Air Cool or Air Conditioning??

First off thanks for taking the time to look at my post.

I am looking to get my temps down in my cab now that summer is coming. I am either going to get air cooled reflectors or I am going to get an air conditioner. Which do you think would be the more efficient way to go?

I am running 2x600watt HPS in 6'x6'x6' vert setup with 747cfm vortex fan for exhaust. The cab is in a spare bedroom. The cab stays about 8-12 degrees warmer than the bedroom it is in.

Am I as close to ambient temps as I am going to get with exhaust and now need some sort of active cooling like air conditioning or water cooling? Or will adding a couple of cool tubes with like 450cfm running through them take care of these issues?

Thanks for the help,
Bob

If your only 8-12 higher. bet the cool tubes would do it for you. are you using your home ac in the summer?

I'd go with the cool tubes..AC takes a lot of power, and if youre in a bedroom would probably stress electrical wiring if all the powers coming from one room..if you decide to go with the AC definitely run a cord from a different room.

be sure to vent the cooltubes out of the bedroom that the cab is in

Thanks for all the replies.

I have my 2 lights hooked up to a lighting controller running on 240v connected to my laundry room, so I only have my fans connected in the room. I don't think I will have an issue using the A/C in there since there is barely anything else running in there.

I do use my central air to cool the room as well. Last night though my temps were up to 80degrees in the room and my cab was up at like 90degrees. I only run my central a/c at like 78 degrees so if I don't do anything I will be sitting at 90degrees all summer. If I can get my cab down to like 5 degrees above ambient I would be happy with that. I can handle 85degrees.

Another thing is I can get a 10,000 btu portable a/c for like $150 where the cool tubes, fan, and duct are going to cost me well over $300. Probably closer to $350-$400. I think after typing this post, I have figured out what I am going to do. I think I will go ahead and get the A/C unit and keep my room at like 72 degrees. This will keep my cab at like 80-84degrees. A 10,000btu a/c is rated for like 450sq ft and I am only using it to cool like 100sq ft, so I think it should work out pretty well.

If you guys think I'm making a bad decision here, don't hesitate to throw in your two cents.

Thanks,
Bob

Get a cheap wall ac unit and duct it your self... page 35 on my grow. good luck!

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/266789-growing-inside-enclosed-trailer-driveway-35.html

I was thinking of doing something like that I just didn't really know how. I was thinking about just building a box around the a/c unit with wood and then run the duct out side. Do you need a fan in that duct? And what did you use to block the back of the unit? There are some used portable units on craigslist for like $150 that are 10,000-12,000 btu's so I was thinking that would be a good deal. I don't know if it is worth saving a little bit of money to have to rig it all up. How much did it cost for all the supplies it took to duct that a/c?

fyi on the wall/window unit make sure you put the ass end outside. they burn up fast inside even a large building.

you can get a new portable ac unit easy for 150- 200 bucks that will do 150 sq. ft no problem.they can be run without venting but you still have to collect the water or have it drain to a sink. alot of people use that water for their plants.

Thanks again for the replies.

The reason I am going with the 10,000 btu model is because the amount of heat generated by my garden. I was reading that 1000watt HPS puts off about 4000 btu, and I am running 1200watts of lights, plus my fans and veg area lights. So in order to just keep the room at ambient temps, I would need at least like 5000 btu's if not more. In order to cool the room I need more btu's of cooling than I have heat generated in the room. I am figuring the 10,000 btu model should work out just fine. Anybody think this will be too small?

bongrippinbob said:

Thanks again for the replies.

The reason I am going with the 10,000 btu model is because the amount of heat generated by my garden. I was reading that 1000watt HPS puts off about 4000 btu, and I am running 1200watts of lights, plus my fans and veg area lights. So in order to just keep the room at ambient temps, I would need at least like 5000 btu's if not more. In order to cool the room I need more btu's of cooling than I have heat generated in the room. I am figuring the 10,000 btu model should work out just fine. Anybody think this will be
too small?

Click to expand...

You should start by air cooling your lights then get portable a/c or get both but why are you not cooling your two 600wats? I got a 1000w air cooled by one 8"fan in a 4x4 tent...... and my temps are around 77-83 in side tent with ambient temps about 6 degress less.........When it gets hot in the summer im just not going to grow it will be too hot with out blasting the home ac all the time...

anyways if you get a portable a/c you still have to vent out the exhaust from the a/c
to somewhere else. if your in a house no prob but if your in apartment alot tougher

to aircool the lights might cost more up front but the AC will add to your electric bill & cost more over time.

Thanks for the replies.

I have a window box on my apt, so I just exhaust out that. If I get my temps down to like 6 degrees warmer than the bedroom, then I would only be lowering my temps like 2-4degrees which isn't much. I have a 747cfm fan exhaust the cab now, and the temps are like 8-10degrees warmer than the room. I think the a/c unit would be able to cool the room and the cab a whole lot more than 2-4degrees. I am hoping for like 10degrees. I am willing to blast the a/c all summer, it would happen no matter what here with temps up to like 108degrees.

I'd be installing an exhaust vent and passive intake if I were you. It'll work and be ALOT cheaper.

Well I have decided to ditch my vert setup for the summer and go back to a flat air cooled garden. It is going to be the most economical way to go. I already have one radiant 6 reflector, so I am going to shell out the $150 for another one and go back to flat. I had good results with my flat gardens, I was getting like 12oz every 2 months with 600watts. So I figure I should be able to get at least 24oz every 2 months with the 1200watts. I was getting like 28oz with the vert setup, but to save some money over the summer, I'm going to go ahead and lose out on that 4oz.

bongrippinbob said:

Well I have decided to ditch my vert setup for the summer and go back to a flat air cooled garden. It is going to be the most economical way to go. I already have one radiant 6 reflector, so I am going to shell out the $150 for another one and go back to flat. I had good results with my flat gardens, I was getting like 12oz every 2 months with 600watts. So I figure I should be able to get at least 24oz every 2 months with the 1200watts. I was getting like 28oz with the vert setup, but to save some money over the summer, I'm going to go ahead and lose out on that 4oz.

Click to expand...

http://thegardendepotinc.com/2448.html

they got a radiant 8 here for 120 and I bet if you call their number they probably have a 6 too maybe for less..theyre websites pretty shitty so the phone or commuting like I do is the way to go..

ps just read the description it say 6 or 8 either one