Portable A/C and CO2

[hustler1963]

Here is my setup.

I just placed a 8000BTU portable air conditioner in my 4x4 grow tent. I vented the a/c out. Quesiton is if the unit is exhausting the hot air from the a/c unit outside does the interior room air also get vented out along with my CO2?

Is it possible to keep the room sealed and keep temps down and not vent the unit outside the tent?

This is my first grow and any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[jberry]

Here is my setup.

I just placed a 8000BTU portable air conditioner in my 4x4 grow tent. I vented the a/c out. Quesiton is if the unit is exhausting the hot air from the a/c unit outside does the interior room air also get vented out along with my CO2?

Is it possible to keep the room sealed and keep temps down and not vent the unit outside the tent?

This is my first grow and any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

yea, you are losing some co2 from your room via the a/c exhaust...

the only easy solution is to try to keep your a/c from being on all the time which can be difficult in a sealed room. after that i would just except that co2 is being wasted and hope the benefits are still justified...(been there done that.)

my advice is to take all the extra steps to keep your lights as cool as possible. i.e. use a bigger fan than one would usually use to cool their lights in a unsealed room... maybe try those water cooled systems, or insulated ducting ect... This might be enough to keep the a/c from being on for 12 hours every day!

co2 can be tricky for a first time grower... cut it off for the last two weeks of bloom or at least down to 600 ppm to avoid potential problems.

it only works well if every last condition is totally optimal... other wise just get a good intake /out take of fresh air and you will be more than fine.

 

[hwy420]

I believe that a larger fan is simply delaying the inevitable, but delaying ventilation is the key to CO2 Retainment/conservation, We should make a CO2 Conservation Committee. But yeah; youcould get a larger fan and follow the guidelines on how to cool your lighting; however, I believe most portable AC units are built the same way, and my AC Unit has two air inlets. Does your AC Unit have two 4" hoses/ducting? Does it also have an air filter on the back where it draws air in from the room?

I believe Portable AC Units are designed to bring in outside air and exhaust the same air. This is DEFINATELY a link you don't want to miss. https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/131873-sog-grow-room-op.html . You will see how he has his AIR conditioners hooked up, and how he Notes that he has an airtight room. I'm thinking of doing the same. But there you go; you hook your AC Unit Intake Hose outside the room, and the exhaust hose outside the room. The only cold air the AC Unit SHOULD be putting should be air going through a cleanable filter being drawn in from the room.

He also experimented a project that will probably make him a millionaire; he came up with a way to INLINE Cool Air in a ducting. So all this ventilating outside that everyone is doing will be a thing of the past, heat issues will be solved for 600$ flat I bet.

My 10,000BTU AC Unit sucks in & out 400CFM of 129Degree F air; you should check yours and consider ventilating that hot air out your laundry room dryer duct somehow. That's a lot of hot air during the winter time.

 

[jberry]

I believe that a larger fan is simply delaying the inevitable, but delaying ventilation is the key to CO2 Retainment/conservation, We should make a CO2 Conservation Committee. But yeah; youcould get a larger fan and follow the guidelines on how to cool your lighting; however, I believe most portable AC units are built the same way, and my AC Unit has two air inlets. Does your AC Unit have two 4" hoses/ducting? Does it also have an air filter on the back where it draws air in from the room?

I believe Portable AC Units are designed to bring in outside air and exhaust the same air. This is DEFINATELY a link you don't want to miss. https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/131873-sog-grow-room-op.html . You will see how he has his AIR conditioners hooked up, and how he Notes that he has an airtight room. I'm thinking of doing the same. But there you go; you hook your AC Unit Intake Hose outside the room, and the exhaust hose outside the room. The only cold air the AC Unit SHOULD be putting should be air going through a cleanable filter being drawn in from the room.

He also experimented a project that will probably make him a millionaire; he came up with a way to INLINE Cool Air in a ducting. So all this ventilating outside that everyone is doing will be a thing of the past, heat issues will be solved for 600$ flat I bet.

