I have a sensor in the tent and it has been very useful, but it only provides information. It doesn't control anything. Something I'm considering is that the Inkbird costs at least $40 and that money could be applied to buying a dehumidifier with more features.
I have wondered about where the best location for a sensor would be. I put mine at canopy level. It's nice to get lucky once in a while.
Good idea! I had been thinking about running my heater on a timer so it would run when the lights are off. Heat certainly makes a difference. I run a heater most nights, depending on the weather. It hasn't been enough to control the RH, however. This morning I turned it off after the lights had been on for almost two hours and the RH started to increase.
There certainly are a lot of dehumidifiers with lots of features. It's hard to know which to choose. I'm a techie at heart, so I am drawn to high-tech toys.
I'll probably get the dehumidifier with WiFi and remote monitoring and control. Knowing myself, I know I'll be wondering about what I didn't do if I don't do it.
I keep thinking that a temp & RH sensor in the room would be helpful. (We might put one outside, too.) So, by watching the two, the best setting for the dehumidifier could be determined. I keep wondering about how the air in the tent is continuously exchanged with the room air. The exhaust fans have combined (rated) CFM of four times the volume of the tent. Thus, theoretically, the air is being exchanged every 15 seconds. At that rate, the air can't be much different between the inside and the outside of the tent.
Here's a screen capture of the report from the sensor in the tent. It clearly shows the relationship between temperature and humidity. I turned off the heater in the room just after 6:45 AM and it's easy to see the effect. The outside temperature was in the 50s last night and we're supposed to have a hot day today. There's no A/C for the lung room, so I'll be fighting excessive heat most of the day.
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The RH has been worse lately even though the weather is hot now. I think it may be because the plants are large and transpiring more. I have two plants in a 4x4 tent. For the next grow, I plan to have four plants, so the transpiration is likely to be worse and dehumidifying will be even more important.
The good news for my next grow is that I will have learned so much doing this first grow and will be much better prepared. I have been taking "lesson-learned" notes and I'll have most of the equipment in place.