just bought a 5k btu AC for my closet

[NorCalFor20]

I have it sitting on a rubber maid container with 2" of clearance. do I need to do anything else? i noticed quite a bit of hot air coming out the back is that going to counter act the cold air coming out the front???

i have it in the closet with the door closed im gonna check on temps in about 15 minutes.

im using it to cool a 6x8 closet with 400w in a 3x3 growing area...

 

[Guest]

I'd think you could easily cool that down with a decent exhaust fan...You need more than 2" of clearance around a unit of that type, duct out the hot air...
Do you have central a/c??

 

[NorCalFor20]

I'd think you could easily cool that down with a decent exhaust fan...You need more than 2" of clearance around a unit of that type, duct out the out air...
Do you have central a/c??

i have 2" of clearance on the bottom everywhere else around the area is completely open,

here is a pic

 

[FunkBomb]

I would assume your 5k BTU A/C is a window unit. They are made to be put in windows so the hot air stays out and it pumps the cool air into the room. Those things take around 500 watts to run so that amount of heat will be in the room as well.

-Funk

 

[NorCalFor20]

I would assume your 5k BTU A/C is a window unit. They are made to be put in windows so the hot air stays out and it pumps the cool air into the room. Those things take around 500 watts to run so that amount of heat will be in the room as well.

-Funk

it is a window unit. so yea quite a bit of heat- but i am thinking it puts out enough cold air to cool itself and the 400w light thats in there, at least i hope.

what do you think??

 

[NorCalFor20]

ok so i went back in there its putting out more heat now than it was before, i have to figure out how to get the heat out of the closet that comes out the back of the unit otherwise i just bought myself a 100$ heater lol

any advice?

my ideas...

1. cut a hole in my door and place the ac unit with the hot part facing my bedroom and the cold part going in the closet.

2.build a box the back of the ac could sit in and run some flex vent under teh door of the closet (would be a bitch)

3.seal off the back of the ac so it can't exhaust heat (shorten the life of the ac)

4. take it back

 

[Guest]

Duct out the hot air or i think it'd be a complete waste of power. Put the a/c in the room that way the hot air will not be next to plants and you'll cool the whole room down a bit, should be plenty, 400w setup is not hott! Proper exhaust will cure your ailes...

 

[Guest]

very simple, buy an a/c with ducting capabilities. or pull out your duct tape! LOL

 

[NorCalFor20]

what do you think would be the best way to duct the hot air outside the closet its a sealed closet not many ways to get heat out....

also i bought the ac thinking it would be plenty to cool the closet.

how do you guys like the hole in the closet door idea?

how would i get the exact dimensions right ?

 

[Guest]

do not seal the back, you'll become a firestarter!!!
Just take it back and see if anything else works for your setup any better.

Just curious, what is the temp in your closet now? No central a/c to keep that room in check...? Do you really need the a/c, if you run lights at night?

Do you have an exhaust fan??

Is your ballast in the closet? I'd definitely get that outta there and that's a start.

Air exchange is just as important as your light...

 

[NorCalFor20]

17" x 12" 1/2 is the meaurement of the ac i am thinking of the door idea i think if i take my door to lowes and tell them to cut me a 17" x 12 1/2" hole in my door and put my door back up and run the ac with the heat coming into my bedroom and the cold air going in my closet if that makes sense.

the temp inside now is around 85 i just have my door open enough for my osc fan to blow air in the room fresh from my bedroom, its hot here anytime of the year even if i run lights at night.... (im runing 18/6 right now anyway)

i do have central ac but there is no vent in that closet.

my ballast is not in my closet, its in my bedroom....


so how about the door hole idea would that work? i wanna use this ac because it says 5k btu but i think its putting out some serious cold air..... there was a demo on a shelf running in the store, and it was nice the one i have here at home is just as cold but the heat from the back (which i didn't notice at the store) is more than the cold air it puts out........

 

[Guest]

Do you have an exhaust fan? Just put your a/c in a box idea you had and duct out that box thru your door, that way you've only got a 6" hole or so, and have some integrity left on that door. I wouldn't mount it into a thin, wooden interior door, the whole unit that is, as it's made for a stationary, framed out wall...

 

[Jacksparrow]

Yea those window units are window units for a reason. They need that intake air to cool the generator. If it doesnt get free flowing fresh air they get hot quickly.

I would recommend getting a standalone unit such as any of these:
http://www.air-conditioner-america.com/category.asp?subcat=CP05&search=&page=all

Those standalone's come setup to be ducted remotely. Usually a section of ducting with a window fitting which you could simply lengthen the ducting to reach the nearest window.

Another idea might be an air cooler.. while it wont cool like an A/C unit.. they dont require fresh air. They simply cool the air around them, while also raising humidity some. Some models have ionizers built in.

