Air conditioner... +/-

[bterzz]

Ok so I bought an air conditioner but havn't installed it yet. I was wondering if the thermostat on the A/C is only going to allow me to run one consistent temperature. OR, can I set it so it turns on at 82, off at 75, on at 82, off at 75..etc.

Im worried about wasting energy.

 

[t33to]

Depends on what kind of controls the A/C has. I think you'd be able to read the manual that comes with it and find out. I know mine doesn't do that I wish it did.

 

[sparkjumper]

I kind of doubt that bro,and I know if its a window unit you wont be able to do that.

 

[EvilTwin]

bt,
Thermostats have a built-in difference between turn-on and turn-off. I've never seen one with a user adjustment on that (though some high end house units do)

They difference is so that the unit doesn't cycle too frequently. To be economical, just set the unit at the highest temp appropriate and let the unit do it's job.
ET

 

[ARTofMAKINGfire]

You can make any AC do anything. If thermostats don't have the proper parameters that you're looking for, change thermostat. You can also add a thermostat to a window unit AC for remote temperate sensing, etc.

If you have central AC, make sure that you redirect all cold air into the space the thermostat is. I.E. if you move the stat into your grow, redirect the cold air into the growroom so the unit doesn't stay on (never cooling the thermostat).

bterzz - Look up temperature differencial and find a thermostat with it. If you are talking about a window unit, you're going to have to do some reading and put in work to figure this out. (without having outside help) Though it is knowledge that you will find usefull in many other ways having this hobby.

These types of things make me want to move out to Cali and start my growroom building contracting business with my brother the carpenter and my friend the electrician. (I'm the HVAC)

 

[EvilTwin]

You can make any AC do anything. If thermostats don't have the proper parameters that you're looking for, change thermostat. You can also add a thermostat to a window unit AC for remote temperate sensing, etc.

If you have central AC, make sure that you redirect all cold air into the space the thermostat is. I.E. if you move the stat into your grow, redirect the cold air into the growroom so the unit doesn't stay on (never cooling the thermostat).

bterzz - Look up temperature differencial and find a thermostat with it. If you are talking about a window unit, you're going to have to do some reading and put in work to figure this out. (without having outside help) Though it is knowledge that you will find usefull in many other ways having this hobby.

These types of things make me want to move out to Cali and start my growroom building contracting business with my brother the carpenter and my friend the electrician. (I'm the HVAC)

Hey Art,
Is that really a helpful piece of advice? Sure, an HVAC guy can customize a system, but here's a grower wondering about a store bought system.

Having custom work done is very expensive.
ET

 

[bterzz]

Thanks for the help everyone.
ET, by setting the highest temp appropriate, that means setting it at about 82, and the A/C will cool down until it reaches X degrees and turns off, then it will kick back on at 82. Correct?

I just dont want this thing running 1100w 24/7, in addition to my 2000w worth of fans/lights, in a 2 bedroom condo.

3100w, 2 bedroom condo. Bad idea? my neighbors have about 6 people in a 3 bedroom condo so im sure there bill is super high.

 

[Mickymouse]

My window AC runs nostop to keep room at 82 with 2x1000.let it get higher takes forever to cool down

 

[cravin morehead]

check these out-
http://www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/win100.htm

i just installed one in my room for a window a/c. you can program by temps and times, heating and cooling. i set mine for my 'lights on' times to be 76*f. for 'lights off' times to be 78*f. you can adjust temp 'swing', which is the range in which it cycles on/off. so far this thing is working GREAT for my situation. i run 400w, dwc, in a cabinet, in this room with the a/c installed in a window. from the temp sensors on my cab, it has never reached over 76*f inside my cab since installing. lights on or off. i've had this thing running for about aweek now. no problems to speak of, just had to work with adjusting it to find the right range. i found mine for like $30 or something, not much...

this is where i got mine-
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(z2qdll554cv5qd55zy2gzm55)/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=4252961

 

[EvilTwin]

Thanks for the help everyone.
ET, by setting the highest temp appropriate, that means setting it at about 82, and the A/C will cool down until it reaches X degrees and turns off, then it will kick back on at 82. Correct?

