Mini-split vs central AC

[munsterherms]

Long time reader, first time poster. I am having trouble deciding here...

I am setting up a new place. 1 veg and 2 bloom rooms. Both blooms are roughly 1600 CUBIC feet.

I have central heating, but no cooling.

I am considering putting a mini-split in both bloom rooms. (1 split per room)

Each bloom will be running 12kw hps, flopping 12/12 between rooms.

Ballasts will me installed outside of the rooms.

There will be 2 fans circulating air, plus i will be scrubbing/exhausting air about one time per minute.

I want to go uncooled lights as well....

Bottom line: would it be best to run a 36k btu mini-split in EACH room? Or would getting a giant AC unit be better?

My thoughts were that i can control the individual climates a little better, especially considering the very low humidity where i am. From what i understand, it is much more difficult to cool outside air with low humidity than the room air with high humidity (or at least much higher than outside).

 

[DHF]

4000 btu`s of cooling per 1K light , and that`s the bare minimum , so 48000 btu`s/4 ton unit for each room , and 5000 btu`s of cooling per light if running sealed rooms with dehueys and CO2 burners for insurance.....

There`s HVAC guys around so maybe they`ll chime in , but those numbers are rule of thumb , so 36000 btu`s/3 ton units won`t be able to keep up , plus with low humidity you`ll need pond foggers/hydrofogger.com to keep RH 70% till end of stretch , and....

Dehueys (or maybe not) in low RH environment for late bloomage to keep RH below 50% till end of cycle , and waaaay more than 2 fans in each room for constant air circulation around the plants , as well as above AND below canopy levels......

Peace....DHF..........

Edit: Go look at Snype`s thread and see the post by Dabs with the link to a unit that supplies both rooms instead of needing 2 separate units......

 

[DabOnDabs]

Here buddy, I'll save you the trouble.

http://monstergardens.com/Excel-Air-...Damper-Package

for 12k, you're really gonna need 2 Mini splits per room(, or one 5k BTU central. If i had the option, I would be all over a central AC with a damper system like above.

That monstergarden package is cool; But its overpriced as shit for what amounts to 4 dampers and a top and bottom plenum.

HVAC Zoning systems is what you're looking for, if you'd like to try to design/build your own, or need a spot to start.

 

[budleydoright]

3 tons not enough for 12k. You need to think sealed, indoor humidity is rarely low in a sealed room. run perpetual so you always have some foliage in there.

 

[munsterherms]

thanks for the replies, guys.

is there a thread on the board for optimal fan placement (and number of fans)? i figured one fan blowing the tops, and another blowing the bottom would be fine. but maybe i'll set them up in each corner, all pointed in a clockwise direction, with my exhaust filter right in the path of it all, so that the air circulates then gets sucked out....

that multi-room dampener looks awesome!

i am going to draw up a schematic of the area, and hopefully get some more ideas. i want to run perpetual, but i'm not sure how i would do it yet. i would love to split my 2 blooms into 4, and come out every 2 weeks.

 

[munsterherms]

i wanted to create some negative pressure in my rooms in order to keep odor down as much as possible...

so if i am exhausting to a window at about 1600cfm, and then pumping in fresh, cool air... Filer>Fan>Ducting>Window> Outside would i be wasting the fresh cool air?

or would it be better to not exhaust outside at all, and just have the air go Filter>Fan>Room?