Will A/C Unit provide exhuast?

If i put a small portable A/C unit in my closet will it provide adequate exhaust and cooling for a 400 watt hps so that i wont need to install any other type of fans for air exchange other than an oscillating fan or two? due to budget and other concerns im not sure installing any other ventilation is possible

it should because it takes the warm air in the room and cools it down and expels it out through the hose out of the room. my air unit exhausts the hot air through a duct. i dont know about intake though..because you should have fresh air. but it should cool it down.

if i set up a small oscillating fan pointed through a tube into the closet from the larger room outside of the closet do you suppose that would provide somewhat adequate intake?

is it possible for me to attach a carbon filter to my a/c exhaust?

The best way to keep your room cool is to get a cool tube and vent it. If you can't afford one, you can make one of your own pretty cheaply https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/161300-batwing-reflector-cool-tube-40-a.html

If you build one and vent it, then you wont need a fan for your intake. It's called a passive intake, just provide the hole and the air venting from the cool tube will create a vacuum that pulls air through the passive intake.

I have a portable A/C too, and the problem with it venting the hot air is that it's not where the hot air is. Heat rises, so unless you're going to mount you're portable A/C up high, it's going to be pulling cooler air to vent. It has to vent the heat from it's coils though, so the air will come out extremely hot.

With the cool tube, a passive intake & portable A/C you should have no heat problems.

You can of course hook up a carbon filter to your exhaust, or you can make one yourself. Check the DIY threads for home made versions. You should really save your money for your fans, it's the only thing I can think of that you can't make yourself for less money. And a good one will cost you upwards of $100. You can find good deals here http://htgsupply.com/productsubcategories.asp?categoryID=7 Just keep in mind when mounting them that it's easier to push air than it is to pull air. So the fans will do more at the start of the exhaust then at the end of the exhaust.

Be sure to put filters on all of your intakes & exhausts or you'll be vunerable to bugs. Stockings will work on most of your intakes & exhausts until you can get yourself some no-thrip screens. However, you're A/Cs exhaust will probably be too hot for stockings, it will melt them. For that exhaust I suggest either a 3M allergy filter rated at 150 microns, a stove exhaust filter rated at 150 microns, or one of those cone auto air filters. The holes in the cone auto air filters are bigger than 150 microns, but you have to treat the filter with oil that will trap anything that tries to crawl across it. It wont protect against gnats or white flies, but it will protect against mites, aphids, and non flying thrips.

Hope that helps. Good luck

^Thanks lots of helpful advice. If I use a carbon filter can i vent air into the room rather than outside? I have a central air vent will that draw enough air in and provide my plants with adequate fresh air? Do i need to put a filter on this vent as well? Thanks again

thetrollsmasher said:

^Thanks lots of helpful advice. If I use a carbon filter can i vent air into the room rather than outside? I have a central air vent will that draw enough air in and provide my plants with adequate fresh air? Do i need to put a filter on this vent as well? Thanks again

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If your central AC draws air from outside, then it should provide plenty of fresh air. Not all central A/C units do though, so you have to look into it.

You can vent into a room, but that room will be much warmer than the rest of the house. That portable A/C exhaust give off a lot of heat.

You have to put a filter on any & every intake & exhaust that connects to the outside world if you don't want bugs. And you have to use a filter that's rated for 150 microns. You can use stockings in a pinch as long as the air passing through that vent isn't too hot. But it's not as effective as a no-thrip screen.

Just do a search on the net for no-thrip screens. There are planty of places that sell to green houses. And it's not very expensive. You just have to call a few till you reach a place that will sell in small quantities.

Hey the trollsmasher!
I just wanted to throw in some more information.
What a portable AC unit actually does is take the hot air in the room, condition it through a cooling system, and expell it through the exhaust. So in a completely sealed room, the air would always be the same air in the room. Which works out GREAT when using CO2!
However without CO2 being suplimented it gets used up quickly by the plants and photosynthesis slows. You can easy suppliment CO2 with a home made furmenting system, using yeast, sugar and water, that's it.
Most hobby growers opt for fresh air intake. If you have the means to bring fresh air in through a vent use it. However you'll creat a passive exhaust and using a filter can be tricky. You would need you create negative pressure in the room my installing a higher rated exhaust fan in the room, that would be the best place for a filter. If smells are not a concern however, a fresh air intake is plenty for your room.

Posted too slowly, lol