DIY Window Ac Unit in Grow Room?

[Guy Incognito]

In the house I currently own I use two small 8,000 btu window air conditioners to cool down the entire house, upstairs and down. They put out a good amount of heat on the exhaust side to the outdoors. I was thinking about installing one in my shop room in my pole barn which is enclosed and insulated and exhausting it out into the uninsulated portion of the pole barn which has roof vents. I have a 4'x4' grow tent in the shop. My shop is much larger than 5'x5'.

I believe a window air conditioner would be way oversized if it is just used in a 5'x5' space. I would think a portable air conditioner would work better as they are a bit larger than a dehumidifier and use a flexible vent much like an exhaust fan vent which you could extend to vent out a window to exhaust heat and humidity outside your garage.

If you use a window air conditioner in such a small space I'd go with the smallest available, likely 5,000 btu. If in US, the Energy Star models would likely be best than some older larger unit. From Wal-Mart many models are available for just over $100.00 and will cool 100 to 150 square feet. Set the temperature control high enough that it rarely needs to kick on.

I just checked my spare window unit and it's a 5100 BTU. I think I'll install that in the room this weekend and vent it out to the garage. If that gives me any trouble I'll upgrade to a portable, or maybe even a split.

I'm still planning to keep the intake vents from the cool house open after I install the AC; is that correct?

 

[Doug58]

I just checked my spare window unit and it's a 5100 BTU. I think I'll install that in the room this weekend and vent it out to the garage. If that gives me any trouble I'll upgrade to a portable, or maybe even a split.

I'm still planning to keep the intake vents from the cool house open after I install the AC; is that correct?

Should work. I start my plants in my basement in a small tent as it is cooler down there, 60 degrees most of the year which offsets the heat from the lights in a smaller 2x4 foot tent. I always move them to my pole barn tent or outside when they start stinking though I could always vent the blower out a small basement window right above the tent a few feet. In the dead of Summer my shop in the pole barn gets too warm even though it is well insulated in the shop. I'm too cheap to run all the lights, blower, etc. in the pole barn in the Summer heat. Since it is legal to grow in my state I just move the plants outside and let them grow naturally now.

If the room in your garage is insulated that air conditioner should work well enough if you set the temperature high enough that it shuts off when not needed as long as the space doesn't get too cold to stunt growth.

 

[nizmoKush]

Damn my temps have been hovering between 85f and highest 88f with rh around 60. The girls keep in putting weight I guess vpd is around what it's supposed to be. I can't really control my temps since it's inside a walk in closet with no ac vents. Mars hydro fc3000 at 70% in 32x32(2.7ftx2.7ft)tent.