Problem with portable A/C unit

[SolMJ]

Hello 420,

I bought a portable a/c unit less than 3 wks ago to help with my current grow & today I had to take it to a shop for repair since its not blowing anything cold (might get it back later today). Its one of those with a duct that removes hot air out a window. My concern is that if its already broken does that mean these things are a constant pain in the ass or what lol??

Are there any tips on working it properly so that it doesn't need repaired every month? the only thing I can think of is to switch it off every few hrs for an hour...rather than on 18hrs straight as ive been doing, although it was always on the lowest setting.

Peace out my fellow bud lover's

 

[fanleaf]

Hello 420,

I bought a portable a/c unit less than 3 wks ago to help with my current grow & today I had to take it to a shop for repair since its not blowing anything cold (might get it back later today). Its one of those with a duct that removes hot air out a window. My concern is that if its already broken does that mean these things are a constant pain in the ass or what lol??

Are there any tips on working it properly so that it doesn't need repaired every month? the only thing I can think of is to switch it off every few hrs for an hour...rather than on 18hrs straight as ive been doing, although it was always on the lowest setting.

Peace out my fellow bud lover's

I had one that ran 18+ hours a day here every summer for 3 years. Never had an issue with it. Sold it in working order when I didn't need it anymore.

 

[iwltfum]

Yeah I have two large ac/heaters like that. At least one of them runs constantly and they both have been going strong into their 5th year of operation. Both of them leak out of places other than the drain hole sometimes, but they still get the job done. I just clean the filters every 6 months or so.

 

[SolMJ]

Cheers guys its good hear your units have been going strong for years, hopefully mines will last longer once repaired. I wonder what to happened to it in the space of a couple of weeks...anyway happy growing

 

[fanleaf]

Cheers guys its good hear your units have been going strong for years, hopefully mines will last longer once repaired. I wonder what to happened to it in the space of a couple of weeks...anyway happy growing

Built on a Monday or Friday!

 

[Ripples]

I use a window ac in my basement. I vent the hot exhaust out a window by directing it with cardboard. Important NOT to cover the intake portion. As for the water I drilled an 1/8" hole in one back corner and catch the drip with a funnel that collects in a pump. The pump is designed to defy gravity and discharges in a near by sink via rubber tubing. Below are some pic. It's getting cold here now so I don't need the ac now. (I just open a window) The pump I use for my furnace to do the exact same thing just to give you a look at it. This is really simple to do and it works much better than any portable ac I have ever tried!

 

[SolMJ]

I use a window ac in my basement. I vent the hot exhaust out a window by directing it with cardboard. Important NOT to cover the intake portion. As for the water I drilled an 1/8" hole in one back corner and catch the drip with a funnel that collects in a pump. The pump is designed to defy gravity and discharges in a near by sink via rubber tubing. Below are some pic. It's getting cold here now so I don't need the ac now. (I just open a window) The pump I use for my furnace to do the exact same thing just to give you a look at it. This is really simple to do and it works much better than any portable ac I have ever tried!

Thanks for that ripples. I got the a/c back yesterday & seems to be working fine now. Its one with an exhaust/duct blowing hot air out the window, im also letting the water drip out constantly into a bucket on the floor. Is there a difference between a portable a/c & window a/c?? I think mines a window one, but that's a nice setup you got there, just shows what a bit of creative thinking can do lol! by the way the water coming out the a/c can be used to water the plants also, I checked the ph & its about 6.5 which is even better...will save on all the ph gear haha. happy growing buddy, where's your journal?

 

[iwltfum]

I checked the ph & its about 6.5 which is even better...will save on all the ph gear haha.

Check the PPM's, it's even more impressive. Essentially the water coming out of your ac is distilled water. When I was running recirculating hydro, I would use my ac drain water to dilute the fuel in the reservoirs pretty much everyday. Interestingly enough, most of that water was probably perspired by your plants in the first place! So it makes perfect sense to dilute your nutrient solution with it, since the reason it's more concentrated is because the plants are freely giving moisture to the air and the ac is sucking it up and turning it back into water! Isn't science great?

 

[SolMJ]

Check the PPM's, it's even more impressive. Essentially the water coming out of your ac is distilled water. When I was running recirculating hydro, I would use my ac drain water to dilute the fuel in the reservoirs pretty much everyday. Interestingly enough, most of that water was probably perspired by your plants in the first place! So it makes perfect sense to dilute your nutrient solution with it, since the reason it's more concentrated is because the plants are freely giving moisture to the air and the ac is sucking it up and turning it back into water! Isn't science great?

Thanks iw, yes science is great & will from now on use that water for the plants. Im guessing here, but I might get around 8ltrs of diluted ph'd water every 24hrs from the a/c maybe more depending on how long it gets used...gonna need a new bucket amigo lol! happy days when the a/c also happens to be a ph'd water dispenser...