How to size a cooling system for your garden

  • Thread starter Chillville
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ttystikk

ttystikk

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Does that apply to my duct exiting the row of 2 lights I was going to have a fan pushing threw two hoods with ice box after each bulb , Is that right or would i be pushing water drops on the next bulb .Or my 3rd ice box within the room with ridged duct to collect water ? Thanks for your expertise . Hydro innovations water cooled dehuey is 1200$ lol seems pricy

It sounds like you keep trying to split the difference between sealing and venting your hoods or not. There is no in between, and therefore, stop thinking in terms of sucking air through lights and then through the boxes; thats not where all the heat is, anyway. Either seal your hoods and suck outside air through OR open the hoods, take off the glass and then cool the entire room with the systems outlined above. All those old pictures about attaching Iceboxes to light fixtures are WRONG- so don't do it, lol
 
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Growops

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Ok I understand now. That's how ill do it . No venting lights at all. In the summer possibly I can figure out a way to use the outside air to cool the bulbs to assist if needed. It's a new place I have to explore it more. also in the summer ill be running my chiller in back yard . Thanks for the building plans
 
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Growops

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This is a pump I found doing a quick search . I don't think this is what I want though . What do you think ?
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

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This is a pump I found doing a quick search . I don't think this is what I want though . What do you think ?

The guys at hydro innovations have been doing this for awhile now. Get in touch with them and I'm sure they'll have some good recommendations for you.
 
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Growops

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No I understand . I was on their website briefly I didt see the 1/4hp FT but they had sizes . I'm gonna contact them . I've also seen similar 1/4 hp pumps on eBay . Ill see what they say . Once I get everything down ill be ordering stuff
 
johnnyrex

johnnyrex

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Hello chillville first I want to say that your write up on sizing your cooling system is very informative and impressive. On behalf of my self an I thinks many we thank you that I now have a reference table to go back to.

My question is I just purchase a 1 hp Aqua Quest Titanium chiller that has a 1.5" inlet and outlet. I can't seem to find the right fitting or should I say the appropriate fitting for the chiller. The unit only came with operating instruction.
I have attach some photo of the unit and side pic of the inlet outlet also 2 more photo of the caps with rubber seals. Any help would really appreciate thanks once again.

I finally got the chiller running for my epicenter for my UC but I send out an email to the distributor as to how many btu the unit has as it's rated as 1 hp and has very good component

  • 1 TON 12,000 BTU
  • Anti-corrosive heat exchanger for saltwater use
  • PANASONIC compressor
  • R22 refrigerant, prime choice in heavy duty chilling systems
  • Cools up to 750 gallons
  • Recommended flow rate 1000-1800GPH
  • 1.5inch Inlet & Outlet
  • Very reliable unit, and easy to install
  • Micro-computerized control system is easy to operate
  • Over Current and overheat auto-protection system
  • 29"Lx23"Wx20"H
  • 130LBS

    But then I received the email and he stated

    Hello John,
    As per your request Btu specs for Boyu Chiller model as follows:
    LN-2600 1HP Chiller 2600 Btu/hr
    LN-5800 2HP Chiller 5200 Btu/hr
    Thanking your for your interest in our Boyu products, is this right? Thanks
 
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johnnyrex

johnnyrex

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Hello this question is for anybody that can answer it. I have 4k light in a 12x12x7 tent I live in the northeast summers here a brutal. I was thinking 30,000btu mini split or 2hp commerical bank chiller with 4 8" iceboxes on each reflector. No I now ttystikk doesn't like to cool the reflector but the room. I don't have that luxury as I can't vent outside. Which do you think will be more effective as less power consumption I will also be running instead of flotec I will be using reeflo pump the hydro innovation hi effec pumps thanks.
Do you think the chiller will run half the time

FYI Just to let people know that the hi effec pumps that hydro innovations has are made by reeflo pump and there call
Hammerhead
 
sixstring

sixstring

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I would say if your growing hydro style go with a chiller and use it for all your cooling.needs.i seen hydro innovations use the 8in ice box on the end of a 2 x 1000 light run and air coming out was cool, like 70f.so air comes into the first light no filter then goes through the next light, then through the 8 inch fan which blows past icebox and back into grow space.this was about a yeat ago I saw the video on iceboxs.seemed like a great concept if you had a good size chiller.
 
