**** Window AC box build, need advice ****

[Zarthustra]

Hello, I am building a garage grow, 4x 1000w parabolic hoods. The ac is 25000 btu. I am framing a section of the garage off as the grow room. The window ac will be mounted 5 feet off the ground in the new framed wall. My plan is to build a box around the back of the ac unit. I will leave 6 inches between the ac unit and the box on the back, top and sides of the unit to provide airflow. I will be using 8 inch or larger intake and exhaust holes with either can fans or inline duct fans. Now here is where it gets interesting. I live in a high altitude climate that has warm summers and very cold winters. I was planning running the intake and exhaust through the garage door which leads to the outside. So I would be in taking outside air and exhausting to the outside. The only problem is that when you try and run a window ac in the winter when the compressor and other components are exposed to freezing air the ac will get damaged or not work. So I was thinking I would have connect my intake/exhaust fans to a temperature controller which would read the air temp inside the ac box. Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[dragunn]

if you leave the back off your a/c box in the winter, it will heat your space.use a heater if you need it warmer.no need to hook up your intake to the back of the a/c.just dump fresh air into your room with your intake hose.let the cold air heat up some.

when it gets hot in the summer put the back of the a/c box on.with the intake hose if it gets too hot.

 

[plutosmoke]

if you leave the back off your a/c box in the winter, it will heat your space.use a heater if you need it warmer.no need to hook up your intake to the back of the a/c.just dump fresh air into your room with your intake hose.let the cold air heat up some.

when it gets hot in the summer put the back of the a/c box on.with the intake hose if it gets too hot.

Great idea! I was trying to figure out how to heat up the intake without further expense of electricity.

But if he wants to, a heating element can easily be integrated into the intake

There are a lot of dyi heating screen tutorials on youtube

 

[Jhhnn]

If the garage has a gabled roof, just install a large-ish vent fan w/ louvered damper on one end & a louvered damper intake on the other, run it off a thermostat. Use the non-grow area of the garage as a lung room.

 

[dragunn]

also if you vent the air slowly it will have more time to heat up the room.im using soler and palau td 200 s(td silent)8 inch model,wired at 490 cfm.to vent a 25,000 btu a/c box.lasted about 30 months going 24/7.also cost about 250.00.i was worried more about sound though.