's veg.

FYI, the compressor won't run on a window unit if it is too cold outside (like 70 and below or somewhere in that range). So, my 4 600s were heating up my room, but the A/C wasn't kicking on. The portable unit doesn't have that problem

I know the feeling. They say plants can tolerate a soft consistent glow, but if my flower room isn't pitch, pitch, pitch black then I am in problem solving mode. Spraypainting the foam sounds good, but in my experience it takes about 4 coats of spray paint to make something light proof depending on the intensity of the light you are trying to get out.

Sorry if you are already pretty good at using craigslist, but find a nice part of town where everyone has A/C. Buy from someone whose central air went out and they used the unit for 2 weeks. Remember, you've found a seller with money whose primary interest is freeing up space. My unit was $600 new and I picked it up for $150, it was listed for $225. The thing heats, cools, dehumidifies, or can be just a fan.

Some brands/models don't use Styrofoam, but solid plastic instead. That being said, I have one with Styrofoam. Painting it didn't work that well, because I couldn't get to all of it. The pic shows a solution that completely blocks all light and allows the unit to cool a tent several ft away. Unit leaks 20 lbs co2 over 3 week period, which is acceptable. Require 2 fans, one in each duct

Styrofoam requires a special kind of paint, or it explodes or something

Something waterbased perhaps.. some others will "melt" styrofoam.

Ductless mini splits are nice.

SnapsProvolone said:

Something waterbased perhaps.. some others will "melt" styrofoam.

Ductless mini splits are nice.

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I rent the house, so a mini-split is out of the picture. A mini split would be the tits, but cost 10 times as much, also.

LG 6,000 BTU window A/C (maybe others, too) has a solid plastic shroud that doesn't allow light leaks. $179 at Home Depot

Back in the day I had a Kenmore 33kbtu that was pretty tits. Light proof and a cooling mf. Ran like a champ for 5 years in a stealth basement install.

SnapsProvolone said:

Back in the day I had a Kenmore 33kbtu that was pretty tits. Light proof and a cooling mf. Ran like a champ for 5 years in a stealth basement install.

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33k? I assume this was a 220v? Did it come light-proofed, or did you have to modify it? I guess the new use of Styrofoam wasn't in use then?

Red1966 said:

33k? I assume this was a 220v? Did it come light-proofed, or did you have to modify it? I guess the new use of Styrofoam wasn't in use then?

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I never looked inside. Anything 18kbtu and up is 220v generally.