I just dont want this thing running 1100w 24/7, in addition to my 2000w worth of fans/lights, in a 2 bedroom condo.

3100w, 2 bedroom condo. Bad idea? my neighbors have about 6 people in a 3 bedroom condo so im sure there bill is super high.

BT,
Yes, that's correct. Also some ACs have an economy setting. What that does is to shut off the fan, except when the compressor is cycling. That'll save a little power. You should be OK on power bills. Just make sure you're controlling odor adequately. Consider timing the lights so that they're on during the coolest part of the day. That'll also save some AC time.
Luck and best wishes...
ET

 

[bterzz]

check these out-
http://www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/win100.htm

i just installed one in my room for a window a/c. you can program by temps and times, heating and cooling. i set mine for my 'lights on' times to be 76*f. for 'lights off' times to be 78*f. you can adjust temp 'swing', which is the range in which it cycles on/off. so far this thing is working GREAT for my situation. i run 400w, dwc, in a cabinet, in this room with the a/c installed in a window. from the temp sensors on my cab, it has never reached over 76*f inside my cab since installing. lights on or off. i've had this thing running for about aweek now. no problems to speak of, just had to work with adjusting it to find the right range. i found mine for like $30 or something, not much...

this is where i got mine-
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(z2qdll554cv5qd55zy2gzm55)/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=4252961

dude that thing is sweet. so if i put this in my room with my A/C I can adjust the "swing", which will make my A/C turn on @ certain high temperatures, then back off @ desired temp?

I am confused by the theromstat idea but it sounds like its exactly what i am looking for.

Also, with my 24/7 exhaust (its what cools my lights, as well) is the cold air going to be ripped out of the room very quickly? The exhaust is 8 feet high, pulling hot air in the room through the hoods and out the room.

 

[EvilTwin]

Hi BT,
You're getting advice from guys that know way more about HVAC then I, but I was sitting here watching TV pondering things...that's how my mind works. Well this is the question that came up.

Are you certain that increasing the "swing" as you call it...or the range between turn on and turn off, will actually save you any money? That's your goal right?

Say you have a ten degree range. AC turns off at 70 and back on at 80. Well when it turns back on at 80, it has a whole 10 degrees to cool so it will run twice as long as if...say the range were only 5 degrees. Follow my thinking? What it boils down to is that there's no free lunch. Having a wider range will mean your plants will be exposed to a wider range of temps...possibly with no savings in electricity plus the extra expense of adding some doohickey to you AC.

Just a random thought that passed through my brain...
ET

PS: I don't know about air conditioning with a vigorous exhaust. That's a whole different issue. I air condition my house and have intake and exaust fans that move the already cooled air into my room. Where is your intake air coming from? Is that cooled or not? The whole ventilation system and heating and cooling needs to be a coordinated system.

 

[irieeyes808]

ART OF MAKING FIRE, GOOD to know.this is a good read.

 

[bterzz]

ET, thank you so much for the help. The room I am growing is framed and drywalled in my garage. 8x4x10. The air I am sucking in is from the garage, its passive intake, no fan pulling air in.

I have a 6" Vortex that is slowed down by the carbon filter, hoods, and ducting. It exhausts my room as well. I think the A/C should beable to cool it down fine. Its not super hot where I live, its 76 all day in the room without aircooled lights, but high humidity(60%). It says it pulls 60 pints a day out of the air, out of the hose, into a bucket..thats over 7 gallons..i dont see how that couldbe possible.

 

[r13f]

man, that sounds like a killer water distiller - it would take care of my outdoor plants perfectly

 

[EvilTwin]

BT,
I run three window units in a mobile home. They're constantly dripping (when they're on of course) and inside is bone dry. It's actually a problem because small plants prefer more humidity.

