Drying in a controlled environment

[Rodrigo]

Hi, everyone. I have what might be a complex question with a complex answer. Or it might all be very simple.
Here's the situation, bear with me.

Next to my house I have a small storage space, about 4L x 2H x 1.2W mts, that's about 13x6.5x4 in retard units. I used to grow in this room but I moved the operation inside the house.

The inside of this room is covered in vinyl (like that of a swimming pool you put together) so aside from the door, the space is pretty much sealed and very clean, it's a lot like a lab.

The room has an AC unit which was used to keep the temp down (duh!) because it can get very hot in there during the day (I'm from south america, so it's summer here and temps can go up to 35°C during the day).

So I'm using this room to dry my buds (like a lot, a few dozen plants) in a rack I built.

Ok here's the thing.

I know from experience that if I were to just put my buds in there without the AC they will dry in about 2 days because of the high temps, so naturally I use the AC (started at 21°C, today I lowered it to 18°C), the thing is that the AC works by removing moisture from the air, thus making the air dryer, thus allowing the buds to release more moisture and they dry fairly quickly anyways.

I thought about putting a humidifier so I could keep the temps low with the AC and the RH to my desired level (currently is about 40% and 3 days into drying), but I've reading a little and I've found that some people say NO to a huey (because you risk mold) and others use them with no issues. Currently I've just been spraying some water on the walls to raise the RH a little.

So the first question, should I use a humidifier in conjunction with the AC to keep a perfect balance and thus slow the drying from 4 or 5 days to hopefully 7 or 8?


The other, more complex question, might even be about thermodynamics, here it is.

We know that warmer air allows for a higher RH whereas cooler air lowers the RH, so intuitively one would think that a cooler and hence dryer air would make the buds dry quickly (because high RH in the bud and low RH in the environment they would try to balance out, thus releasing more moisture quickly into the air). However, the thing about cooler air is that it has less capacity to hold moisture, so the bud should not dry quickly because the air, however cold and dry, cannot take more than a certain amount of moisture.


I hope I explained that right, surely someone with the proper knowledge will understand.

So that's where I'm confused, if I set the AC to a very low temp, water won't evaporate as much as it would with warmer air, but since the air will be much dryer, I don't know if that will make the buds lose more water or not.

I'm inclined to think that keeping the temps very low will reduce the air's capacity to hold water and thus not allowing the bud to dry fast. Also I think that a small humidifier should not be a problem as long as it doesn't spray the buds directly, because aside from the AC to withdraw moisture I also have a dehumidifier.

I'm harvesting the second batch in about a week so I'd like to have a better drying environment.


Any help appreciated.

Thank you!!

Update, I was just down there and the environment was 18⁰C and 50% RH, it's 5am though. I'm expecting the RH to drop when the sun comes up.

 

[Bill284]

Hi, everyone. I have what might be a complex question with a complex answer. Or it might all be very simple.
Here's the situation, bear with me.

Next to my house I have a small storage space, about 4L x 2H x 1.2W mts, that's about 13x6.5x4 in retard units. I used to grow in this room but I moved the operation inside the house.

The inside of this room is covered in vinyl (like that of a swimming pool you put together) so aside from the door, the space is pretty much sealed and very clean, it's a lot like a lab.

The room has an AC unit which was used to keep the temp down (duh!) because it can get very hot in there during the day (I'm from south america, so it's summer here and temps can go up to 35°C during the day).

So I'm using this room to dry my buds (like a lot, a few dozen plants) in a rack I built.

Ok here's the thing.

I know from experience that if I were to just put my buds in there without the AC they will dry in about 2 days because of the high temps, so naturally I use the AC (started at 21°C, today I lowered it to 18°C), the thing is that the AC works by removing moisture from the air, thus making the air dryer, thus allowing the buds to release more moisture and they dry fairly quickly anyways.

I thought about putting a humidifier so I could keep the temps low with the AC and the RH to my desired level (currently is about 40% and 3 days into drying), but I've reading a little and I've found that some people say NO to a huey (because you risk mold) and others use them with no issues. Currently I've just been spraying some water on the walls to raise the RH a little.

