CertifiedRefugee
New member
Do anyone have info or links on how to install a mini split in a grow tent
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Diy Mr Cool Mini split
- Thread starter CertifiedRefugee
- Start date
cultivatorkid
Member
i saw a guy mount the blower on the garage wall and cut a hole in his tent then sealed it with tape fwiw
Douglas.Curtis
Autistic Diplomat in Training
I hold a very strong belief in lung rooms. I keep the environment proper for filtering and pumping through a flowering area and back into the room. So set it up to chill your space, then use fans to pump the air through your room/tent/whatever.
The term might cover different designs, but to me, a mini split is two boxes linked by an umbilical cord. Often using quick release couplings. The hot box is usually put outside, while the cold box contains the compressor and condense catch tank.
Edit: My bad. I'm talking about the mobile units. The fixed installation types have the compressor outside, so is just an air-con, and the mini part of the description really means it's for just one indoor box, and likely a quick connect, already gassed item.
Under 9000btu is very uncommon for any aircon. You might find a 5000btu window unit. Which is a big unit for a square tent.
Edit: My bad. I'm talking about the mobile units. The fixed installation types have the compressor outside, so is just an air-con, and the mini part of the description really means it's for just one indoor box, and likely a quick connect, already gassed item.
Under 9000btu is very uncommon for any aircon. You might find a 5000btu window unit. Which is a big unit for a square tent.
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cultivatorkid
Member
Three Berries
Active member
Swamp cooler for the intake air if you need humidity too. Raising the temp allows more humidity which also increases the heat absorption of the air. Just depends if you need the humidity or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
But just ordered a little one to put in my small tent.
But just ordered a little one to put in my small tent.
CertifiedRefugee
New member
Iam sorry I should have said 10'x10'x7' tent about 3000watts of lights plus other things....
Three Berries
Active member
Are you going to reduce the exhaust flow with the added cooling?
Drop That Sound
Well-known member
I would just take apart a window AC unit, and bend the evaporator coil out and away from the compressor, being careful not to kink or crack the copper lines. Then cut a slot in the AC units housing\cover you took off, so you can slide it back on, but with the coil still hanging out
Build a stand next to the tent for It to sit on, at the right height you need.
Then cut a slit in the fabric on whatever side of the tent your stand is on, at the right height to mate up with the stand, and stuff the evap coil through. Then patch the cut up right around the copper lines, so the coil is now inside the tent, and the rest of the unit outside of it. Just like a real mini split in a way, but without losing co2 like a window banger usually would (from the poor leaky shrouds/baffles inside).
Cover the tent with 1" foam insulation panels, and plan to run sealed with co2, so your not wasting energy. Make it more like a cooler, with higher r-value.
If your next to a window, you might position the AC unit just like a normal install, but with the tent right up against it.
If farther away, you could duct the exhaust to some other location by adding duct and fitting to the unit.
Inside the tent, setup a new fan that blows through the coil to circulate the cold air throughout the tent. Put a drip tray under it to catch any condensation. Hell, you might as well wrap it in stainless steel tubing, so you can run your nutrient solution through that, and cool it at the same time too, without forking out for a chiller.
There you go, poor mans mini split setup for grow tents
Build a stand next to the tent for It to sit on, at the right height you need.
Then cut a slit in the fabric on whatever side of the tent your stand is on, at the right height to mate up with the stand, and stuff the evap coil through. Then patch the cut up right around the copper lines, so the coil is now inside the tent, and the rest of the unit outside of it. Just like a real mini split in a way, but without losing co2 like a window banger usually would (from the poor leaky shrouds/baffles inside).
Cover the tent with 1" foam insulation panels, and plan to run sealed with co2, so your not wasting energy. Make it more like a cooler, with higher r-value.
If your next to a window, you might position the AC unit just like a normal install, but with the tent right up against it.
If farther away, you could duct the exhaust to some other location by adding duct and fitting to the unit.
Inside the tent, setup a new fan that blows through the coil to circulate the cold air throughout the tent. Put a drip tray under it to catch any condensation. Hell, you might as well wrap it in stainless steel tubing, so you can run your nutrient solution through that, and cool it at the same time too, without forking out for a chiller.
There you go, poor mans mini split setup for grow tents
Douglas.Curtis
Autistic Diplomat in Training
I've 'ducted' a window a/c output vent to my tent intake before with cardboard... worked great!
CertifiedRefugee
New member
that is the plan, trying to figure out would it be a waste with the mini split because Iam not going to run a sealed room. Guessing to just add a lot bigger and more intake, exhaust fans to the setup prob the best way to deal with the heat.
Three Berries
Active member
Yes the added volume will make it a lot easier.
CertifiedRefugee
New member
Thank you. Also cheaper that a ac and paying for a electrician to wire it up.