My 10,000BTU AC Unit sucks in & out 400CFM of 129Degree F air; you should check yours and consider ventilating that hot air out your laundry room dryer duct somehow. That's a lot of hot air during the winter time.

true dat... if you can hook your a/c up so its pulling air from another room thats obviously the best route to go. this wasnt a option for me, and for some reason i just assumed you would do that if it was a option for you?
...so the answer is no, it is not really possible to keep the room sealed and keep temps down and not vent the unit outside the tent (at least not in my experiance) unless you live at the northpole

i'll have to check that link w/ the INLINE COOLER THINGY, ive been thinking about how to do that and wasnt sure if they made anything like that or not.

 

[jberry]

checked the link and yea, that inline ice box thing looks cool !
seems like there has to be another name brand, mainstream version of this, but maybe not? anyhow good stuff, i might actually make one to throw up in the attic and use during summer!
i wonder how much energy the chiller uses?

 

[hwy420]

checked the link and yea, that inline ice box thing looks cool !
seems like there has to be another name brand, mainstream version of this, but maybe not? anyhow good stuff, i might actually make one to throw up in the attic and use during summer!
i wonder how much energy the chiller uses?

If your portable ac unit were hooked up with your hoses to an external room capable of exchanging 400CFM of 130 degree air, then you could recirculate your CO2 and smelly odor without exchanging any of your grow room air with outside.

But i've been tampering with different ventilation methods with my new CFM meter that I bought off ebay.

You got any pictures of your room? Why can't you exhaust outside?

 

[jberry]

If your portable ac unit were hooked up with your hoses to an external room capable of exchanging 400CFM of 130 degree air, then you could recirculate your CO2 and smelly odor without exchanging any of your grow room air with outside.

But i've been tampering with different ventilation methods with my new CFM meter that I bought off ebay.

You got any pictures of your room? Why can't you exhaust outside?

well im not doing a sealed co2 room anymore, but i COULD vent OUT into the attic... it was the pulling the air IN from another room that wasnt working for me, the air in the attic was way too hot and was making my a/c not work so well. I tried pulling air from a vent in the attic using ducting to get some cooler air but the long run of ducting seemed to make the a/c not work well again. my a/c is a 9500 btu. I couldnt go any bigger bcuz of space/power issues (already runnin 6000 watts) plus i had to build a shelf to fit thing in the room, but at least i have all my fans and ballasts mounted in the attic so its a pretty clean set up.

no pics, no camera, wouldnt even know how to get em on here... but the main reason is im too scared too. I'm not convinced its a safe idea. Maybe someone on riu could convince me its somewhat safe and that im just paranoid

 

[Treeth]

no, your paranoia is (very)verifyable jberry,
there is simply no justification for posting material on this board which can reasonably and very well possibly traced back to your i.p. ; It's truly difficult to build a warrant on just that, however in light of a little corroborating evidence...,
unless you pay for a nice vpn its truly not worth it. [Dude with the 9k first grow, he is logging on at a different location every-time, making it more than absurd for him to be nabbed]


-Word to the Co2 tip bro bear?, its my first go at total sealed... i have a 'dual hose' , aka 'dual vent' portable 9,000 btu unit;
(I pull in cool outside air, abuse, and throw that hot air back out, helped additionally with a ductbooster; as to cool that 1500 ppm Co2, 84 degree biocasket i try to keep. )

the only thing I realize now, is there is zero reason to try and make the a/c fight against my 1k of lights. Tubing is without question the first best thing to do.
Dammit, environment is just the hardest thing to do, without any doubt.

-But please, Jburr, what am I charging into over the next couple of months? Like OUTREGEAOUS feeding and stuff? like FEET of vertical growth, cause, well, I hope so.

peace buddy.