So the first question, should I use a humidifier in conjunction with the AC to keep a perfect balance and thus slow the drying from 4 or 5 days to hopefully 7 or 8?


The other, more complex question, might even be about thermodynamics, here it is.

We know that warmer air allows for a higher RH whereas cooler air lowers the RH, so intuitively one would think that a cooler and hence dryer air would make the buds dry quickly (because high RH in the bud and low RH in the environment they would try to balance out, thus releasing more moisture quickly into the air). However, the thing about cooler air is that it has less capacity to hold moisture, so the bud should not dry quickly because the air, however cold and dry, cannot take more than a certain amount of moisture.


I hope I explained that right, surely someone with the proper knowledge will understand.

So that's where I'm confused, if I set the AC to a very low temp, water won't evaporate as much as it would with warmer air, but since the air will be much dryer, I don't know if that will make the buds lose more water or not.

I'm inclined to think that keeping the temps very low will reduce the air's capacity to hold water and thus not allowing the bud to dry fast. Also I think that a small humidifier should not be a problem as long as it doesn't spray the buds directly, because aside from the AC to withdraw moisture I also have a dehumidifier.

I'm harvesting the second batch in about a week so I'd like to have a better drying environment.


Any help appreciated.

Thank you!!

Update, I was just down there and the environment was 18⁰C and 50% RH, it's 5am though. I'm expecting the RH to drop when the sun comes up.

Not sure what unit u have a/c , is it possible to put it outside the shed and blow in. Thus reducing moisture loss.or run a pipe 4” flex hose to the intake and stick it outside. Either one will help RH and let you run a/c. Also can you hang wet towels with the end of towel in a bucket of water. The more and bigger is better. The water will constantly wick up the towel,with a very very slight breeze it will raise your RH no electric bill either. Just a thought happy growing.

 

[Rodrigo]

It is a run-of-the-mill wall split unit, so the cooling system (condenser, compressor) are outside.
The inside unit moves the air through the system, has the fans, controls and thermostat.
I don't understand your proposal anyway, all AC unit work the same way.

I thought about a wick, like the towel you mentioned, but that is definetly a mold hazard.

 

[Bill284]

It is a run-of-the-mill wall split unit, so the cooling system (condenser, compressor) are outside.
The inside unit moves the air through the system, has the fans, controls and thermostat.
I don't understand your proposal anyway, all AC unit work the same way.

I thought about a wick, like the towel you mentioned, but that is definetly a mold hazard.

If you take the cover off front of your window shaker a/c.
You will feel cold ail blowing from one vent section. The other will be your intake ,should feel slight air draw when running. Take a cheep piece of flex pipe mount one end over the intake.May need cardboard and duct tape doesn't have to be beautiful or perfect. Stick other end outside,preferably low in the shade.
This will force your unit to bring cool air from outside not drying your interior.
Might want to put something to stop critters coming in.
Hope this helps, I'm better at drawing than describing.

 

[Rodrigo]

Ok I get what you're saying, but that wouldn't work.
This intake/blower is different than your description, and even if it weren't, rigging up such a setup would involve making holes and breaking things up, remember it a sealed room.

Also, if the air outside were cool then I wouldn't use an AC but rather some air exchange setup.

The air outside is very hoy, I mentioned, it's summer.

Thanks for your input anyways.

 

[Bill284]

Ok I get what you're saying, but that wouldn't work.
This intake/blower is different than your description, and even if it weren't, rigging up such a setup would involve making holes and breaking things up, remember it a sealed room.

Also, if the air outside were cool then I wouldn't use an AC but rather some air exchange setup.

The air outside is very hoy, I mentioned, it's summer.

Thanks for your input anyways.

Ok no harm friend just trying to figure a way to help.
This is a long shot but some ac units have a damper to control air intake.
Have a look for a sliding lever on front of unit. Might help divert intake from inside again just a thought.
Got any pics of thase buds.