Surfandgrow

Surfandgrow

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So I would need approximately 200,000 btu's to run a 40 light grow? Where do I get an ac unit that large? Does it have to be custom built? What are some manufacturers I can trust?
 
grow.proper

grow.proper

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I have a question .
I'm almost done building my 6000 watt room. Dimensions are 11x12 and I have decided to buy a aura 24k btu mini split. My question is I have a dedicated 20 amp breaker on 240 for my ac but the guys at my local garden shop say I need 30 amps minimum but I'm confused because from the look of it mathematically 20 Amps Is GOOD enough. The ac is pumping out 8.8 amps so if it's on a 20 amp breaker is that not good enough ? Here is the link of the ac from a retailer. I'm getting mine for 1350
 
connoisseurde420

connoisseurde420

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I have a question .
I'm almost done building my 6000 watt room. Dimensions are 11x12 and I have decided to buy a aura 24k btu mini split. My question is I have a dedicated 20 amp breaker on 240 for my ac but the guys at my local garden shop say I need 30 amps minimum but I'm confused because from the look of it mathematically 20 Amps Is GOOD enough. The ac is pumping out 8.8 amps so if it's on a 20 amp breaker is that not good enough ? Here is the link of the ac from a retailer. I'm getting mine for 1350
Are you barebulb? If not you seem to have a sound plan.
 
grow.proper

grow.proper

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Are you barebulb? If not you seem to have a sound plan.

It's going to be a sealed room besides me venting out the lights with air from outside my built room. I just want to make sure my ac will handle the watts. Here in southern California it gets hot. Looking to upgrade to 8000 watts after I finish this run too. What reviews are there on the aura mini split ?
 
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Swerv

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So I live in a Pacific Northwest coastal climate where rh generally is in the 60-80% and temps are generally mild summers average around 60-70 degrees winters are 30-55 degrees give or take. I have a north facing garage with two rooms one is 8x16 feet with 7 600w lights (flowering 12hr) the other is 10x10 feet with 4 600w lights (veg 18hr). Both rooms have 9 foot ceilings. My question is how big of a mini would I need to cool both zones ? Can I get a unit that can control both rooms? I've seen the multi room mini's online, is this a feasible option? Also the ballests would also be in the rooms that I'm trying to cool. I'd like to go the sealed rout and stop venting my hoods. Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks !! I also posted this question in the other a/c thread.

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mrgrowbigbud

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I wanted to start this thread to answer some basic questions about sizing cooling systems. Feel free to ask for help here for sizing your garden but first check out this interactive BTU calculator specifically for cooling gardens that I helped create. I personally tested everything 3x's and am very confident with my numbers. I did this by absorbing the heat in to water and then measuring the BTU's in the water. I put up some round numbers to make it easy, so these are not my exact findings.

http://www.hydroinnovations.com/faq/14032011-CoolingSystemChart R2.pdf

Basically this is how it breaks down...

Cooling BTU's needed before any equipment is added. This is for warm climates with 3 1/2" insulation, approx 40 BTU sq ft

1000 watt lamp inc radiant heat 4,000 BTU
1000 watt magnetic ballast 3,500 BTU
1000 watt digital ballast 2,500 BTU

600 watt lamp inc radiant heat 2,400 BTU
600 watt magnetic ballast 2,100 BTU
600 watt digital ballast 1,500 BTU

Co2
The amount of co2 varies on how well the room is sealed, the amount of plants consuming it, and the ppm setpoint. Typically generators have single burners inside that are rated at 3,000 BTU each. So a 4 burner gen produces approximately 12k BTU if ran for an entire hour. My best suggestion is to buy the gen before the cooling system and run it while monitoring the on and off cycle. Keep in mind that the initial run time will be longer than the maintenance run time. If you monitor for one hour and you know your generator size you can calculate your BTU's. Make sure that if you are ventilating your lights or your room that you do this while testing the BTU of the generator. You can run this test over 30 mins, just double your results. Keep in mind that plants consume it as well and this will raise your BTU's....how much depends on your plant size...I would figure at least 20% more than your BTU's test results to be safe. Just for an example I have a well sealed 12' x 24' flower room with 12 very large plants (3' wide 5-6' tall each) and my 12k BTU generator runs for about 15 mins an hour, so about 4k BTU per hour. Although not as accurate as a field test here is a co2 calculator that gives you an idea of initial run time for a particular room size. BTW 15 cubic feet of co2 equals 12k BTU.



