And so it begins, sealed grow room project

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hypertyper

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Looks like a really neat setup! How are you going to control the water temps? I'm getting into RDWC after struggling with water temps in single buckets. If you keep the room at the temps that the water needs to be it slowls growth afaik...

What are your plans for the CO2? Tanks or burner? I've researched tanks but it seems that even 20lb will not last very long. I love the idea but I'm bummed at how long a tank seems to last. Curious to see how your setup will unfold.
 
RootsRuler

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I tried for years to make a portable A/C work but the issue with odor, heat dispersal and footprint finally made me realize that a small mini split was the only real way to remove those issues and be able to truly automate my environmental controls.
 
Scotty420

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I tried for years to make a portable A/C work but the issue with odor, heat dispersal and footprint finally made me realize that a small mini split was the only real way to remove those issues and be able to truly automate my environmental controls.
What issues were you having with heat dispersal & odor? The footprint issue I get, I'm considering trying to make a hood to go over a portable unit that I could attach a duct to & run into my tent. I'm just not sure if the blower on one of those units will produce enough static pressure to actually work with duct attached. If it doesn't work I could just use it in the lung room.
 
RootsRuler

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The problem with portables is they're inefficient and having to exhaust heat will pull room air with it. The unit needs air to cool the condensor and the only air it has to do that with is the room air. Unless you are scrubbing the room air with a separate carbon filter you will have persistent odor problems. Same goes with window units. It's the nature of the design. Since it's an all in one unit it will also generate heat in the room regardless of your exhausting the majority of it out.

Mini splits separate the condenser from the air handler unit so no heat generated from the condenser ever enters the room since the condensor is being cooled outside the room without using any of the rooms air to do it. The air handler houses the cooling coils so it does not add any heat to the room. Mini splits also usually come with a heat pump so you have way more control over your environment throughout the year and can control temperature much more accurately than you can with a portable.

Portables can work but it takes much more attention to keep them in the range you want them. I prefer having one less chore to have to monitor and as important as it is to keep a consistent environment this type of air conditioning will be able to do that without you having to manually adjust.
 
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Scotty420

Scotty420

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The problem with portables is they're inefficient and having to exhaust heat will pull room air with it. The unit needs air to cool the condensor and the only air it has to do that with is the room air. Unless you are scrubbing the room air with a separate carbon filter you will have persistent odor problems. Same goes with window units. It's the nature of the design. Since it's an all in one unit it will also generate heat in the room regardless of your exhausting the majority of it out.

Mini splits separate the condenser from the air handler unit so no heat generated from the condenser ever enters the room since the condensor is being cooled outside the room without using any of the rooms air to do it. The air handler houses the cooling coils so it does not add any heat to the room. Mini splits also usually come with a heat pump so you have way more control over your environment throughout the year and can control temperature much more accurately than you can with a portable.

Portables can work but it takes much more attention to keep them in the range you want them. I prefer having one less chore to have to monitor and as important as it is to keep a consistent environment this type of air conditioning will be able to do that without you having to manually adjust.
You need to get the 2 hose unit to solve the air exhausting problem, it pulls in outside air runs it across the condenser coil & then runs it back outside through a 2nd pipe. It shouldn't affect air pressure of the room it's in. And yes the compressor will create heat, however the unit should be cooling waaaay more than the compressor puts off so that shouldn't be an issue.

As far as window units they're basically a mini split unit that goes through the wall (as opposed to being mounted on the wall with a couple small pipes going through the wall). Everything that's outside on a mini split is outside the window in a window unit with a metal divider inside the unit separating it on the inside.

Imagine if you took your mini split & put both units in a metal box divided in the center & ran the freon piping through the divider wall & slid that through a hole in the wall. That's all a window unit is. The only real difference is most window units only have one fan motor that has 2 shafts that run both the indoor & outdoor fans. Otherwise they are virtually the same thing. But yes most mini splits are much more efficient, however you can find cheap inefficient mini splits as well.

Don't get me wrong mini splits are great, hell I sell them all the time. But the cheapest I know of us doing one recently is $5k. I can buy at wholesale & install myself & it's way over anything I would consider for my grow room. But yeah if you have the budget they are definitely badass.
 
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@hypertyper so far my Temps haven't been bad. Usually 68-71°, I'm also running z7 through my reservoir. I will be drawing from a tank, in a sealed room c02 lasts quiet a long time. Minimize your room entries. I have an emitter and controller. The room only being 5x5x8 it doesn't take much c02 to keep it around 1000ppm.
 