 

[jberry]

no, your paranoia is (very)verifyable jberry,
there is simply no justification for posting material on this board which can reasonably and very well possibly traced back to your i.p. ; It's truly difficult to build a warrant on just that, however in light of a little corroborating evidence...,
unless you pay for a nice vpn its truly not worth it. [Dude with the 9k first grow, he is logging on at a different location every-time, making it more than absurd for him to be nabbed]


-Word to the Co2 tip bro bear?, its my first go at total sealed... i have a 'dual hose' , aka 'dual vent' portable 9,000 btu unit;
(I pull in cool outside air, abuse, and throw that hot air back out, helped additionally with a ductbooster; as to cool that 1500 ppm Co2, 84 degree biocasket i try to keep. )

the only thing I realize now, is there is zero reason to try and make the a/c fight against my 1k of lights. Tubing is without question the first best thing to do.
Dammit, environment is just the hardest thing to do, without any doubt.

-But please, Jburr, what am I charging into over the next couple of months? Like OUTREGEAOUS feeding and stuff? like FEET of vertical growth, cause, well, I hope so.

peace buddy.

thanks for the insight, although now i wish i never even signed up cuz its totally not worth it... oooohh well, whats done is done, but yea everyone loves pics but for now im gunna pass. It would be awesome to have a secure ip as you say, i would love to show off but not at a price!

goodluck w/ the co2, the shit goes crazy when you flip'em to 12/12,
kick'em off small, unless you allowed for the extra space the co2 enriched plant will need.

 

[Treeth]

;0,

they started at three feet, 6-12 main tops, in 5 gallon dwc buckets, only two girls though, each one is getting,... 480 watts... in one spectrum!!!

It's better than porn man; at least a little bit.

I'm only in my second week of flowering, and i have around five feet of play so I hope i'm good... oh, and they're saativaa to make things even more critical.

peace bro!

you sound like you could afford the ten bucks a month for a private vpn, and if you're making enough to afford it, there is no reason not to have it,...

i mean,

and this is only my opinion; brother obama won't repeal the -we're the feds fuck we can read what ever we want to- bit of absurdity, its simply best to have everything be inadmissible, your body, private.

Just happens to be my other impassioned cause...

peace bro!, ha. security and freedom are the most priceless things to have!

 

[jberry]

;0,

they started at three feet, 6-12 main tops, in 5 gallon dwc buckets, only two girls though, each one is getting,... 480 watts... in one spectrum!!!

It's better than porn man; at least a little bit.

I'm only in my second week of flowering, and i have around five feet of play so I hope i'm good... oh, and they're saativaa to make things even more critical.

peace bro!

you sound like you could afford the ten bucks a month for a private vpn, and if you're making enough to afford it, there is no reason not to have it,...

i mean,

and this is only my opinion; brother obama won't repeal the -we're the feds fuck we can read what ever we want to- bit of absurdity, its simply best to have everything be inadmissible, your body, private.

Just happens to be my other impassioned cause...

peace bro!, ha. security and freedom are the most priceless things to have!

i could afford that or whatever it took to feel safe.
what should i do, take my computer in to the shop and pay them to install it? or how do you do it?

do you think that if a person had enough money that you could TRULY be secure?? -like safe to post pics of big time shit? -not that i have any big time shit! haha

seems like the feds could just get around any security system that you could buy for just ten bucks a month?

-sorry everyone, i know this isnt the right thread for this conversation.

-thanks treeth

 

[hustler1963]

i could afford that or whatever it took to feel safe.
what should i do, take my computer in to the shop and pay them to install it? or how do you do it?

do you think that if a person had enough money that you could TRULY be secure?? -like safe to post pics of big time shit? -not that i have any big time shit! haha

seems like the feds could just get around any security system that you could buy for just ten bucks a month?

-sorry everyone, i know this isnt the right thread for this conversation.

-thanks treeth

I live is California and under Prop 215 if you possess a valid Med Mar Card you are allowed to have 12 plants and only six can be flowering.