Dehumidification
This is even trickier to calculate. BTU's created of course are based on run time. It's effected by outdoor humidity levels, how well the room is sealed, what growing system you are using (soil is highest IME), amount of plant material, and room temperature (the warmer the room the more the plants transpire), cooling system used, and humidity setpoint. Far to many variables for me to make a solid suggestion on BTU's. But to help size them I will tell you that a 70 pint dehu produces about 2k BTU per hour. If you think that you need a 70pint I would figure worst case scenario and add 2k BTU to your total. I use a 70 pint dehu for my garden (12' x 24') and it runs 50-70% of time depending on my plant cycle, but its my only form of dehumidification. With a standard a/c you will get some dehumidification out of it making the dehu run time less.

Ventilating lights
This varies depending on temp of the air being used and the amount of airflow (CFM). I've never cooled lights using outside air because in my location the air is too hot to use so I don't have any suggestions for sizing for this. I can tell you without a doubt if the air used to cool the lights is above the room temp is far less effective, in fact it can heat your room. Reflectors have about 8 sq ft of metal and 4 sq ft of glass and along with all the ducting they become heaters. Lets say your room is 80 degrees and the air you are using to cool the lights is 90 degrees. After the air flows through the reflector(s) its heated up well beyond this. All of the reflectors and ducting heats up to this temp and radiates heat in to the room. Something else to consider is that HID lighting produces radiation that even if using ice cold air radiation still passes out of the reflector. A great example is to hold your hand 1/4" away from the metal on the top of the reflector near the bulb and you can actually feel the radiant heat. This is approximately 500 BTU per hour per 1000 watt. A simple fix for this is to use Reflector Heat Shields.They will block 99% of the radiant heat on anything they cover and are a must for air cooling IMO. The radiant barrier fabric traps more heat in the reflectors allowing it to be removed with the forced air. For anyone using above room temp air to cool their lights I would insist they use these covers, I guarantee they will make a significant difference.

Lastly I always design my cooling systems 10-20% over the BTU's needed so that the cooling equipment can cycle on and off properly. These figures above have some cushion built in to them so 10% is probably fine.

If you need help sizing beyond this or have any other questions feel free to ask :)
Ive been in the hvac bis.for 35yrs and have installed ac in over 150 grows.and an average for you to use is 5000 btu per light in room will take care of the cooling and will not have a sevice man out every other week to service the unit for freezing up.
 
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mrgrowbigbud

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So I live in a Pacific Northwest coastal climate where rh generally is in the 60-80% and temps are generally mild summers average around 60-70 degrees winters are 30-55 degrees give or take. I have a north facing garage with two rooms one is 8x16 feet with 7 600w lights (flowering 12hr) the other is 10x10 feet with 4 600w lights (veg 18hr). Both rooms have 9 foot ceilings. My question is how big of a mini would I need to cool both zones ? Can I get a unit that can control both rooms? I've seen the multi room mini's online, is this a feasible option? Also the ballests would also be in the rooms that I'm trying to cool. I'd like to go the sealed rout and stop venting my hoods. Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks !! I also posted this question in the other a/c thread.

A moment ago Edit Delete Report
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Yes a split with a two head set up will work for your situation look at getting a three ton for it to cool your space's properly.i myself have been pulling a bunch of mini splits out and installing air handlers lately . the air handlers are much more efficient than the mini splits and for what the cost diffrence between the tow you get way more for your $$$ and be much happier with a air handler than a mini.
 
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mrgrowbigbud

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It's going to be a sealed room besides me venting out the lights with air from outside my built room. I just want to make sure my ac will handle the watts. Here in southern California it gets hot. Looking to upgrade to 8000 watts after I finish this run too. What reviews are there on the aura mini split ?
You will need a 3 ton and to be completely safe would run a 3 1/2 ton .the bigger mini spl.work pritty good but the indoor units struggle to keep up sumetimes in grow rooms with more than five lights.and suggest in looking into a air handler insted.
 
B

Box farm

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I have a question about the dimlux pro series 1000 open hood. There is a two inch stub that I can pull the hot air via exhaust fan but it would also pull air out of room. I am setting up three 8x4o shipping containers with two inch foam insulation. I used one do dry outdoor in and had no prob keeping temps with a 12000 btu window banger and small radiant heater. Kept it 72 all the time. Outside temps varied from 100 to twenty five degrees. (It was a lot to dry. Took all of oct. and half nov. )
So the I plugged in two dimlux thouies and started a little veg sitch in back of box and wow. Temps are all over. I'm still designing rooms so I want a closed loop but the lights are so hot! I'm not able to buy different lights as I'm all in on 24 of them.
I guess my question is how do you cool open hoods in a closed loop?
This is my first of several questions.
 
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