DIY free ac for grow rooms

[floydfanx6]

ok guys i was asked by a member to post my idea of what im doing right now,its a little ghetto but it really works.
**Many smaller growers who grow in closets dont have access to cool air or outside air,,this causes problems for growers to keep temps down
what if you have good exhaust,good airflow in yr grow area,and temps are still not where u want them to be?

The only solution obviously is an ac,,but ac's give off heat that u need to vent out as well,so this was not really suitable for me,so i came up with this diy ac, connecting it to my Passive intakes
So basically the air coming into my cab has to pass through ice before coming in

**I grow in a DR80 tent,and my peak canopy temps were 84 ,after using this method i got the canopy tempature down to 79!!,,the ice will last for 10-12 hours fine,,,use new ice bottles everyday,,and your done,,ghetto,,but almost free and works

Materials
Styrofoam ice cooler $ 2:50
Empty soda bottles: FREE
Water: free
Tape: had some laying around

Heres the basic cheap cooler i use it fits 2 soda bottles fine with plenty of room for air to travel around
First we make a 4 inch cut tracing out duct for air to come into the cooler from the side

Next we make a 4 inch cut on top, insert your passive intake inside and tape it

Next we stick the frozen soda bottles inside and close up the cooler

 

[whatissixbynine]

so um... details?

what cfm fan exhausting with what carbon filter ? [i.e. true throughput cfm]? what wattage light?

 

[floydfanx6]

im using a 400 watt hortilux bulb in a aircooled hood,,with a 340 cfm fan

 

[whatissixbynine]

im using a 400 watt hortilux bulb in a aircooled hood,,with a 340 cfm fan

huh, 5deg f drop for 2 2l bottles of ice a day eh?

How long you been doing this?
Got an idea of how much the ice 'costs' ?

 

[floydfanx6]

the ice is free man,,i fill up 2 soda bottles with tap and stick em in the freezer overnight,,always have 4 bottles so 2 are freezing while 2 are in use
peace

 

[floydfanx6]

dont forget this works for my cab which is 2.7X2.7X4.8 or something so bigger cabs will need more ice obviously

 

[Stevius]

Now this is a very smart idea!

Much thanks to you floyd for sharing!

 

[whatissixbynine]

the ice is free man,,i fill up 2 soda bottles with tap and stick em in the freezer overnight,,always have 4 bottles so 2 are freezing while 2 are in use
peace

i meant the cost in electricity

 

[floydfanx6]

cost of what?? dont u have a fridge and freezer,i dont think freezing a few bottles will make yr electricity costs go up?

 

[whatissixbynine]

cost of what?? dont u have a fridge and freezer,i dont think freezing a few bottles will make yr electricity costs go up?

well first i had assumed it would take double that much i suppose..

But there is a cost involved in freezing a gallon of water a day in the freezer

but this much is probably doable by joe jane, and mary

 

[Tonatiuh]

smart idea.

 

[pepelepew098]

this site's gonna end up changing the world......muwahahahahaha

 

[Frozenguy]

Thats a pretty good idea. I had thought of something similar but pushed it aside because I thought the bottles would melt in an hour or so but you say they can last upwards of close to 10?! Thats pretty impressive.

Thanks for the heads up!

Frozenguy

 

[Helis]

Had thought about something along these lines in the summer months. Definitely a nice solution to the "DIY AC" problem.
Do you notice a humidity rise from use, or any pooling in the "AC"? I could see how the condensation would go either way
Nice!

 

[nuitari]

I liked it.It s simple and looks like effective.I can use it if I need.

 

[floydfanx6]

thanx guys toward the end of the 12 hour the ice does melt,,but the water is still very cold,and still keeps the temps 3-4 degrees lower then normal,

 

[FreezerBoy]

Very McGuyver. nice.

 

[Matanuskan Flo]

great idea man. perhaps you should leave a note or guidance that everyone should be wary of the condensation that ensues throughout the day. if not properly checked, the run off condensation could find its way to wires or something electric in nature. just a thought. but, FreezerBoy hit the nail on the head!! Richard Dean Anderson would be proud haha.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

great idea man. perhaps you should leave a note or guidance that everyone should be wary of the condensation that ensues throughout the day.

I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt there will be any condensation within the cooler. Any moisture that condenses on the bottles will be quickly evaporated by the flow of air. This shouldn't change the humidity levels in the room at all either, since the bottles are sealed.

Excellent idea. Thanks for posting!

 

[floydfanx6]

the ice will melt obviously toward the end of the 12 hours but the theres still enough ice left to keep the water very cold,toward the end of the cycle