Think about running your lights at night like a suggested. That's what I do. I have them shut off at 8am so I get up early and do my plant tending then.
Cheers,
ET

 

[cravin morehead]

bterzz-im still experimenting with this myself. 'swing' as it seems to me, gives a bigger range of degrees that either turn on or off the a/c. my idea for this was to use the a/c to control the temps in the room that contains my flowering cabinet. (aprox 30"w x 20"d x 72"h) my set up draws in cool air from the room down low. a 4" 167cfm in line fan draws from a glass sealed 400w hood out and into the room up high.( not ideal, can't make holes in wall or ceiling) there's also a 4" axial fan drawing heat out the top into room. lights come on at 4pm,about 83*f outside; lights off at 4am, about 65*f outside. i program for 3:30pm @76*. next is 7pm @76*. all other program times are set @ 78*. so far, it kicks the a/c on around 81* at around 2pm or so. it stays on for about an hour. brings room to about 71*f. stays off till lights on @ 4pm, or shortly after. from then, it runs for about 2 1/2 hours, condensor cycles on/off a couple times. from that time on i usually open the door to that room, and the a/c dosen't come on again until about 2pm the next day. im sure if the door remained closed, it would come on a couple more times. so it seems to me the setting temps are arbitrary, just use them as a guide for your temp ranges. i have the 'swing' set at 5. it goes from 1-9. originally, i set 'swing' to 9. the room would get a little too warm. my exhaust set up keeps grow area temps 3*-6* above ambient (room) temps. like i said my inside cabinet temps never got over 76*. thats exactly what i was shooting for.

hope this difficult to read explanation helped a little bit. this thing works GREAT, im sure with a little messing around, you can use it to suit your needs too. i can't believe how long i ran a/c without it. should make a difference on electric bill too. its an 'energy star' rated unit. so that means it should make a difference on the bill.

i'll try to answer any other q's about it that i can-

cm

 

[lysol]

A simple way to get a similiar effect is to place a high temp shut down switch before your light, you will get less light which will reduce harvest a little but then again temperature is part of the plant's environment as well, it will reduce cooling costs, just set it to 86F and put the probe under your light, mine is hard wired to wait until it cools by 6F before resuming the lights

 

[lysol]

Hey everyone I just bought a programmable thermostat at the home Depot for my central AC. It is universal and requires only BASIC ability to splice wires. it can control hot water heaters, space heaters, any central AC and as far as I can assume window units if you open them and splice the wire... it features weekend 5:2 days, 4 time "periods" per day, programmable cycle lengths ( 10 12 15 20 or 30 oooooooh important feature for stealth! ). It even reminds you to replace your filter, and automatically turns the AC ahead of time to reach the desired temp by the desired time. Theoretically all I will need is 1 phillips head screwdriver to perform the installation.

Also the guy at home depot told me he thinks its illegal for me to install this into my apartment... lol wtf he was like I wont tell anyone tho. I will let you know how it works out.

I will probably open it up and see what would be involved to rig a remote temperature sensor. that would be pimpin pimpin

 

[lysol]

Installation was easy, configuring cycles per hour works well, even if there is a 10F gap between actual temps and target temps, my AC at least cycles every so often ( 6x per hour, 5x per hour, I configure ) so its not so blatantly obvious there is a grow op occurring in my house. Additionally my old thermostat was not calibrated properly as you can see. To install all I needed was a screwdriver, the pins are clearly labelled ( g = green, y = yellow, etc.. ). If I wanted to I could get speaker wire and extend the wires, they are just relays like the ignition switch in your car, make sure you cut the breakers tho. I'd imagine theres a similar mechanism in a portable A/C or window unit just not as easily integrated

I always wondered why my house never got down to 75 when the ac was at 72... wtf. Im so cold now brrr