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Central Air Good Enough???

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Tom 'Green' Thumb
Veteran
I am setting up a new grow room that will consist of four 1000 watt HPS with air cooled hoods and the ballasts located outside the grow room. I was wondering if the house's existing Central Air unit will be sufficient for summer grows or another air conditioning unit will be required? I will even be going to the extent of insulating the air hoods and using insulated tubing to lower the temperature as much as possible. If I can get away without another air conditioning unit I could use the power saved towards other features I plan using on the room. Our summers around here can get up to 100 degree's farenheight, although this is rare. I will be using a de-humidifier and growing in Promix BX soil if that helps any (probably not lol.) Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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Guest423

Active member
Veteran
it should be fine, what kind and what size fans are you gonna run? also bigger air ports in your hoods help alot. for example 8" fans with 8" air holes in your hoods.

you can also block some of the other vents in your house with magnet strips so most of the cold air goes just to that room.
 
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Tom 'Green' Thumb
Veteran
I was going to use my Elicent 250B for all four lights. Also, the hoods all are new with 8 inch air holes. Should that be okay? Also, I wanted to mention, I have a cold air return in the room itself and also a heater/cooling vent. Is this good to have the cold air return in the room? If not it would be easy to change. Thanks for your input!

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Guest

What size is the room?Have to have that man to make any comment at all really I do 3K in an 8 by 8 but not with central AC,with all that you should get a co2 generator and controller and your temps can go to 85-90
 
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holla@yoboy

Member
are you cooling your lights with the air inside your grow room, or the air from another room? if you were using the air from the growroom it would require more air conditioning, because your wasting your cool air through the exhaust, plus restricting the flow of air through your exhaust with a scrubber. the nice thing about cooling lights with air from another room is not haveing to scrub the air.
 
bartender187

bartender187

Bakin in da Sun
Veteran
I imagine it would depend on where the temp probe is placed for your central AC. If its not in the room in question and that room is rather well sealed, it very well could just sore in heat, because the probe would be reading a constant temp in the living room or whatever it is located. On the other hand... If it was in the grow room, it might cool the room down fine but at the expense of super cooling your other rooms. You may have to limit the number of open AC vents. But as ballastman has said previously.,.. really depends on the size of the room.
 
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MTF-Sandman

MTF-Sandman

OG Refugee
Veteran
Dunno how your financial situation is, but you can get a multiroom controller for the central AC that'll allow you to remotely place a temp sensor in the room (as well as other rooms) and control them independantly of each other - but ya gotta install electrically actuated dampers in the ducting to make it work so that the AC can "route" the cool air to where it's needed.
 
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Guest

it'll be aleast 15,000 btu a hour while they are burning. But most central A\C units are "over sized". I cool my 800w room with just central A\C just made the inlets at floor level to bring in the coldest air from the house. I use the two ajoining rooms to bring in the fresh cool stuff.
 
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Still ain't sure about 4000w though... lota BTU

Still ain't sure about 4000w though... lota BTU

Not if you block off the intake to the room your using Bobbie. Bring your air from ajoining rooms and filter what goes out with carbon. Reducted = controling your smells. only use the a\c to cool the scrubed air leaving the room, in the living area. The only time my house smells is when there's a power outage.
 
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Tom 'Green' Thumb
Veteran
What I was thinking of doing is venting the hot air into the ajoining room and then moving the intake vent from inside the grow room to just outside of it. Then use the carbon scrubber and fan to vent air outside the room while passivly pulling air into the room. That way only scrubbed air is circulating through out the house keeping the smell to a minumum. I'm using a 100c?? carbon scrubber or something like that - I know the hundred part is right lol! The good thing is hot air rises so it should make it's way up stairs fairly easily even if the temperature probe is upstairs. What do you guys think of this setup? I also included a diagram of the basement to give you a better idea of how it looks.

I never thought about the temptature probes placement and it's importance. How can I find out where it is located? Isn't it located on the thermostat housing that controls the temperature?

In the past I have had a three light setup the same way and didn't even use air cooled hoods and temperatures never got above 80 degree's, so I think it will work out just fine. Any input would be great as I will be setting up within the next week or so. I'll be sure to post pictures here and log how well she does for temperatures and so on. Thanks for all the great replies!

Oh ya, almost forgot - my bud room is about 18 feet by 12 feet but I won't be using it all. The veg room is 10 by 10 and the clone and mother room is 3 by 6. Also, there will be another 1000 watt MH in the veg room. I forgot to mention that.