Call_me_breeze
New member
I have a similar sized room to your tent. I've been playing around with different setups, trying to be efficient with utilities. We have long winters where I live, so a window unit works double duty for me as a heat pump. Cold side in the room, hot side venting into the house. I tried just sharing air from room and house, but there is just way too much humidity. Condensation dripping off all the windows, the house would have been destroyed in months. So I've got 1 or 2 tons of cooling, 2 6in ducts exhausting the building, a Quest 205 dehu and I plan on adding a couple air to water heat exchangers, so I can remove the heat separate from the humidity. I'm hoping the heat exchangers can remove a fair bit of humidity as well. Now I'm just trying to figure out the best way to utilize everything to run the most efficiently, because I was already near $1000/month with less than half the dehumidification amps. I switched to LED hoping it would be more efficient, but the same room with HIDs and exhaust was 25-30% as much to run. It's totally dialed now, but I'm throwing a lot of electricity at every problem and now I'm trying to be smarter about it
Three Berries
Active member
We used some Air to Air heat exchangers in our electrical cabinets at work. They had some sort of a transfer fluid in them . As long as there was a temperature differential you could blow across one end of them they worked great. I have no idea of the cost. Here's some examples.
www.kooltronic.com
Enclosure Heat Exchangers | Kooltronic
Kooltronic air to air and water to air heat exchangers are designed to cool electrical cabinets with reliable performance and low maintenance. Learn more.
Ca++
Well-known member
Not seen these. Took me a moment seeing watts/*FWe used some Air to Air heat exchangers in our electrical cabinets at work. They had some sort of a transfer fluid in them . As long as there was a temperature differential you could blow across one end of them they worked great. I have no idea of the cost. Here's some examples.
Enclosure Heat Exchangers | Kooltronic
Kooltronic air to air and water to air heat exchangers are designed to cool electrical cabinets with reliable performance and low maintenance. Learn more.
It's like a big liebig condenser.
We see them packaged up as heat recovery units. $300+
I can't see the OPs need for aircon. Put the tent in some garages and it will be cold and puddling, as the RH condensates on the walls.
CertifiedRefugee
New member
I think the best option for me is to shutdown doing the summertime months considering I don't have a basement, garages are just still too hot wish I had a basement to utilize the coolness of the underground.
Three Berries
Active member
The ones I saw were smaller than a shoe box. Mounted on the outside wall on the inside of the enclosure. The element looked like a heater core somewhat but it was completely sealed. It was divided in half with the cool, one exposed to the air inside and the other had the cool outside air blowing on it.Not seen these. Took me a moment seeing watts/*F
It's like a big liebig condenser.
We see them packaged up as heat recovery units. $300+
I can't see the OPs need for aircon. Put the tent in some garages and it will be cold and puddling, as the RH condensates on the walls.
Ca++
Well-known member
That's even more interesting. I would usually be thinking about thermo-electric cooling at this sort of size. So it's a bit of a slap in the face seeing these. Though #I might be able to recover...
Heat pipes? Normally used for cpu cooling, are filled for work covering 30c and beyond. They are surely in use, where there is talk of refrigeration fluid, yet no other components. I have wondered for a while, if you just sat on the bench, would have the cold block below ambient temperature. Talk of cool dry air, suggests these units do in-fact, have a drain. I should check, but perhaps you already know.
If the now $10 heatpipe set of an older cpu is keeping it close to ambient while there is a 30w? heat load, then what would $100 worth achieve. I really need one on the bench to look at. I know somebody reading can probably answer that very quickly though. I just don't have one.
Ca++
Well-known member
Very few people insulate their tent. Without which, you really would struggle. Insulation board is stiff enough to be a construction material, without much need for framework. Just a floor board across the roof on the tent, dead center, would let boards rest upon it. So as to span the distance.
If properly wrapped, all heat leaves through your exhaust, and is gone. Without insulation, heat leaves through the tent wall, warming the air going into the tent, or the space around the tent. The insulation ensures the heat you create, leaves through your insulated ducting. Also, with reasonable air exchange speed, that garage can bake all it wants to. As garage heat is so slow getting through the boards into the tent, it can't do anything before the air has already been exchanged.
The mission, is supplying the tent with cool air. Feeding it from outside through insulated duct perhaps. Or you may need to treat it on along the way. A second smaller tent might be key. Also insulated, it can house hummers, de-hummers, heaters, coolers. Your lighting load that looses relevance. Your intake air temperature matters. How hot is it at night? I can run a room fine in 30c weather. About 33c in the room I used to start shutting off HID lighting, but with LED people have rocked though 38c weather, with who knows what in their rooms.
I don't recall a thread about people loosing plants to heat. Certainly some shut down, but maybe they are just not as professional. Do glass-houses in cali shut down?
