The best aircon/dehumidifier for my grow room?

[keith1975]

I bought this
GMC Aircon - 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner - Heating & Cooling

This managed to decrease the humidity a bit, but also raised the temperature significantly. It might not be the right "type" of dehumidifier I need. In fact, I need an aircon/dehumidifier combo. Something that can regulate the air better AND help with my high humidity.

What also intrigued me was when the guy at the local nursery told me: "Guys that use aircons grow the best bud." I don't know how true that is, but with my dehumidifier having just broken, I now have several legitimate reasons to return the dehumidifier. But with what do I replace it?

I can't actually have an aircon installed right now, for stealth reasons. So i'm thinking a decent portable aircon. I saw this one ALLIANCE Portable Air Conditioner but it is 1350 Watt.

If it actually draws that much from the wall 24/7, then my bill is going to be astronomical. So I think this specific one might be too strong, or perhaps I can't rely on the 1350 Watt value on the specs as being the amount of power it will draw from the wall?

Is there any specific portable aircon that any of you have had a lot of success with? Perhaps even one that has dehumidifying features built in. It certainly at least needs a pipe that flows air out. I will connect this to an external window so stale air is actually pushed out.

 

[keith1975]

Based on the description for this: ALLIANCE Portable Air Conditioner

"Requiring no professional installation, the compact Alliance R410A Portable can be taken home and installed within minutes. Unlike room coolers that rely on the evaporation of water to reduce air temperature – which increases humidity – the Alliance R410A Portable is a true airconditioner, equipped with a flexible exhaust hose to vent via a window. It can thus be taken from room to room, cooling in Summer and heating in Winter. It also removes up to 1.2 litres of water per hour, exhausted via the exit hose, thus dehumidifying your environment. For the home or small office, the Alliance R410A Portable is the perfect answer for economical environmentally-friendly climate control."

This sounds like exactly the thing I need. Anyone else had luck with something similar? How's the electricity bills? Did you regret buying one over having a proper aircon installed?

 

[keith1975]

It sounds like it is exactly what I need. Would love to hear some input before I put down the cash to buy it!

 

[TurboBucket]

Yes that will work. As you noted it won't be cheap to run though. No ac unit is.

 

[keith1975]

Yes that will work. As you noted it won't be cheap to run though. No ac unit is.

But will that one be cheap enough, or would it make more sense to have one installed in the wall? I.e. Are portable ones as sufficient as non-portable ones? (They are certainly cheaper)

 

[TurboBucket]

Not sure how it works over there. Here they have an energy efficiency rating that shows how much cooling you get per watt of energy used.

What exactly are you looking at having installed? A ductless ac?

 

[keith1975]

Not sure how it works over there. Here they have an energy efficiency rating that shows how much cooling you get per watt of energy used.

What exactly are you looking at having installed? A ductless ac?

I would probably go for something like this: Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

So I assume that is ductless, but it still draws from inside to outside. But I'm hoping my portable option is going to be good enough. Not only is it half the price, but it also means I don't need someone to come and install it for me. If it doesn't work, it's another bunch of cash down the toilet.

 

[TurboBucket]

I would probably go for something like this: Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

So I assume that is ductless, but it still draws from inside to outside. But I'm hoping my portable option is going to be good enough. Not only is it half the price, but it also means I don't need someone to come and install it for me. If it doesn't work, it's another bunch of cash down the toilet.

Yup that's what I figured. They are much more efficient. The condensing unit sits outside so there is no additional heat generated inside which means it runs less to cool the same space. They also use more energy efficient components so it costs less to run for the same amount of time as a portable. So it will run less and use less energy when it does run. They are also typically more robust than a portable. They get my vote over a portable if you can afford one.

Pay now vs pay later.

For your setup I'd just run the portable and plan on a bigger electric bill. It should come with a window kit for the waste heat, use it. Venting that heat out should bring in a frequent enough supply of fresh air to keep the plants happy without running co2.

 

[keith1975]

I got the portable one and it pretty much solved all my problems. The average temperature is 26 degrees and humidity hangs in the 45 - 55 range. However, it runs at 1000 Watts. Says my kill-o-watt watt meter. Which means it's not going to be cheap.