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Dummy buds

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I tried for years to make a portable A/C work but the issue with odor, heat dispersal and footprint finally made me realize that a small mini split was the only real way to remove those issues and be able to truly automate my environmental controls.
This one has absolutely no smell, I thoroughly tested it. It brings cool air in through one duct, and hot air goes out the other duct. It doesn't use any air from inside the room
 
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@RootsRuler




Check this out, I barely found out these exist a couple months ago, I've been growing for 20 years 😆 🤣 😂
 
RootsRuler

RootsRuler

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You need to get the 2 hose unit to solve the air exhausting problem, it pulls in outside air runs it across the condenser coil & then runs it back outside through a 2nd pipe. It shouldn't affect air pressure of the room it's in. And yes the compressor will create heat, however the unit should be cooling waaaay more than the compressor puts off so that shouldn't be an issue.

As far as window units they're basically a mini split unit that goes through the wall (as opposed to being mounted on the wall with a couple small pipes going through the wall). Everything that's outside on a mini split is outside the window in a window unit with a metal divider inside the unit separating it on the inside.

Imagine if you took your mini split & put both units in a metal box divided in the center & ran the freon piping through the divider wall & slid that through a hole in the wall. That's all a window unit is. The only real difference is most window units only have one fan motor that has 2 shafts that run both the indoor & outdoor fans. Otherwise they are virtually the same thing. But yes most mini splits are much more efficient, however you can find cheap inefficient mini splits as well.

Don't get me wrong mini splits are great, hell I sell them all the time. But the cheapest I know of us doing one recently is $5k. I can buy at wholesale & install myself & it's way over anything I would consider for my grow room. But yeah if you have the budget they are definitely badass.
WOW! 5K? How big a room are you cooling? I can get 2T MS's for around $1,000 and change. I've installed lots of them.

I'm not sure who your wholesaler is but the difference in price for both is not that far off. Window unit yes but portable is close to what a MS of similar size would cost with all the added benefits to boot.

I'm not averse to portables in certain instances but I just don't see the point in the long run with the ease of installation an MS brings. Every window unit I've tried in a grow room blows out odor. Maybe I missed something but I don't see how you can keep that from happening short of scrubbing the air the window unit is drawing from.
 
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Scotty420

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WOW! 5K? How big a room are you cooling? I can get 2T MS's for around $1,000 and change. I've installed lots of them.

I'm not sure who your wholesaler is but the difference in price for both is not that far off. Window unit yes but portable is close to what a MS of similar size would cost with all the added benefits to boot.

I'm not averse to portables in certain instances but I just don't see the point in the long run with the ease of installation an MS brings. Every window unit I've tried in a grow room blows out odor. Maybe I missed something but I don't see how you can keep that from happening short of scrubbing the air the window unit is drawing from.
Yeah you can probably get a unit for that but that won't include line set, running electrical from the panel, control wiring to the unit & several other things.

https://www.amazon.com/MrCool-Ductl...fix=1+ton+minio+split+diy,aps,93&sr=8-10&th=1

Here's a kit by an off brand that has most of what you'd need, but still doesn't appear to include the electrical, which could be a few hundred more. It's normally almost $1,900 (it's on sale now for $1750). Yes there are cheaper units by completely random manufacturers, but if I'm having it professionally installed I want something that's going to last.

We're selling the bigger names like Lennox & Mitsubishi & they tend to be a bit more expensive & we don't sell the cheaper low SEER units. You're going to struggle to find one by any semi reputable brand much below 4K professionally installed, at least in my area anyway.
 
Harpua88

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@Harpua88 so the room is completely sealed. Air doesn't even escape, well maybe a tiny amount, but nothing to worry about. I will be using c02, that's why I chose to seal it up, which is why I chose the portable Ac that has dual hoses, it is completely sealed off, so there is no smell at all outside of the room. It's a pretty cool room, I have 20 years of growing, and building grow rooms of all sorts.
Eesh.......ok. this is another "to each their own" thing. I just wrote a small book about how the whole SCROG thing isn't for me. And really, it's almost like everyone's method is a great method......for them. For me, I use a fan. I don't want anything sealed off, I want the air to move all around.....I don't know if you have company over and say "oh, that corner room? I......develop pictures ...."? ;).

