AC with fresh air?

[UberPooner]

Hello, I had a question on how to filter air while using an AC. I am going to be using a 4x4 tent and have a 6in inline fan that is only going to be used by my air cooled hood. I.e. Ducting will be from outside of tent and directly into the hood, then exhausting in attic outside of tent(never passing over flowers).

Doing that will hopefully get me to ambient temperatures(mid 80's in Cali). I am going to get a 1400btu ( http://www.hydrofarm.com/product.php?itemid=12626 ) AC to bring temps down to ideal numbers.

I plan to run it as an intake to the room, though the issue I am having is how to clean that air.

How would I handle the exhaust of the AC air? Or would I? Do I need to get another inline fan? What should I do when I do not need to run the ac?

After writing these questions it seems I might need a small inline fan to handle that? What do you guys suggest?


Thanks a lot!!!

 

[hush]

First of all that is a 14,000 btu unit, not 1400.

If I understand you correctly, you are cooling your light in a closed loop, so a lot of the heat generated by the lamp itself won't affect your room temp, that is good. But that being said, I don't know anything about portable air conditioners like that one, other than, most people say they aren't the most efficient things in the world. You never said how big the room is that the tent is in, so it's hard to say if even a slightly inefficient unit would be able to keep things cool... but probably, yes, if the room isn't too big.

The way those units work is you absolutely must connect those vent hoses to a space that's outside of the room. Those hoses are for cooling and exhausting the unit's compressor, and not for fresh air to your room. The cold air part of the unit just recirculates cold air right back into the room. So at this point, without providing any intake or exhaust holes to the room the tent is in, you have a semi sealed room. There is really no need to provide any fresh air, and really if you did it would just make the air conditioner work harder, possibly never shutting off, and never fully cooling the room.

For odor control, you would just have a properly sized carbon filter and centrifugal fan, which isn't connected to any ducting, and you set it somewhere in the room the tent is in. This will scrub the air and recirculate it all around.

Anyway, your situation is pretty much the same thing I have going on with my 1000 watter, except I use a window air conditioner, and I'm exhausting the air cooled hood back right back into the room, where the air conditioner has to cool it. This works for me. Plus, I can seal the room and add CO2 one day, to increase my yields.

 

[UberPooner]

Hey hush thanks for the reply and good info! Are you saying I could run as a semi sealed room and be ok without having any source of CO2? That was my main concern, how can I provide sufficient CO2. You mentioned you run an air cooled hood and then exhaust into the room? That seems like you would get new air all the time, though I was wondering how or if you are exhausting?

 

[hush]

Co2 is there, all around the garden at all times. You don't have to let it in unless you have an actual sealed room. Before I began growing under my 1000w, I posted a thread asking about the same thing, and everyone told me not to worry about it, it's not a vacuum, co2 will find its way to the plants. In my head I kept thinking I would have to start supplementing with compressed gas... But sure enough, that never happened, my plants grew fine, and all was well. Co2 would definitely make a big difference though, so I know I could make things better by adding co2, whenever I decide to.

Yes I exhaust my cool tube right back into the room the tent is in, and no it does not mean I'm adding air to the room, because the air going through the tube comes from the same room. It's all being circulated.

Every time you open the door to enter your garden, every time you are in there breathing, every time outside air makes its way through the gaps in the walls and corners... These are all ways your plants still get co2 even though there's no obvious source. Just like everyone told me, I will tell you right now: stop worrying about it. If you want fresh air, start adding bottled co2. But you can't have a fresh air intake if you also require an air conditioner, so it's one or the other.

 

[Vegan]

Unless your room is super sealed. Like panda all corners ang glued seams, outlets, any holes for wires to room, ect You would be hard pressed to be able to deplete the CO2 levels in any grow environment IMHO


And with that ac unit. Even less chance. All portables leak inside air to outside air to one degree or another

 

[Granger2]

Portables are inefficient as hell and exhaust smell. You're better off with a thru the wall unit, window unit, or mini-split. Good luck. -granger

 

[tokersmoke]

window units do not bring in fresh air.If the grow is in a closet or an isolated spot without a fresh air intake things will suffer.The plants need FRESH AIR a proper intake and exhaust is crucial.