I understand this is a problem for peoples who state does not allow MM. In San Francisco, CA there are more MM Dispensaries than Starbucks Coffee. CNN just had this dude from Oakland on concerning the decision to Tax MM and I believe it was approved by the City Counsil.

In fact you can even open your very own dispensiary and sell it. Where people are getting nabbed is when they make a "profit". The CA Attorney Gen. published an opinion about how California can do it and how they can be structured. In fact you must be a Non Profit Organization. The filling fee to create the "Statutory Collective" is $100 and the papaerwork can be done on line at a place like Legalzoom.com

In any event thanks for the tips and I will check those links, it is a everyday learning experience.

 

[jberry]

I live is California and under Prop 215 if you possess a valid Med Mar Card you are allowed to have 12 plants and only six can be flowering.

I understand this is a problem for peoples who state does not allow MM. In San Francisco, CA there are more MM Dispensaries than Starbucks Coffee. CNN just had this dude from Oakland on concerning the decision to Tax MM and I believe it was approved by the City Counsil.

In fact you can even open your very own dispensiary and sell it. Where people are getting nabbed is when they make a "profit". The CA Attorney Gen. published an opinion about how California can do it and how they can be structured. In fact you must be a Non Profit Organization. The filling fee to create the "Statutory Collective" is $100 and the papaerwork can be done on line at a place like Legalzoom.com

In any event thanks for the tips and I will check those links, it is a everyday learning experience.

in some ca. counties you can have 99 plants fyi

the guy at my local club told me that the dea is still in there all the time trying to catch them slippin.

and i live where the general public approves of m.m. , city council also approves. so everyone thinks everything is all good... but the D.A. always wants to press charges and get there conviction and if you do get raided the cops will try to find something to get you on bcuz if they dont then they look bad to the judge that they talked into signing the warrant.

i'm just saying be careful, but i agree that if your not over your limit than you probably would walk a free man...
as long as you dont have any guns, drugs, packaging stuff, tabs/records, weighing devices, ect... if you have any of that stuff than ur semi screwed.

i certainly dont have any of that bad stuff because i dont need any of it
and i dont make a profit.

 

[Treeth]

Its pretty much the randomness of every moment, i mean, What does it take for someone, who is only on a job, a very queer interloper of a public position, to take interest in you.

Well, you gotta be interesting or easy, so with discretion its not hard to limit how fast and how hard those situations play themselves out.

A vpn is quite nifty, very light. Its just a server out there, somewhere, and you pay for them to keep your information random, uncollectable, amongst the other users, masking your movement and traffic from any sort of easy link.

there are a plethora of sites that do this, you could even do it on your own, I have always imagined providing it to my family. Its best to have those you care about in the network, as much as possible.

The thing right now is,... the Feds are still gonna be wildcards, quickly raining on your parade at their discretion. fuck that man!

From your description berry, you will have no problems being on the internet, even posting pictures if its uninteresting plant count wise.


i definitely need to come out and experience a liberated community!

but yeah man,

sealed Co2 is the shit!

-cool tubes, dual hose ac, and Co2 beverage sized tanks, not a burner, is the best possible set up!-

 

[jberry]

thanks, if i post any pics, i will make sure that the number of plants in the pic is uninteresting and i will have a vpn account... sounds easy enough.

 

[Chuckdizzle]

Hey, came across this unit today and am really excited about it. Its the Climate Right 5000. RIU won't let me post a link to it, but just google it, its sweet!

It sits outside your room and pumps the cold air right in. I typically use Exhale CO2 bags for CO2. Having this unit won't exhaust any air, just recirculate it, so all of your CO2 should stay in your room. They make a 2,500 Btuh and a 5,000 Btuh unit. I think I'm going to spring for the 5,000 Btuh unit at $499 plus free shipping. I haven't come across anyone else who makes a similar design. Anyone out there see a similar unit by a different manufacturer?