But yeah, all good, I totally get it.....maybe I don't quite get the a/c, no air escaping thing.....I would think there would be air intake and exhaust, you're pumping in air, and CO2......it has to smell, I mean if I were standing in the room, certainly during the last 30+ days, are you saying I wouldn't know it's a grow space? But hey, like I said, everyone has their ways and methods and what they like, and it's all good....

Oh and we're getting the mini-split pump things this spring, really just for a/c during the hottest summer days/nights. Maybe some efficient supplemental heat, but it's really for a/c, and maybe only like 50+ days/nights a year. Our house is in the mountains of the upper northeast. And we're up about 1500ft in elevation so hot days and nights are all relative. We also live in New York City. When people upstate say it's hot because it touches 90, followed by a nice cooldown at sunset, I tell them about thick, humid, stagnant, baked brick and concrete, where it goes to 98 day after day, and maybe, maybe dips below 80 for an hour before sunrise.....
 
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Dummy buds

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WOW! 5K? How big a room are you cooling? I can get 2T MS's for around $1,000 and change. I've installed lots of them.



I'm not sure who your wholesaler is but the difference in price for both is not that far off. Window unit yes but portable is close to what a MS of similar size would cost with all the added benefits to boot.



I'm not averse to portables in certain instances but I just don't see the point in the long run with the ease of installation an MS brings. Every window unit I've tried in a grow room blows out odor. Maybe I missed something but I don't see how you can keep that from happening short of scrubbing the air the window unit is drawing from.


my room is a whopping 25 square feet 😆, so it runs for about 3 minutes every 30-45 minutes. I never knew they had these dual duct units that solely use outside air to cool the compressor. I did a heavy smoke test, it didn't pull any odor from the room, its basically a mini split. If I decide to tear this room down and build a larger room I'll probably run a mini. It being in my basement and me living in a state that has absolutely no tolerance for cannabis, makes it difficult to have one installed.
 
Dummy buds

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Eesh.......ok. this is another "to each their own" thing. I just wrote a small book about how the whole SCROG thing isn't for me. And really, it's almost like everyone's method is a great method......for them. For me, I use a fan. I don't want anything sealed off, I want the air to move all around.....I don't know if you have company over and say "oh, that corner room? I......develop pictures ...."? ;).















But yeah, all good, I totally get it.....maybe I don't quite get the a/c, no air escaping thing.....I would think there would be air intake and exhaust, you're pumping in air, and CO2......it has to smell, I mean if I were standing in the room, certainly during the last 30+ days, are you saying I wouldn't know it's a grow space? But hey, like I said, everyone has their ways and methods and what they like, and it's all good....















Oh and we're getting the mini-split pump things this spring, really just for a/c during the hottest summer days/nights. Maybe some efficient supplemental heat, but it's really for a/c, and maybe only like 50+ days/nights a year. Our house is in the mountains of the upper northeast. And we're up about 1500ft in elevation so hot days and nights are all relative. We also live in New York City. When people upstate say it's hot because it touches 90, followed by a nice cooldown at sunset, I tell them about thick, humid, stagnant, baked brick and concrete, where it goes to 98 day after day, and maybe, maybe dips below 80 for an hour before sunrise.....





I have a fan in there moving air around, the ac also has a fan moving air. I also have an inline fan scrubbing the room air with a carbon filter. The ac also has filters to clean the air. The room itself is in my basement. We don't have company because we don't know anyone in this state, we just moved here. And if we did know people, I wouldn't have them in a basement 😆. It's definitely a stealth grow, its not hard to do, it takes a little planning in the beginning but it's easy enough. I also have been a fabricator, welder, worked in construction, electrician, and am currently and in field engineer in the ag industry. I have a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to building anything. And I'm smart enough to ask questions about what I don't know or understand, for insight from others. For me this is a hobby, the room and method of growing is planned out so I don't have to open the room everyday. I even have a 2k camera in the room so I can watch it 😆
 
RootsRuler

RootsRuler

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Yeah you can probably get a unit for that but that won't include line set, running electrical from the panel, control wiring to the unit & several other things.

https://www.amazon.com/MrCool-Ductless-Split-System-Generation/dp/B083R2XNKD/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2EVRLU9DH1QI8&keywords=1+ton+mini+split+diy&qid=1677209802&sprefix=1+ton+minio+split+diy,aps,93&sr=8-10&th=1

Here's a kit by an off brand that has most of what you'd need, but still doesn't appear to include the electrical, which could be a few hundred more. It's normally almost $1,900 (it's on sale now for $1750). Yes there are cheaper units by completely random manufacturers, but if I'm having it professionally installed I want something that's going to last.

