Mystre,
Wow, such wastage of watts. Do you actually know how little difference there is between a window air conditioner and a dehumidifier. A window air conditioner has an extractor coil, a condenso coil, a compressor and two fans. An air conditioners #1 fan blows warm moist air through the cold extractor and therefore water condenses on its surface and absorbs heat it send to its condensor. The once moist air is blown into the room as cool air, the heat is extracted at the condensor by outside air and blown out by fan #2 IE it is an dehumidifier that exhausts heat out doors. A dehumifier draws moist warm through the extractor so that the moisture condenses. The now cool air is blown through the condensor where it is rewarmed and re enters the room. Ie the air conditioner cools the room and dehumififies. The dehumidifier just dehumidifies.
Hey fatman. yes, i know an A/C dehumidifies as well. but that's a good description for people who don't know
If you wish to improve your set up, use a window air conditioner set inside the room as a dehumifier. It uses the same wattage and cost 1/3 as much. You simply need to set the air conditioner so that one side of the rear is lower so all water drains from one spot. Use a simple humidistat as a controller. Use a window air conditioner for cooling.
lol is that paragraph a recommendation for me? I would never put a window A/C in a sealed room. lol. that's silly. Have you seen my set up? you think saving $100 dollars is that big a deal when i spent as much as i did? and anyway one of my dehumidifiers cost under $100 dollars on sale (extra 20 i think otherwise, and its a good quality too, both are well built). your saying I can get a GOOD QUALITY window A/C unit for $33.33 dollars! awesome! sign me up for one for my office. (to be fair though i think i paid $160 (at most) for my analog hydrofarm dehumidifier (when you buy as much as i did at once, you get a pretty awesome hydro store discount lol)
why go cheap on your cooling!? I would never pick up a cheapo window a/c (or any cheapo A/C) and depend on it for my crop. what about when it breaks? i can run cold city water through my iceboxes if something horrible happens to my chiller (heaven
forbid!) I would just need to close some valves and open some others and tada! cold water and A/C without a chiller. Having back up fail safes is comforting when people depend on you.
It appears your just dumpig your heat into another room rather than outside so as long as you are exhausting its heat out side of the room it will work as well as your watt wasting system. Unless you are putting your lights down to two or three inches below the plants rather than 6 inches or so then there is no real gain to using water chiiled lighting especially considering the high prices and poor quality of nearly all commonly sold chillers. Air cooled tubes are nearly always good enough.
Since earlier you seemed to know how A/C works... the object of using water to cool is because: One, water is more efficient at extracting heat than air is. you seem fairly intelligent so you should know that. and secondly to have that water move the heat somewhere else more convenient. why would an A/C be more efficient for me? it would be WAY more inconvenient and would of been more expensive to replace or add another A/C to the house. You think I exhaust my heat into my house or something? i'm a little confused i think you might of read something wroung. and yes, My lights are MUCH closer to the plants than probably any air cooled persons set up is. my plants can touch the glass (they don't touch it though) and not be to hot! although they would get light burn from my 1k bulb lol. it's what running a perfect environment is all about.
If you think you need a chiller simply buy a large window air conditioner and buy a GOOD Titanium chiller heat exchanger on eBay. If you want a top class chiller, buy a refrigerant filter, sight glass and a haed pressure device. Then the air coniditioner can run all year around, sitting outside like a split unit.
things aren't always cut and dry. every situation is different maybe some people are stealthy, or some are located in a weird or small spot. not everyone is comfortable wiring stuff or putting things together themselves. they make products that have warranties and designed for specific functions for a reason. but good idea, although i would never do it. ChillKing i think makes chillers that are converted window A/C units.
Yes, I imagine your system works, but it is absurdly wasteful energy wise and just directs the heat to another part of your house where you will then have to deal with it twice.
LOL NOT "absurdly wasteful energy" you don't understand my set up fully, and that cool. I never really, even in my journals, explain/talk about what my basement is set up like or even what the door to my grow looks like for that matter lol. I own but i never take security lightly. I may be legal but it doesn't protect you from thieves. my set up is a lot more efficient than your thinking... i dont have to deal with the heat twice that would be moronic. like putting a big A/C unit in a basement to cool a room only to have to use the houses A/C to cool the basement A/C lol that makes no sense (u should put the bong down j/k hahahaha who am i kidding, pack another one ;) )
My system is awesome, and I love it. A sealed room isn't for everyone tho (nor is perpetual, which is what im trying now... its hard to have everything in order on time and rooted etc. etc.). it takes a lot of work to build and planning. I can get over 2 lbs a light and I still have room for improvement! and that's the truth :) (i still have nutrient things to dial in, i wanna switch brands here soon too) having perfect control over your environment makes it easier to grow a real quality product. people (including myself) depend on my buds for medicine, I want to be able to give em some good medicine.
Even consider the simple fact that a dehudimifier costs over 3 times as much as a comparable sized Sears window air conditioner. Most chillers have very small titanium heta exchangers, no filter, site glass or head prsssure device so the sit inside and simply remove heat from tour water and dump it into the air so tha you then have to pay for the energy to remove the excess heat in the air.
lol when you actually start growing, you'll realize that spending an extra $200 bucks or whatever your trying to say i did, is worth the peace of mind! definitely. I use dehumidifiers to dehumidify, know why? its what they were designed to do, and i know they will do what they are supposed to. dealing with bud rot or powdery mildew isn't something I want to ever deal with. so spending a couple bucks ain't no thing when it keeps you from worrying.
My electric bill is just under $300 a month. that's with my grow, and a two bedroom 3 bath house. electric stove (and we cook ALL the time too AND bake a lot too!) T.v's, 1 desktop gaming pc (lotsa watts there) and a laptop, and a whole house A/C to boot. that's not bad in my opinion for growing ~2lbs a month AND 2 people living here. I give my meds out for a VERY ridiculously low reasonable price, and free if they can't afford it at the time. i'm not in this for the money. I love growing and smoking myself :)
lol this post got long lol oh well.
Happy Pharming!
-Mystre.Pharmer