I hope someone gets some use from this post! I'm stoked!

 

[Rastas420]

Thanks CD! I'm having a look now.

So, essentially one could run a CO2 burner in a sealed tent, and never have to shut off the burner when the AC comes on to cool the room for say, five minutes every hour?

It would do the intake and exhaust's job, so you could close these holes up?

I've been trying to do my research on grow rooms with burners, but I can't find anything that resembles a set up for a 5x9 or similar with AC.

Everyone seems to be making cardboard outlets for the AC so they can hook a hose to it and keep it out of the room.

I'm just getting more confused, I think.

 

[Chuckdizzle]

So, essentially one could run a CO2 burner in a sealed tent, and never have to shut off the burner when the AC comes on to cool the room for say, five minutes every hour?.

Essentially yes. From what I understand, the temperature sensor is inside the unit and it runs its circulation fan constantly and cycles the compressor (AC function) on and off as needed.

It would do the intake and exhaust's job, so you could close these holes up?

I would close those holes up. You won't be introducing any "fresh air" but I think that's negligible here since the amount of "fresh air" that's introduced when you open your room/tent would probably be sufficient because otherwise your climate is controlled (temperature and CO2). Depending on your setup you'll need to determine how you setup your carbon filter, for example: exhaust it from your room (losing CO2) or place it outside the room/tent altogether or you could recirculate within your room with no exhaust. I would choose latter.

I've been trying to do my research on grow rooms with burners, but I can't find anything that resembles a set up for a 5x9 or similar with AC.

Everyone seems to be making cardboard outlets for the AC so they can hook a hose to it and keep it out of the room.

I'm just getting more confused, I think.

I use Exhale bags for CO2 and don't have experience with burners. I do know that they obviously produce heat just like a furnace, so having AC would be essential! The Climate Right AC unit that I mentioned was a 5,000 Btuh, they make one that's double the capacity (10,000 Btuh) for just $100 more. I don't know your setup but I can't imagine considering an AC with less than 10,000 Btuh if you're going to use a burner for CO2.

I've considered using a standard window AC and making some cardboard ducts, but after I saw the Climate Right design I can't even think about that anymore. Its just too perfectly suited for this application. I was considering the 5,000 Btuh but might just get the 10,000 since its only $100 more and would be flexible for any future designs I may end up running with.

Here's a link to the 10,000 Btuh model: https://climateright.com/climateright-10-000-btu-portable-air-conditioner-and-dehumidifier-with-heat-pump.html

Too bad you can't opt to not get the heat pump feature. Yeah that's cool for a dog house or a camper or even a greenhouse but I bet 99% of us will never need it and it would be cheaper without it!

 

[Rastas420]

Wowee, thanks for such an informative response, Chuckdizzle! You've given me a lot more reading to do. I was contemplating a CO2 burner setup because I only run one Gavita 1000w DE on a light rail. So far (knock on wood) my girls have loved the temps, even in summer. It's a basement grow and I don't live in a humid climate. Was thinking about just cranking the intake and exhaust for five minutes on 100% to exhaust the stale air and refill with fresh. The burner would cut out for that period then turn back on. I would run multiple swivel fans in the tent in case she got a little humid during the CO2 stage and also to keep the CO2 afloat. I use a silence Phresh Hyper Fan 8" attached to a carbon filter for smell, but honestly, my plants don't smell that much! Unless they're curing.

But if that fails, I need AC!

 

[loudog1983]

yes i have a 4x4x6.6 tent i have a VIVOSUN 315 Watt Ceramic Metal Halide CMH Grow Light Fixture - Upgraded Air Ventilation Design, 98% Ultrahigh Reflection Rate, Built-in Ballast & Low Heat ( ETL Certified ) and wont to know if i cut a hole in one of the side and put a vent hose to it will it cool down my tent it will get up to 86F what do you all think should i do it will it help