Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
Thank you!
Please help!! AC broke down 1 week before harvest!!
- Thread starter Snoopy36
- Start date
Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
That's very true, great points. I've already spent close to $9000 on this AC unit that runs 2 flower rooms and a veg room. I can't imagine spending any more money to change anything. I wish I knew this before! Perfect example of "do some research!!!" Before starting anything! Def dropped the ball on that one lolI wouldnt say what you have is wrong by any means, just more efficient and cost effective ways to do it. Your grow is far larger than what I do, but I figured it must cost an arm and a leg to cool that room. With the smell issue, if you go with air cooled hoods, there is no smell since none of the air from the room is used to cool the lights. It gets pulled in from outside or another room, runs through the light hoods,cools the light, then is exhausted as heat right back outside. Only air it moves is from within the light hood and the ducting. No filters needed no worries of smells, and no loss of conditioned air that you have paid to cool.....resulting in far less hvac costs per month. The savings that just keep giving month after month
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
M'lady, you didn't really drop the ball....we all make mistakes!
This one is easy to fix though
How many rows of lights?
Simply start with one row at a time in swapping out for cool hoods! You do have to do a whole row as you want to draw and exhaust from outside the room for each row of lights.
Do this with profits from runs. One row at a time - doesn't even have to be successive runs...
Like Red said, "You'll save a lot on cooling costs down the line"...
And he's right about them not really being "hurt". As cannabis is exposed to temps over 90, (unless gassing) They go pretty "dormant" as far as growth and maturing...The plant is still operating but, the energy is all geared towards keeping the plant cool and alive...
They'll be fine and dandy at only 5 hrs of high temps like that!
Another trick would be too shut the lights off for that 5 hrs and exhaust well to cool the area. Right back on to finish the lighting period at working AC and keep going. One single extended lights out in bloom like that and a swift return to lighting - won't really "hurt" or affect the plants either! Your choice.....
Different looking glue to mine....I got an original line cut like Reds
Here's mine
Harvested that yesterday and the pics were about 9-10 days old...
NICE to have another lady around who grows well! Welcome aboard!
sgt d
Well-Known Member
For what it's worth, if this happens again (and it will, 'cause that's what ACs do) the first thing I'd do is shut off half the lights until the temp stabilizes, which will happen faster than if all the lights were on. Trust me, the plants will still get plenty of light and nothing weird will happen. And yeah, as others have said, it'll help to put those lights in hoods and vent them. Not cheap, but it'll keep things cooler, and maybe the ac will have a chance (in cycles) to thaw out before it freezes up completely.
Budley Doright
Well-Known Member
Do you mind me asking what happened to the AC? I'm a refrig mechanic so curious. And yes if it happens again just shut the lights or some till it's repaired to deal with the heat. Good luck getting them all perky again 
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Odin*
Well-Known Member
Why are temps "slowly dropping"? Lights off, AC running, a fully functional unit should have that room at 65*F within 2 minutes.
This might sound like a crazy question, but you didn't leave the lights "On" after discovering the "busted" AC, did you?
What, exactly, was done to "fix" the AC? Coolant topped off (R22 or 410A), new condenser, "Super Booster" to get the compressor started? Or, is it fixed because it "de-thawed"?
My advice, harvest now. The stress from that amount of heat will show if you give them time to. It's very possible that they were "cooked". No AC, 10 lights, 5+ hours, it was hotter than 115*F for sure. The buds may start getting "hairier" by the day if the plants are still alive.
Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
Wow!!!! Beautifulf frosty buds!! Thanks for all the advice I'll have to do more reading on those cooled hoods.
Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
Are you sure nothing would happen? What if they hermie?
Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
The hvac guy came out and looked at it, he said it was caused by this extra box they installed to block the air intake a few weeks ago to block the light from one room from getting into the other room, there was a small crack of light coming through that I noticed so they came and blocked it off and apparently that thing was on too tight. They loosened it a bit and said it shouldn't do that again. Honestly that doesn't make much sense to me, but I guess he knows what he's doing! Only time will tell.Do you mind me asking what happened to the AC? I'm a refrig mechanic so curious. And yes if it happens again just shut the lights or some till it's repaired to deal with the heat. Good luck getting them all perky again
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Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
Yes I left the lights on because I was scared they would hermie if I turned them off. I turned off the ac and let the frozen water thaw completely so that it could start working again. So it fixed because it thawed. The temp said 115 and it was hot... like stay a couple minutes and you'll sweat hot. Now I'm confused cause the other guys said they would be fine. Should I harvest now?
Dr.Nick Riviera
Well-Known Member
when this happens, the plants will usually stall for a week or so and the hairs will turn red, they will recover, but you are so far in, they may turn herm as a last ditch effort to save themselves.
and always make sure your ac filter is clean.
and always make sure your ac filter is clean.
Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
Noooo hermie is the last thing I want to hear right now!! I think I'm going to harvest now and save them.
HydroRed
Well-Known Member
Check them over first. You'll know if they hermie. If you see nanners, then chop if your willing and dont chop if there is no sign of them. I really wouldnt bother chopping now considering there is a week to go until harvest. It'll be damn near that for any changes to show up due to the heat issue anyways if they even react like that from the heat in the first place. Hermie doesnt happen over night. If theres nanners today, then you probably had them yesterday before the issue.
Odin*
Well-Known Member
There's the problem. The AC is overworked. A 4 ton (you did mention 4, right?) is not big enough for one ductless 10 light room. You need a 5 ton for that alone, especially since you're running during the day (staggered, I hope). Veg needs it's own unit, likewise for the other room. I hope this isn't a residential setup. You are pulling way too much power, unless you are running a 400 amp panel with the appropriate wiring from your riser to the cities connect. You might burn that place to the ground. Being serious.
Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
I was hoping you'd come back!!!! You seem to really know your shit! Thanks
Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
It's not always running in every room. Right now it's just in 2 rooms and I have a portable ac unit in veg. Most of the time even the 2 rooms are not running at the same time. Temps drop at night so the one with lights off is okay without ac. Also it's not ductless.
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sgt d
Well-Known Member
Temporarily dimming the light in the room won't cause that to happen. Absolutely WILL NOT, so don't be troubled by it. Interrupting the dark cycle might, though...
All we're doing in this scenario is eliminating some heat sources for a couple of hours to get the temp back down. It's kind of an emergency measure, not something I'd do on a whim. Chances are, after a stressful event like that, they're not utilizing all that light anyway, and might even benefit from it being a bit dimmer.
Odin*
Well-Known Member
Yes, temps drop at night, but there will still be periods where that room will require cooling, especially with a dehu running (should have one if you don't). Regardless, the 4 ton is not big enough for 10 ductless lights. The lights are not air cooled via blowers and ducting, what I meant by "ductless 10 lights".
I'm trying to help you out here, you need a bigger AC unit and you need to have individual units for individual rooms. That, or knock it down to 6 lights a piece. I've been at this a long time, large scale. You will run into issues again if you choose to ignore this.
Good luck.
Budley Doright
Well-Known Member
First of I've left lights on/off lots through many grows by mistake and never had a hermie from it. Secondly Reds right in saying it won't happen over night so relax a bit and wait to see. As for the AC unit It sounds like a return air problem that caused it to freeze up but hard to say without more info.
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you are joking about the 2 minute thing right lol, I have customers like you lol. If the humidity is high it may take a bit
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Snoopy36
Well-Known Member
The ac goes on when the lights go on and it gets cooled that way. I have it at a consistent 70 degrees never much hotter or colder. They're on a 12/12 cycle so when one room goes on the other goes off. I have dehus in every room but it doesn't get hot still.