My

 

[Guest]

You might wanna do a hole at bottom of door for intake and then setup an exhaust hole going thru the top of the door, each hole angled away from each other??

Hard to say without seeing your setup, but sounds like the a/c is way overkill for a 400w in my opinion. Air cooled hood??



Since your closet sounds so big, you could have just built a 3' x 3' x 5' or 6' box and exhaust that box, and then could leave the closet door open....kinda like an enclosed room in your closet, just an idea.

 

[NorCalFor20]

Do you have an exhaust fan? Just put your a/c in a box idea you had and duct out that box thru your door, that way you've only got a 6" hole or so, and have some integrity left on that door. I wouldn't mount it into a thin, wooden interior door, the whole unit that is, as it's made for a stationary, framed out wall...

So build a box that houses the back of the ac unit then run ducting out the door?

I think my door could hold my ac unit and it sounds a lot easier that building a whole box...my door is very thick and sturdy i think it would hold the 40lb window unit...

my mom said that the ac might exhaust fumes like carbon monoxide and freon gas is that something to worry about? I am also in an appt so i can't vent out the window.

 

[Guest]

This is my last attempt. Try an exhaust fan first if you don't already have one, attach a small carbon filter to your exhause fan, ie.elicent, vortex...
Than run ducting from your filter/fan combo thru your door. That eliminates the a/c. If you do really need the a/c for 400w than set it up whatever way works best for you!

But, the power usage an a/c drains versus an exhaust fan is tremendous. If you had multiple lights in a small space, a/c would be needed, but i'd first try exhausting efficiently and then install that a/c in your door if it makes your room work....
Good luck


You might wanna calculate how much your monthly overhead is going to be for that setup versus time, energy you put into it and what it will generate as far as quantity of medicine. I know it's fun to grow your own, but so far it sounds like it'd cost the same just to get some good herb that's already grown....
Maybe the good stuff isn't plentiful where you are, in that case Rock on! Just don't be surprised if you suffer problems later due to inadequately setting up the room.

Take care, be careful too!

 

[NorCalFor20]

Yea those window units are window units for a reason. They need that intake air to cool the generator. If it doesnt get free flowing fresh air they get hot quickly.

I would recommend getting a standalone unit such as any of these:
http://www.air-conditioner-america.com/category.asp?subcat=CP05&search=&page=all

Those standalone's come setup to be ducted remotely. Usually a section of ducting with a window fitting which you could simply lengthen the ducting to reach the nearest window.

Another idea might be an air cooler.. while it wont cool like an A/C unit.. they dont require fresh air. They simply cool the air around them, while also raising humidity some. Some models have ionizers built in.

My

I thought about evaporative cooling but i need a little more HP than an evaporative cooling ac, ill look at the stand alone units. Would this:

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=GRDR120KIT&eq=

in my closet with the door open keep my plants cool? It has a 4" vortech and it has a smell filter.

also like how it traps the light to a smaller area. let me know. thanks for all the help so far.

 

[river rat01]

hey norcal, checkout this thread..http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=1640937#post1640937

what i would do is neck down the size of the exhaust to a 4'' duct and run it into the wall.
in an interior wall,(hollow) just aim the vent up, and it will blow up into the attic.
easy peasy

 

[NorCalFor20]

This is my last attempt. Try an exhaust fan first if you don't already have one, attach a small carbon filter to your exhause fan, ie.elicent, vortex...
Than run ducting from your filter/fan combo thru your door. That eliminates the a/c. If you do really need the a/c for 400w than set it up whatever way works best for you!

But, the power usage an a/c drains versus an exhaust fan is tremendous. If you had multiple lights in a small space, a/c would be needed, but i'd first try exhausting efficiently and then install that a/c in your door if it makes your room work....
Good luck

well i don't have an exhaust other than leaving the door cracked for the osclillating fan to blow fresh air in (intake) but no fan powered exhaust really bc its just a square closet with 1 door. I wanted the ac incase I add another 400wcmh for flower, i think im just gonna take the ac back and use this

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=GRDR120KIT&eq=

in my closet with the door open.

 

[NorCalFor20]

hey norcal, checkout this thread..http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=1640937#post1640937

what i would do is neck down the size of the exhaust to a 4'' duct and run it into the wall.
in an interior wall,(hollow) just aim the vent up, and it will blow up into the attic.
easy peasy

you know what, good idea ill keep the ac and use it to cool the air coming in the closet that way i can run 2x 400w cmh

just cut a hole in the wall and duct into it! should have thought of that earlier.

i can keep the ac and run it in the same room as the closet just duct the air into the wall, genius!

also i can run like 2 tents in there now for preptual harvest if i'd like, basically supplying cold air to the tents to keep temps really low inside the closet where the vortechs are drawing in the intake air which would be around 55-60 degrees if i set this thing up right.