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LazyDaze

LazyDaze

Member
I'm sidetracked here, but looking at you grow space diagram, it appears you have to walk through the bloom room to get to the veg room. That can be done, but if you have a choice, I would change that somehow. The veg room is going to have lights on when the bloom room cannot have any light at all.

Besides the chance of stress induced by stray light, there is also that you will be walking through or by blooming plants more, increasing the chances of accidental damage. Also, you will probably end up with bloom lights on/off at 12/12, but veg will likely be at 18/6. That means that 1/3 of the time your bloom lights are on, you cannot get in there.

Like I said, just a side comment really. Otherwise you seem to be thinking things out.
 
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Guest

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The basement should be the coolest area in your place. Try to get the outlet as close to the stairs as you can, for the convection effect your looking for. Better yet if you can figure a way to vent the scrubed air in to a non-living living area (spare bedroom closet, spare bath) to force the convection. Mine is in my pantry, works for me.

I made my inlet ducts right into the walls. Put in a block half-way up the studs, ran a stud in the middle leaving a 6' gap before the block. So the air comes in from ground level out-side, on one side of the short stud, go up around the stud and back down and out into the target room at close to ground level (I put another block at the bottom of my room side 'cus it wasn't ground level). Like a upside-down U. It's dried in so can't take a picture hope you see it. O ya caulked all the seams and on the studs where I replaced drywall, painted the "duct" flat black (inside of the wall/studs and the inside of the replacement drywall). made about a 3.5" X 6" X 6' duct between each stud run. I only went 3' up inside to the blocking to make the duct as short as I thought I could and there is no light leaks with mine.

Ask the home improvement center if they have any damaged rock, works great for patchin' and like half price. Mine was 3 1/2 foot rips so I looked for side damaged pieces that I could just rip out the damaged part. Eight pieces for the price of four and at 3 1/2 foot rips I would have just had to throw away that other 1 1/2 foot rip anyways.

Yes the probe is part of the thermostat but not on the housing, it'll be a bulb looking thing on a wire or spring built into the thermostat its self.

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Should have said...
a "non-living" living area, upstairs,
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Tom 'Green' Thumb
Veteran
LazyDaze: Thanks for pointing the grow room location out to me in relation to the veg room. It's so simple to see I can't believe I didn't realize it before lol! It WILL be a pain that I can't go into the veg room until the bud room lights are on. I guess I'll have to live with it as the veg room is too small to change to the bud room. One good thing is the bud room is so large I won't have to worry about walking past budding plants to get to the veg room as there is plenty of room and won't be using the whole space. I'll just have to time things a little better I guess.

Jackson Slade: I am not sure I follow you. You say to vent the scrubbed air into a non-living area. I am doing this in a sense as I will be venting it out into the other half of the basement. Is this what you mean or did I not understand correctly? Also, how will it help force the convection I need? Do you mean it will force air from upstair downstairs to keep the room cool?

Sorry, it's probably as plain as day what you mean, but right now my fried brain doesn't follow. If you could clarify that would be great 'cause it sounds like your on to something. If I clue in sooner I'll let you know so you don't wast your time writing out something twice.

Thank you both for your input - it is much appreciated. Anything else I should be concerned with or anyone else have any comments or suggestions? I really want this to go as smooth as possible.

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I mean upstairs living area if you can find a way/place. That way your air makes a loop so to speak. My house is a ranch but I pull air in through a bedroom and the utility room, push out through the pantry (going out was the only real duct I ran 8" flex @ 8'). That way the "scrubed" air must pass through the room with the thermostat before getting back to the "farm" (a loop). If you can't use a upstairs area just put your scrubers at ceiling level by those stairs some where. Convection works, but if you can help it, all the better...
 
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Tom 'Green' Thumb
Veteran
Now I finally see the light! Thanks, that is a great idea. I kind of knew what you were getting at although I just smoked a huge bowl and my brain wasn't working at full capacity. So I guess my first step is to move the air return to outside the room. Can't have that stinky un-carbon scrubbed air circulating all over the house. I should be able to take air from upstairs through one of the unused vents that seem to be just sitting there plugged doing nothing. It's an older house so many changes have been made which can work to my advantage. The electrical upgrade should be done this week so it will be safe to start any time after that. Thanks for all the help everyone!

Anyone have any more suggestions, comments or tips please feel free to enlighten me. The more I plan out the less I'll have to change at a later date. Anyone that has done something like this and has experience I would greatly like to here from also.

