just bought a 5k btu AC for my closet

[hoosierdaddy]

You need to enclose the rear of the AC unit with a box. The box needs to have a good sized intake and an exhaust that is taking the air to outside the house. It would be better to also take in the air from outside the house, to keep from spending mucho of moms central air to feed this thing.

You could duct an in line from the attic through the ceiling, and run another out line back to the attic. You will need a good fan to make this air flow happen. Not a box fan, but a good inline or axial fan with probably >250cfm.
You may also need to make a pan at the bottom of the box, with a tube running out to catch any condensation that drips off.

The back of the unit in the house is not going to work, no how, no way. Don't even go there.

Do a good search for the DIY that covers this issue.

 

[Guest]

Ducting into a wall...just make sure your attic is well vented...
Don't mean to sound negative on last post, keep it green!!

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I don;t care where he ducts to, it has to be outside the house enclosure.
If it is on the bottom floor of a 2 story, walls aren't going to work too well anyway, as there are probably fire breaks in the studs that will block the flow.

 

[NorCalFor20]

i live in an appt. so ducting outside is impossible so is ducting into the celiling but i can duct hot air into the wall if i understand this right i need to build a box that houses the back part of the ac with an intake (pc fan?) and exhuast (axial or inline?)

what would happen if I just build the box around the back part then just put a ducting from the box to the hole in the wall?

 

[Guest]

Yep, a stand up has been manufactured with venting means...I think that'd work best!

 

[dontstepongrass]

i think maybe you are seeing the light. exhaust holes need to be cut with exhaust fans pulling the hot air up and out...

i incorporate a window a/c in my closet but the unit isn't in the closet itself. its installed in the window as usual but using a bunch of tape and ducting it is ducted into the closet and assisted by an inline fan blowing glorious cold air into the room. the cold air comes in, is blown at the lights from the side. the exhaust is on the other side of the closet at the top with inline fan pulling hot air into attic. the a/c is a mechanical knob unit (not digital) and is hooked up to a day/night climate contoller unit that has a photocell that detects day or night then holds kicks on at the temp you select. unit stays on until temps drop back below. etc. etc.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

If this is an apartment then I am certain the walls have fire breaks. This means that there is very little space for air to flow anywhere at all.

Is there a window close to the closet?

 

[Guest]

Hey Hoosierdaddy: hoosierdaddy likes skinny girls, but he never turns down a FATTIE!

I hear that!

 

[NorCalFor20]

no window, that i can vent out of it would be so obvious what im doing no one in this complex uses window ac's....

baba,when you say stand up do you mean the stand alone ac;s?

according to hooseir hes sayin i can't vent into the wall because of fires studs ?

i could put the ac outside my closet in my bedroom and make something that pushed the cold air from the ac into the closet without the ac being in there is that possible?

this is getting to be legenthy u guys want to discuss this in chat?

 

[phatnuggetz]

whatever you do, dont have the a/c hitting the plants directly. It will stress them out. from the looks of your pic, it looks like you have it pointed right at them. Have you ever sat in front of a a/c unit and had the cold air hit you directly? after a while it becomes hard to breathe and your overwhelmed by it.

 

[Guest]

Seems best way to grow in an apt. is to have a small cab. or something.....? Since you can't cut holes all over the place, atleast you can cut holes in a self-made grow room. Your mom has some guts, neighbors already calling police on you and your gonna run an a/c besides your central on 24/7= Loud and expensive power bills! Hope you yield huge, air flow really increases yield after light and water(nutes)....


Just work with what you got, apt. = stealth!

Honestly if you can't vent outside or get fresh air from anywhere, you have no way of running a good grow....pests love heat and lack of air flow.


Yeah, NorCalFour20, give those hydro huts a try or something similar...growing in apts. is tricky. Make sure to build a nice drying box with a good carbon filter on that...Your apt. will smell nice and clean after you've got all that carbon filtrated air flowing thru your place!

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I'm telling you that the heat created by the back of the ac unit makes it impossible to simply let it run in the house. You will be in an oven in short order. Besides, unless you piped out the condensation, you will also have ruined carpet to boot. Even stand alone AC's are going to need an exhaust.

You need to do some serious ductwork to the closet door with inline fans to make your airflow. This is also going to heat up your room and probably double moms cooling bill. But it is a doable thing, where as the Ac unit in the door is a losing venture.

 

[NorCalFor20]

eh i guess ill just get a tent and take the ac back to the store....

thanks for the advice everyone I guess the AC isn't for me at least someone can read this and learn a few things.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Man, I have grown in closets probably long before many here were even born.
I have grown bud with hot ass incandescents before, but it is a chore and can get expensive to keep things cool.

I would first tryto get some good airflow going with fans and ducts using the door. But it that fails, you may want to consider growing with flouros. Some fine herb is being produced with T-5's. Hell, even CFL's are showing good promise if used correctly.

Much better to discuss these things with others before doing something boneheaded that could end up getting mom booted out or even busted.

Hang in there.

 

[NorCalFor20]

i dunno what everyone is talking about mom stuff im 19 its my appt and i pay the bills but she just dosn't want me cutting holes in the wall, so im getting a tent, no cops are coming in my house- i already got the 400w cmh im just gonna get that Secret Jardin DR120 Kit with the fans and ducting.

btw the rooms already set up and growing away i just bought the ac being a dumbass thinking i could just set it in there.

here are some pics of the grow..... thanks again everyone.