---A/C HELP for 4x8 Flower Tent---

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SDboltz619

Member
Hey everybody. Finally made the switch to 12/12 lastnight and setup my secret jardin dr240w. I am currently running (3) 600 watt ballast and my set up for the tent goes like this.. air sucking in-->hood=hood=hood=6''fan-->air outside of tent. Also has a 16'' fan in the corner and the in-line fan is the green active air at 400cfm. All the hot air is exhausted out of the tent into the open space room (9x10). Right outside of the tent is where my carbon filter is standing hooked up to a 435cfm 6'' fan exhausting the whole room straight outside the window. I also have a 4x4 veg tent running a 330watt 6 bulb t5 light also with a 4'' fan 125cfm and 2 mini clip on fans for air circulation. Ever since I kicked on the 1800 watts of hps, temps immediately went up to 90-95. I was trying to avoid the ac route to save electricity but now it seems to be the only way to get it down to 70-75. Now I need some advice on what kind of portable a/c unit I can use to cool my flower tent and how many btu's. I have (32) 3-gallon pots inside my secret jardin so there is no room for the a/c. Is there a way to have the a/c outside of the tent and still have cold air blowing in from one of the ducting holes or do I have to just get another fan to suck the cold air into the tent. another 6'' or 4'' fan will do? I would greatly appreciate any help here since I don' want my plants dying due to heat stress.
 
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NewGrower2011

Well-Known Member
I've been contemplating AC options myself and decided I couldn't quite make the leap to a split AC unit... So I went with the Soleus LX-140 since it's a 14k BTU unit with Dual Hose (don't go single hose from my research) and it includes a heating function as well - if ever needed... My local HW store had it for $509 plus tax but it can be had online cheaper... even with shipping.
 
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SDboltz619

Member
Alexander Supertramp said:
Whats the ambient temp of the room the tent is in? Guessing 75-80? You may want to look into a split a/c unit like this-http://www.ac-world.com/proddetail.php?prod=A37GW2C-ELG&cat=DUCTLESS%20SYSTEMS The initial investment and installation are a bit harse but worth the effort in the long run to keep control of your tents environment......
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very nice a/c but considering I am staying in an apartment and have no room for a big unit, I am looking for a nice portable one. I can make another hole in the window for the exhaust hose but I'm trying to figure out the best way to get the cold air into the flower tent. Any ideas?
 
Alexander Supertramp

Alexander Supertramp

Well-Known Member
Da Jew may be correct. Giving it some thought a weird number like 3.4 per watt or something like that comes too mind. Thanks Almighty.......
 
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NewGrower2011

Well-Known Member
lol. I went with 14k cuz' it was the biggest I could find in the portables... I've got a measly 16 bulb T5 in a sealed room... But hey.. there's room for expansion in that approach. Plus there's always the fan, air pump, rez pump, etc... they all generate heat too...
 
Alexander Supertramp

Alexander Supertramp

Well-Known Member
You got it NG. Always nice to have room too expand. And that money for 14k is pretty damn reasonable, especially from a top of the line maker. I have been considering a split but after checking your model out I am leaning the dual hose 14k way. The noise(interior)factor will play a part in my decision. What does you cooler sound like? Much vibration/harmonics?
 
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SDboltz619

Member
Da Almighty Jew said:
im pretty sure its more like 4000BTU per 1000 watt light.
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thats good to know since that was going to be my next question. I will have a total of 2440 watts in the room so would a 10,000 btu be good or 13,000-14,000 btu? How much electricity would it cost me if I just ran the ac when the 12 hours of hps is on? I believe it is 25.6 cents per kWh where I live in the summer.

I also stopped by my local hydro shop to grab a couple supplies and asked them about running a portable ac outside of the tent and they told me to buy this... http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&R=100173649&catEntryId=100173649
and just duct-tape it around where it blows out cold air. They told me to get one with a dual hose. I know one is for exhaust but how about the other one? Thanks guy for the input and keeping this thread alive.
 
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potshop

Member
If odor control is a concern, then air conditioner type is very important. There are 2 types of air conditioners. One type spits the air from the room outside and the other type doesn't. Regardless of what type of AC you're looking at, this is the MOST important aspect of AC, if odor is a concern for you.

For dual hose units, you must make sure that 1 hose is an INTAKE and the other is EXHAUST. Some portables come with 2 EXHAUST hoses, which is not what you want. As for BTU, you should calculate 6000 BTU's for every 1K of lighting, so for almost 2440 watts of lighting, I would use 18k worth of AC. If you try to use anything below that, then make sure the AC is able to be returned to the store in case it doesn't work.

But again make sure the dual hose portable AC you're getting, has a separate Intake and Exhaust...not 2 exhausts.
 
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SDboltz619

Member
potshop said:
If odor control is a concern, then air conditioner type is very important. There are 2 types of air conditioners. One type spits the air from the room outside and the other type doesn't. Regardless of what type of AC you're looking at, this is the MOST important aspect of AC, if odor is a concern for you.

For dual hose units, you must make sure that 1 hose is an INTAKE and the other is EXHAUST. Some portables come with 2 EXHAUST hoses, which is not what you want. As for BTU, you should calculate 6000 BTU's for every 1K of lighting, so for almost 2440 watts of lighting, I would use 18k worth of AC. If you try to use anything below that, then make sure the AC is able to be returned to the store in case it doesn't work.

But again make sure the dual hose portable AC you're getting, has a separate Intake and Exhaust...not 2 exhausts.
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Hey thanks potshop! So I'm guessing a dual ac with intake and exhaust hoses is the way to go for odor issues?
 
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