'Alternative' Cooling for shed grow

socal70

socal70

Active Member
So, I will most likely be flowering in a shed. Gets friggin' hot here in SoCal in the summer. I saw at HD they have 4'x8' sheets of 1/2" insulation pad/foam/board. Anyone ever try this stuff? I am going to be creating a 'Green' cooling system for this shed. Here is my idea, let me know what you think.

-- Going to dig an 8' x 3' hole next to the shed.
-- run a large coil of like that plastic drip 1/2" water hose/pipe into the hole.
-- Fill the hole with a mix of dirt, perlite, and maybe like some pea gravel.
-- The area that the hole will be will get watered normally with my sprinklers.
-- Going down deep enough you get a constant ground temp of 67deg here in SoCal. (very close to the coast)
-- Utilize a radiator and fan, along with an appropriate sized pump to cycle the water/coolant (haven't tested yet which will be most cost effective) mounted as the intake for the shed.

So this is something that I have been tossing around in my head because I really can't use an A/C unit because my neighbor may wonder why I'm cooling a shed. This way, the fan is on the inside and can try and insulate the noise a bit.

I'll try and post a more comprehensive description when I haven't had 3 martini's!
 
S

somebody041

Well-Known Member
socal70 said:
So, I will most likely be flowering in a shed. Gets friggin' hot here in SoCal in the summer. I saw at HD they have 4'x8' sheets of 1/2" insulation pad/foam/board. Anyone ever try this stuff? I am going to be creating a 'Green' cooling system for this shed. Here is my idea, let me know what you think.

-- Going to dig an 8' x 3' hole next to the shed.
-- run a large coil of like that plastic drip 1/2" water hose/pipe into the hole.
-- Fill the hole with a mix of dirt, perlite, and maybe like some pea gravel.
-- The area that the hole will be will get watered normally with my sprinklers.
-- Going down deep enough you get a constant ground temp of 67deg here in SoCal. (very close to the coast)
-- Utilize a radiator and fan, along with an appropriate sized pump to cycle the water/coolant (haven't tested yet which will be most cost effective) mounted as the intake for the shed.

So this is something that I have been tossing around in my head because I really can't use an A/C unit because my neighbor may wonder why I'm cooling a shed. This way, the fan is on the inside and can try and insulate the noise a bit.

I'll try and post a more comprehensive description when I haven't had 3 martini's!
Click to expand...
hey man, i've used that insulation board before. it works but it's not going to protect your shed when it gets really hot out. you're still gonna have to find a means to cool the air in the there... but the board will help it keep cool.


keep us posted on your idea. sounds like a great idea and id love to see it in action!
 
Aleister93

Aleister93

Active Member
The board works ok, but go for the thicker stuff if you can, HD also carries 1 inch and 2 inch, at least where i live.

As for your scheme to get cold from the ground, half inch pipe doesn't sound like a good solution to me. Texas A&M University, Kingsville, did experiments where they used 2 inch butyl rubber? piping, to build solar collectors into driveways and sidewalks, this worked well. i think the half inch tubing you're talking about has poor heat conduction, and also won't move much water per unit of time.

I've heard of people burying AC ducting and using fans to draw or push air through it. not sure what the minimum size practical duct would be. the Anasazi Indians used to dig tunnels running up hillsides, built their structures below... cool air would flow downhill through the tunnels, FOR FREE. (my inner Scotsman rejoices)

Also, DO NOT FORGET to paint the roof, south and west walls of your shed white. i had a house in socal, and it ran 15 degrees cooler after i did that.
 
socal70

socal70

Active Member
Thanks for the info on the tubing. And also the tip on painting the roof white! Right now it is brown. Got a project for the weekend!
 
S

switchone

Member
socal70 said:
Thanks for the info on the tubing. And also the tip on painting the roof white! Right now it is brown. Got a project for the weekend!
Click to expand...

hey man i don't know if you have any plants that grow on walls or houses but plants are an excellent source of cooling down places. Maybe you can work that into your plans. I know how hot S. Cali gets and its brutal, lol. cheers mate
 
socal70

socal70

Active Member
Hehe, just had another thought! Maybe for those extra hot days or when I'm having and extra hard time keeping the area cool.... I could drop a modified jockey box in. In theory, my plan to dig the hole is the same as the theory behind the jockey box. It's just that the jockey box gets a boost from ice.
 
Aleister93

Aleister93

Active Member
Ice is a hideously expensive method of cooling, unless you live next to a glacier or equivalent.

switchone's point is good, plant something that gives good shade cover, vines or trees, to the south and west of your shed. a trellis and grapevine or kudzu, or a stand of bamboo could work wonders for you.
 
Aleister93

Aleister93

Active Member
If you can dig inside your shed, as you mentioned, why not just dig a cellar inside the shed? nothing gives you free cooling like digging in. also, since heat rises, if you could lower your floor by 2-4 feet, it would give the heat a lot more room to rise and get off the top of your plants. I had a grow in socal, one corner of my garage had been buried by a landslide, and the inside of that room next to the burial, was by far the coolest spot i had.
 
socal70

socal70

Active Member
brainwav93 said:
If you can dig inside your shed, as you mentioned, why not just dig a cellar inside the shed? nothing gives you free cooling like digging in. also, since heat rises, if you could lower your floor by 2-4 feet, it would give the heat a lot more room to rise and get off the top of your plants. I had a grow in socal, one corner of my garage had been buried by a landslide, and the inside of that room next to the burial, was by far the coolest spot i had.
Click to expand...
Hmmm... very interesting. I may be able to dig out half of the shed. (it's not that big, 6'x8') If I were to dig down 4', what would be the best way to shore up the walls? Rebar and some plywood?
 
Chumlie

Chumlie

Well-Known Member
Hey why want you just buy an a/c unit. Like I got one from walmart for $120 it keeps up to 150 square feet cool. My room stays between 73 and 77 degrees f. when I set it to 68.
 
Chumlie

Chumlie

Well-Known Member
Didn't read it all the way through, but screw your neigbor its none of his damn business why your cooling a shed, hell tell him its your office are its your man shed to chill in
 
T

T.H.Cammo

Well-Known Member
Soil is a very good insulator. So, after your "unit" sucks all the coolness out of the surrounding soil, I'm not too sure that it would keep on "keeping cool". Just a thought!

Have you considered a modest sized swamp cooler? Kill two birds with one stone (raise the SoCal humidity and cool the air). Plus they're a lot quieter and cheaper to run than A/C.
 
S

skunkyhead

Member
If your going to dig a hole then why not bury a inline fan in a box? don't need to go deep. Run the ducting under and into tour shed. That way no one will see or hear. Just a thought.
 
E-rock8420

E-rock8420

Member
Bury 6" or 4" pvc. Run at least 100' about 24" underground. Stub one end up with 2 90° elbows at the end to keep rain water out and stub the other end into your shed. Then you can get a cheap 4 or 6 inch fan to suck cool air from the pipe into the shed.
 
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