We're selling the bigger names like Lennox & Mitsubishi & they tend to be a bit more expensive & we don't sell the cheaper low SEER units. You're going to struggle to find one by any semi reputable brand much below 4K professionally installed, at least in my area anyway.
The Mitsu's are my favorite. I guess since I do most of my own electrical under the supervision of an electrician my cost is lower. I'll usually do the physical install and they'll check it to make sure it's right. The 2T kits come with around 50' of line. Haven't had one die on me yet. I just run a 240v knife switched box and connect it to the compressor and run line to the handler.
 
Scotty420

Scotty420

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The Mitsu's are my favorite. I guess since I do most of my own electrical under the supervision of an electrician my cost is lower. I'll usually do the physical install and they'll check it to make sure it's right. The 2T kits come with around 50' of line. Haven't had one die on me yet. I just run a 240v knife switched box and connect it to the compressor and run line to the handler.
Yeah if you can do the work yourself you can save yourself a lot of money. Freaking labor is expensive these days. And we do have a few people who will do the work themselves & then have us come out & double check final connections/charge. Of course we've done a couple that were entirely wrong & had to redo a lot of their work. But that's better than starting it up incorrectly installed & having it damage the system.

And yeah the Mitsu units are really nice, they have a ton of options for all different scenarios. I recently went to a training for their VRF systems which are basically mini splits on steroids. It's a multi head setup where heat can be directly transferred from one space to another. So for instance if you need cooling in your grow room & heating in your bedroom & living room in will use the bedroom/living room units as the outdoor coils for the grow room. They're sick, but expensive as hell.
 
RootsRuler

RootsRuler

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Yeah if you can do the work yourself you can save yourself a lot of money. Freaking labor is expensive these days. And we do have a few people who will do the work themselves & then have us come out & double check final connections/charge. Of course we've done a couple that were entirely wrong & had to redo a lot of their work. But that's better than starting it up incorrectly installed & having it damage the system.

And yeah the Mitsu units are really nice, they have a ton of options for all different scenarios. I recently went to a training for their VRF systems which are basically mini splits on steroids. It's a multi head setup where heat can be directly transferred from one space to another. So for instance if you need cooling in your grow room & heating in your bedroom & living room in will use the bedroom/living room units as the outdoor coils for the grow room. They're sick, but expensive as hell.
SWEET!

I did a build out of ten 40ft sea containers. The owners wanted to run double ended Gavita Pro's so it got pretty hot in there. Owners wanted to run multi port Mitsu compressors so that in case one of the compressors failed or went off line they could reroute the supply line to the handler and get the room back up temporarily until they got the compressor back on line. We mounted the compressors on the back of the containers.
 
Harpua88

Harpua88

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Yes, I said this. ;)

And did you feel the need to put your gun in the pictures??
 
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@Harpua88 it seems like with your last 2 comments you don't like mine, or other people's grows or setups. You don't like scrog so much you wrote a book lmao!! Yet for 100's of thousands of growers it works like a charm. The top growes, and people like Ed Rosenthal and Jorge Cervantes write about it and it's benefits. You don't like sealed rooms, you don't seem like to like anything that you have no control or say so in. And I'm willing to bet its your lack of knowledge. And no, I didn't put my gun in a picture, I put my items where my gun was sitting which happens to be a work bench. Does that bother you, Someone's firearm in a picture, that is no where near you? Are you afraid of a picture of a gun? Why exactly did you feel like you needed to mention it?
 
Harpua88

Harpua88

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@Harpua88 it seems like with your last 2 comments you don't like mine, or other people's grows or setups. You don't like scrog so much you wrote a book lmao!! Yet for 100's of thousands of growers it works like a charm. The top growes, and people like Ed Rosenthal and Jorge Cervantes write about it and it's benefits. You don't like sealed rooms, you don't seem like to like anything that you have no control or say so in. And I'm willing to bet its your lack of knowledge. And no, I didn't put my gun in a picture, I put my items where my gun was sitting which happens to be a work bench. Does that bother you, Someone's firearm in a picture, that is no where near you? Are you afraid of a picture of a gun? Why exactly did you feel like you needed to mention it?
Absolutely not, I praised it and said a lot of people would be well served to learn it. It's just not for me for all the reasons I said. And I always write a book.... ;)

But i do think you just wanted to show us your gun..... ;)

I first grew in the late 80s. :)
 
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