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Damn Jackson you'd be nice to have around when I move from this 1000sq ft house to a real house pretty soon with central heat and air lol,I've been living with window units over 10 years now.Actually,I found it to be a pretty good way at controlling temps for unvented 1K's like vertizontals,I dont know how well central air would work in a 8 by 8 bedroom with 3 1K verts.,I'd probably still need a window unit.Boy that would look funny to the neighbors lol.So long as I use co2 enrichment I'll never even consider a portable again,sonofoabitch stole my enrichment the better part of two years until I finally caught onEDIT And it was a dual hose unit!
 
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Ballastman

Ya those sealed rooms are a whole new creature. Aleast with co2 you can run them hotter, thank god, I'm sure.

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Using convection to your advantage, there shouldn't be no trouble pulling the heat from one room. Bring your cool air from the lowest point you have/can use, and pull out the heat from the highest point in the room. My 4' X 10' split closet has 4 (vent holes) in with 4 out and 2 in, 2 out (veg room is smaller) with one "squirrel cage" pulling the air for both. I don't know the CFM of the fan but it's about the same as a 8" inline I'd say (4" X 8" outlet 1/3hp motor). that works out too twice as much area coming in as going out, without restrictions. It's the coolest room in the house, -2.5 with lights out & -1.5 lights on, differance from the wall 'stat. Just lay a thermometer on your floor and see the differance a few feet lower makes, with out the ceiling fan on of course.

The trouble that I might see, with those bigger\more lights you guys are running, is cooling the air before it returns. You might have to put in a window unit like in a bedroom or somewhere to give the central a little help. Aleast be saving up for a upgrade, if you work that old outside compresser to death. I run my lights at night to help give that unit the smallest work load I can.

One more thing I have trouble with is I like a warm house 74-76 which makes the farm a little warmer then they frive for. Wish I could stand 68-72, but I'm old and stubburn and just don't like sleeping with a cover.
 
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Tom 'Green' Thumb
Veteran
Thanks for all the advice. I am going to try with just the central air unit/air cooled hoods and see how she goes. If I need more cooling I will make it a totally sealed room and add Co2, but I'll go the cheaper route first. I will log it here so you guys/gals can see how it works or fails, preferably the later. Fortunately I should be able to pull off one good crop without trouble as I still have a good three months of cold weather. After that it will all be experimental. I have started the clones and they should be rooted in about a week or so, so I'll be setting up the room then. I might veg them a little at my old house just to give them a head start and me enough time to finish up the grow rooms properly. Should be sweet, now let's hope the five thousand watts plus additional devices doesn't draw too much attention. I figure if I pay my bill on time and ration the rest of the hydro with spiral flourecents and such I should be okay. I don't even have an electric stove in the house, it's gas - and my water heater is also gas. All that will be used will be lighting for living (spiral flourecents) and the rest the grow. Should be okay - I hope! Wish me luck!

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Those cooled hoods are a great idea. I would plumb them with the outdoors if they where sealed good, that would be less heat for your central too deal with. Just my opinion anywas.

Never told you about my outlet "duct". Just used rock for that too, in my case I just dropped the ceiling 10" slapped in a piece of plywood for mounting the fan to giving me enough room for my can, put a regester box above the can to run ot the pantry,and put the vents in the corners. Just made a plywood "door" for getting at the can and fan (scews with wing nuts).In a bigger room you could just make a box down the middle with your vents in the sides, I'm sure.

My back up plan was to put a window unit in the bedroom (a lot of folks do this down here, even with central) that I pull half the air from but so far no need. But again I'm using a lot less wattage but open hoods, so "apples to apples" maybe...

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to ballastman again.

It's wonderfull to own your own place... Ya can do what ever you want\need to, to reach your goals. Making those ducts into the walls just takes a few patches, bit of touch up and the "new" owner wouldn't have a clue... And look at the space you save by not running real ducting. Some rooms just look to busy for me, I'd be trip over\breaking everything in some of them, myself...

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But here's what happened last night, Friggin' wind started coming off the gulf and I didn't have my a\c on. so I woke this morning to a 84 degree house. This happens a few times a year for me in the "spring", too cold for a\c but too warm for heat. In the fall it isn't as bad because a little cool is better than a little hot. If it happened more, I'd put in too 'stats one for heat, one for a\c instead of that damn switch on the bottom of the one I got now.
And I when I was giving farm temps it's +1 lights on not -1.
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