Alrighty, first off this is my first time posting here and yes, I have searched all over haha. This is also my first grow where I have all the right tools to do it. Now, about the setup 60"x36"x20" tent, Haier 8000BTU protable A/C unit, HygroLED HO 1000, Humidifier, fan inside, and 4" vortex blower for the exhaust. Now the problem, obviously the A/C unit is reading room temperatures because it cannot fit inside my tent which is inside a closet. The A/C is vented out the window for it's personal exhaust. Then the A/C vent is ducted inside the tent. I have a fan inside the closet circulating air to keep CO2 levels up and just for general circulation. Problem is since it's not using my thermostat from inside the tent, it will shut off once the outside temp reads the set temp. Then my tent blows up to 85º. Once it kicks back on it drops back down to 71º-74º. Although it only gets hot for 10-20 minutes, I feel like this constant temp change is stressing my newly planted clones. Now, I have gone to school for audio engineering/audio electronics so I do know a bit about wiring, voltage, and just electricity in general. Been thinking about buying an external thermostat and splicing into it but not too sure how to go about it or if it reads the temp from a digital PCB. Also thinking of finding the thermostat and ducting it straight to the tent depending on where it is. Just thinking of some ideas and would like some other input! Any advice is much appreciated and I hope to solve this problem as soon as I can considering I have already started my grow. Thanks!
Also have been thinking about purchasing another A/C to keep the room a bit colder so that the A/C being directed to the tent won't have to work as hard. But at the same time I am waiting to see my first electricity bill and how much this one is going to increase it.
Lux WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat - Amazon.com Take a look at one of those. It's a thermostat for it. Plug that inside your tent, and plug the AC into that so that that thermostat will shut the AC on and off. You can't just set it at say 75 and expect it to be 75, you'll have to adjust a little bit, but it should take care of the problem. I have one and use it for my cold air intake fan, and it works great. No issues with it as of yet. Makes things a hell of a lot easier for me as well.
Okay so I have been doing some test lately and trying different things. I guess the main problem is since the a/c is not in the tent, when the compressor is off it blows air from inside the room into the tent, and that air is about 80º. By that time, with the light being on it gets up to 85-90º. Then the compressor kicks back on and ten minutes later it's back to 72º. I also did some test and let it hit 72º and then shut off the a/c, but since there is no intake blower, and the a/c is being used as the intake air, the exhaust blower is sucking out all the air and not leaving anything inside the tent, as well as the temps go up to 85 in minutes, so I can't have it shut off. I am really thinking about purchasing another a/c to keep the room cold so this a/c won't have to work as hard. I just don't understand because even exhausting into the room which should be cold air than the room actually is, it's still 80º in there. : \ confused.
I have the hot air from the a/c going outside, you're saying I should send my exhaust from the tent outside as well?
Yes. Send that outside as well. That will lower the ambient temp in the room, which should help the tent as well. Think about it. You vent the hot air from the light out, right? Why not send it outside so it's gone? I just send it to a different part of my house so I don't have to heat as much in the winter. Just put it outside as well though. No reason to keep the hot air from the light in the room that you're trying to cool off. Send it outside and it will help some. Hook it up so the ac blows cold air into the room and you have an intake blowing it into your tent. Then an exhaust that hooks up to your carbon scrubber, into your light and then the exhaust fan and blow that hot air outside. Should take care of it. Seriously though, look into that thermostat switch. IT's definitely worth the money. I just get to set it and leave it alone, and don't have to worry about walking in the room and seeing something messed up and it's 100 degrees in there and my plants are hurting.
Okay I am going to try that, probably going to end up getting the blower for the intake and trying to cool the overall room as apposed to just the tent. The only thing I still don't understand is even with my light on (it's LED and there is no exhaust for it), the degree change of the exhaust is only maybe 5-7 degrees, so if my tent is 70, max air going out is 77. But yet my room is still 80-85. Also kind of thinking about splitting the a/c vent so half of it is going to the tent and the other half is cooling the overall room. Thanks for all the help, I am going to try a few things and get back to ya! I do really like the plugin thermostat and think once I figure out the room situation I will purchase it for sure! Once again, thanks!
Well, ended up ditching the portable a/c and switched to a window unit, I have an intake going from half of the a/c vents to the tent and the rest cooling the room as a whole, so far so good! Sitting at a nice 72º-75º!! Only thing left to do is figure out where to vent, as of tonight it's just in the closet, but bottom line cannot vent outside. Buying a carbon scrubber this week!