AIR CONDITIONER HELP

[TheGerminator]

Heys guys ive been working non stop past couple days on my closet and im still battling heat issues so im wondering whats the deal with the portable ac's do i need to vent them outside or can i vent it into my attic , my whole problem is i cant vent outside so i was thinking just Teeing it into air cooled hoods ducting which then goes into my attic, anyone else try it?

 

[MTF-Sandman]

That'll work fine dumping the exhaust into the attic.

 

[TheGerminator]

awesome thank you very much is there anymodels anyone recoomends its only i would say 5x8x8 so i was think a 5000 btu or something small would be more than effecient for what i need but all the ones im lookin are like 800 watts! and im already at the limit i need to plug my vacuum in my kitchen or i need to reset the breaker.. so i think i need to up the amperage here, im guessing i have 30 amps right now on this circuit, what would need to be done to up the amperage to say 60 amps?

 

[MTF-Sandman]

If you're in the US, you've either got a 15a/120v (14 gauge wire) or 20a/120v (12 gauge wire) circuit...to increase the available amperage, you need to either switch everything over to 240v (not a possibility if you want to run 120v devices on that circuit) or run a new circuit with larger wire and a new breaker in the main panel. 800w is about right for a 5000btu portable - they're not near as efficient as window/mini-splits/central ACs. If you look in the main panel, the breaker that controls that circuit will be marked with the amperage. 80% of this number is considered safe - more than that can cause the breaker to trip from heat buildup and eventually weaken the breaker if it's used for prolonged periods.

Definitely sounds like it's time to drop a new circuit in for the closet IMO...

If your room is setup efficiently, a 5kbtu should be plenty for a 1k light...but for it to be effective, you need to make sure that the cool air will stay in the grow area and not get sucked out by an exhaust fan.

 

[TheGerminator]

so by running a new circuit basically just have to run one 14g wire from the main box with a breaker to the closet seeing i just need one plug right??

How could i do this with out ripping up all the walls?? and paint and so? or is this the only way?

 

[Joe Homegrown]

i had a freind who had a portable a/c. he had to run a extention cord to his kitchen which wasnt that practical and his power bill was through the roof...he ended up rebuilding his grow space and getting a window a/c that was twice the power and almost half the price to run.. is the portable your only choice?

 

[TheGerminator]

pretty much its in a closet so i really cant put a window a/c i wish.. now you got me all thinking i got a 200 dollar bill atm running 975 w of HID and house appliances etc.. everthing in my house runs off electric so i dunno , did he just have a shitty model? or do all of them in general lack performance?

 

[vonforne]

The lower the btu's the higher the usage. I have a 8000 btu with 2 1k's. I have vented in an extra feed from the central A/C I made my flower room smaller to make it work better. My bill runs near 324 in the hottest of the summer. Thats the whole house.

Closet......do you have the mechanical abilities to run new central A/C. Its really easy. In my last place I ran two new 12 inch vents into a walk-in closet. Just have to pick up all the hardware at the Home Depot. You can even pick up a small how-to-book to help make it perform better and to give some good installation ideas. After you install some new vents you could close off non essential rooms to give an extra boost to your closet.

Just a thought.

V

 

[MTF-Sandman]

so by running a new circuit basically just have to run one 14g wire from the main box with a breaker to the closet seeing i just need one plug right??

How could i do this with out ripping up all the walls?? and paint and so? or is this the only way?

Yeah, it could be that simple if you only need 1 outlet box.
Depending on how your main panel is setup/located and how your house is built could greatly affect it.

Generally you'll estimate the length of the run and add 5-10' and starting in the attic run one end of the wire down a hole drilled above a wall with a fish tape and pull it out through a hole cut for the outlet...and take the other end and fish it down to the main panel and then hook it up.

Most home electrical repair books at HD or Lowes will show this in much greater detail and show you how to deal with different situations.

 

[Guest]

I think I'll be doing the same thing. I'm either going to run new wire from my breaker to my attic and somehow plug in 15 devices? I have the same heat issue. I plan on splitting my central AC unit into the attic and use a portable AC unit to supplement the cool air.

Whats the most efficent AC unit available?

How many amps can I pull from a 120V power source? Like if I plug in a surge or 2 into 2 outlets I tied into from the 14gauge in the attic... will I short something out or trip my electrical system?

2 air cooled 400watt switchable lights, AC unit, Co2 unit, 10 bucket recirculating DWC. Obviously need to time the AC, Co2 and lights. Best way to do this?


blazin

goodluck germinator!

 

[MTF-Sandman]

Hey guys, can you start your own threads so we don't clutter up TheGerminators?

 

[Joe Homegrown]

pretty much its in a closet so i really cant put a window a/c i wish.. now you got me all thinking i got a 200 dollar bill atm running 975 w of HID and house appliances etc.. everthing in my house runs off electric so i dunno , did he just have a shitty model? or do all of them in general lack performance?

He had a pretty nice portable a/c. it wasnt top of the line but it more than cooled the area it was just a little pricey each month .. Alot of people i know dont really worry about electric bills, but im a small time closet grower and consume every last bit of wonderfull goodness that comes out the doors.. so i try to think a little economicly. That central a/c idea is kick ass. It would be perfect for my setup because my a/c comes in right outside my closet...thats why i love this site................

 

[TheGerminator]

well thanks for all the replys guys come to find out i actually had a 20 amp circuit that was being run to a garage to used to be here that was knocked down , so all we had to do is hook that line back up to the breaker and bamm i saved alot of time and money the line that ran outside was next to my closet so i just cut the wire to the length i need and installed the box, flipped the breaker and looks like i got a 20 amps just like that lucky or what??? i guess that line was there for a reason

as for the ac's has anyone rigged anything up with window ac's in there grow room? say if i fabricated a metalcap with a 6inch opening to cover the back of the AC completly and then tied that into my current 6" ducting do you guys think it would work?

 

[Joe Homegrown]

I have seen someone run a a/c from his slideing glass door and rigged ducting to the front of the a/c and it kept there room cool.. if you dont have a slideing door or a window close and you decide to run it that way; the thing i would suggest would be a duct booster.. they kick ass for the price and they will help the a/c in the long run.. tapeing up all the vents on the back of your a/c greatly lessons the life of your a/c... trust