Even in setups with co2 some venting is required.Not hating on anyones response but imo bad info has been given.Sure things will work but i wouldnt bother hanging a light,buying seeds,and taking the risk when crucial pieces are missing.Even if you are growing in a large bedroom the air needs to be introduced and exchanged constantly.Again im not hating but air movement IE exhaust and intake are the first things to consider if you arent supplementing with co2

 

[hush]

Even in setups with co2 some venting is required.Not hating on anyones response but imo bad info has been given.Sure things will work but i wouldnt bother hanging a light,buying seeds,and taking the risk when crucial pieces are missing.Even if you are growing in a large bedroom the air needs to be introduced and exchanged constantly.Again im not hating but air movement IE exhaust and intake are the first things to consider if you arent supplementing with co2

This is incorrect. In actual sealed rooms, with co2 injection, venting is never required if humidity and temperature are kept in check by mechanical means. Literally, the only reason why ventilation is required in indoor gardens is for co2, temperature control, humidity control, or a combination of any of these. There is no reason whatsoever to ventilate anything in a proper sealed room with proper environmental controls, and in fact, ventilating only increases the chances of a pest invasion. There is nothing magical about fresh air. It just happens to contain co2.

Circulation, though, is still important, like you said. Keeps the ambient levels of co2 as well-dispersed as possible.

 

[tokersmoke]

how does exhausting air create pest invasion?At some point air needs to be exhausted.Im not saying it wouldnt work.Im saying with co2 in a true sealed room it would be OPTIMAL to exhaust at lights out.Are you running c02 or are you reading info off others thoughts.

Although CO2 is not a deadly gas, it's presence in an enclosed space can deplete the atmosphere of oxygen needed for human occupation, causing asphyxiation. Signs of asphyxiation include weakness, lethargy, dizziness and loss of consciousness. If a grower notices any of these signs for any reason, immediately leave the room and go to a safe space. If these signs then subside, the CO2 in the grow room is too highly concentrated and should be vented immediately.

An exhaust is crucial..Even if you arent using it one needs to be put in as a failsafe.Reaching target c02 levels can be hit or miss with tanks.If the ppm goes over 1500 the plants could be stunted.One fast way to reach your target ppm is to exhaust.

Speak not of what you think you know.

 

[hush]

how does exhausting air create pest invasion?

When you exhaust air from a place, new air rushes in to fill the vacant space. This air might have pests, especially if coming from outside, and defeats the purpose of having a sealed room, where you are sealing off the environment.

At some point air needs to be exhausted.

Why? What are you doing by exhausting? If you have your co2 on a controller, which you should, your co2 turns off at night and it never gets to any worrisome levels. I'm not trying to say I know everything, I'm seriously asking you why you exhaust.

Im not saying it wouldnt work.Im saying with co2 in a true sealed room it would be OPTIMAL to exhaust at lights out.Are you running c02 or are you reading info off others thoughts.

I used to work in co2 controlled greenhouses in my 20s, and I also have a decent understanding of science.

Although CO2 is not a deadly gas ... If these signs then subside, the CO2 in the grow room is too highly concentrated and should be vented immediately.

Your concerns are correct. This is why co2 should never be used without a co2 controller, so that it never gets that critical.

An exhaust is crucial..Even if you arent using it one needs to be put in as a failsafe.Reaching target c02 levels can be hit or miss with tanks.If the ppm goes over 1500 the plants could be stunted.One fast way to reach your target ppm is to exhaust.

So now I guess I understand why you are saying what you are saying. Your method is to use bottled co2 without a controller, and that requires the hit or miss thing you mentioned. I don't recommend that personally, but yes in that case I can see problems arising. Ideally though, co2 injection shouldn't be done without using a proper controller, with fuzzy logic sensor. When you use controllers, the levels don't ever climb to dangerous, and in fact plants are so healthy, generally, that they exhale enough oxygen to balance things out.

I'm not trying to argue here, and we're going off topic a bit. I'm just saying that in my experience, exhausting is unnecessary if you have everything in check.

 

[tokersmoke]

Def not tryin to argue,its not my method.Even with the best controls target ppm can get to high which in turn would lead you to needing to exhaust.either way an exhaust needs to be set up in case you need it.

 

[hush]

Fair enough, as a safety precaution, I can't see anything wrong with that. Safety first, no joke.