Closet grow - Evaporative air cooling system

[MysticMars88]

Hello everyone!! Its been getting a little hotter lately and the closet is still a tad bit warmer than what i want and the humidity is much lower than what i need it to be. so.. ive been thinking about purchasing a portable air cooler. A system like a swamp cooler but very smaller with humidity control and air purifier. You can set a desire temp and humidity. I am going for an air cooler that is cheap and effective.

Here is what i found on walmart that fits my price range....

Sunpentown Evaporative Air Cooler - Blue (SF-613)
Walmart.com: Evaporative Air Cooler with LED: Home Improvement

my grow closet is about 3 ft deep 4 ft wide about 5 ft tall.
Running 2 90w LED so light heat isn't an issue.

please let me kno what you think or have any other ideas that would match this.

 

[bigjake]

I had a idea kinda strange but like for a res cooler if you had the right set
up in your house the drain from the ac unit puts out very cold water into
the drain when it runs .Only problem i see is you would have to collect it
in a very low pan below the evap.Just a stoned thought.LOL

I have one of the units in the shop you are looking at .Its big it works
pretty good IF it isnt to humid. Mind you this is just cooking people,

Good Luck Im sure a pro will help you.

 

[MysticMars88]

ya that would be a good idea. would just have to get some pvc pipe or some rubber tubbing to let it flow to the source. use this method to possibly to even cool a light?

i think i am going to buy one of those portable air cooler and see how it works for my closet set up. thanks letting me know it does actually work well.

 

[Dacob]

OK!

Evaporative (or evap for short) cooling just means using the ambient air to evaporate water. Evaporating water is a process in which water molecules become suspended in the air, thusly removing some small amount of heat energy from the air in the process.

Unless you are going to use very cold water or water with ice in it, that unit is little more than a fan and tray of water, perhaps with a piece of cloth or simiar to take up the water.

You could build something similar for much less that the price of that unit.

A simple water mister is about $50 (for a decent ultrasonic impeller based unit) and that will take care of the low humidity, along with lowering the temperature a couple of degrees right off the bat -- that might be enough.

A pan of water with a simple fan blowing on it will achieve most of the effect of that evap unit you're looking at -- add some cloth that is dipped in the water at the bottom and suspended over the pan, and it'll evaporate a lot more, as you will massively increase the available surface area for the water.

Unless your ambient temps are over 90 degrees, I would say a portable air conditioner is unnecessary, but if it's that bad, I'd save up for one of those -- they actually do cool the air, because they have a refrigerant-based cooling system, not one that uses plain water.

That unit claims a max temperature differential of 12 degrees -- that is tiny and will do very very little to cool any space. Really, it just looks like it's got a big fan motor in it and can move a lot of air, but that is bad in a tent, as plants don't want to be in the middle of a tornado all day long.


Oh, and by the way, I would suggest more light for flowing -- 2 90 watt LEDs in an area that is 3 foot by 4 foot is not a lot of light coverage. CFLs are cheap and a great way to supplement LEDs without adding much extra heat.

 

[Barneby1]

i live on phoenix so it's been hotter than hell here too (was 113 twice last week and over 100 every day since). built a box and put it in my garage. Temps still hitting mid to high 90's during the light cycle. I've been trying to find ways to drop it down. Currently using a small humidifier to pump a little moisture in the air. Seems to drop the temp a few degree's but nothing big.

Guess i'll subscribe to see if anything pops up here =x

 

[stonewallred]

phonenix a swamp cooler would work wonders, but doubt it would get it down to optimum temp.
Have you thought about using a window unit through the wall, ducting it to your box and using that?
A mister set to spray water onto the condenser (outdoor part looks like a radiator) would also make it work a lot better due to outside ambient temperatures.
AC units are designed for a 15degree drop with the outside being set at 90 degrees Fahrenheit and indoor being 75 degrees at 50% RH. Above the design temps (outside air) they lose capacity.

 

[MMJRN]

How are things going?

I am thinking of adding a swamp cooler to my tent as well. But for additional or as needed.....

I do plan on a constant flow of water. I also have hard water but we have an inline filter that helps some.

 

[Tead]

I live in a very warm environment. I've tried many different variations of DIY swamp coolers (or res coolers, or fan systems or any other thing to mitigate the damn heat!) and have found none of them compare in any way to the cooling horsepower of a good old fashioned window AC unit.

Swamp coolers are a real breeding ground for many bad forms of flora and fauna mated with a fan to blow it all around.... especially in a warm environment.

2 cents delivered. Happy growing!

 

[MMJRN]

I live in a very warm environment. I've tried many different variations of DIY swamp coolers (or res coolers, or fan systems or any other thing to mitigate the damn heat!) and have found none of them compare in any way to the cooling horsepower of a good old fashioned window AC unit.

Swamp coolers are a real breeding ground for many bad forms of flora and fauna mated with a fan to blow it all around.... especially in a warm environment.

2 cents delivered. Happy growing!

Thanks!,, that is what I am getting from this. So I am not going to use it as a main. Only when I need to tweak. Just have it. And I am neurotic about clean. I am a nurse and my grow is like a nursery. I won't run it unless it is clean. I bleach my bathroom every week. I wash garbage cans every week. I would clean it every water change. Have a strict rule no more than "x" number of uses without a clean. Extra filters for good washing and drying in between. All of that depends on me seeing I can do that when I check them out. I will probably run water to it. Additional filters.

At this point I am not sure. But I think I am leaning towards Having one just in case.

 

[robertphelton]

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