Window AC in my grow box.

M

Mbake

Member
I have a 6X2.5X7 grow box in my attic. I'm using a 250 watt hydro farm grow lamp with a built in ballast.. I insulated the box with 3/8 inch styrofoam sheets. It gets around 115 degrees in my attic so i put a window AC in the grow box but i can only get the temperatures in the room down to around 85 degrees with the light on. I have an intake fan pulling air into the grow box from one of the vents from the attic. I have a fan exhausting air from the grow lamp out into the attic. I also have an exhaust on the top corner of the box to air out the room.

So I'm wondering

1. Can I connect the intake to my grow lamp so that it can help exhaust the heat out from it since it has a built in ballast?
2. Can i get by with out an intake and leave only the exhaust in the room?
(Reason I'm asking is because I don't want to bring air in during th summer and heat my air conditioned room)
3. Does the window AC bring fresh air into the room or does it just cool and circulate the air thats already in the there.

Any help would be appreciated. I don't have photos yet but I'm planning to post some up soon.

Muchas Gracias!
 
kysmoker

kysmoker

Active Member
Window AC's typically use outside air to cool themselves down. They dont usually bring alot of outdoor air inside (though they do bring some). Alot of window AC's have a outside air vent (or something similar), look for that and close it.

Sounds like your best option is to bring your intake air from another air conditioned room (if thats possible).

The built in ballast probably isnt helping anything lol.

EDIT: You cant go without some form of intake, your plants need fresh air to live. At the very least youll need passive intake.
 
WvMade

WvMade

Well-Known Member
somewhere for the air to be pulled in from the force of it being pushed out if im correct
 
kysmoker

kysmoker

Active Member
Mbake said:
what do you mean by passive?
Click to expand...
Sorry, was watching the lovely bones with the family lol (movie kinda sucked btw). Passive intake, for a lack of a better way to describe it, is a hole or vent into your growroom/tent. It doesnt have to be powered by a fan. When you exhaust air from your room, that air has to be replaced. To give you a good idea of this, try sucking on one end of a straw and cover the other end. Obviously it doesnt work, but if you poke a hole in the straw, suddenly you can draw air from it. The same concept applies with your grow area, just on a larger scale.

So, you dont have to have a fan for intake, but a hole will be needed. If your intake air is hot, this is obviously undesirable. The only way I see your gona get around this is either to

A. Vent your light out of the room so that the air conditioner can effectively cool the room (this may work).
B. Bring your fresh air intake from another room that is air conditioned in your home.

Either way, those temps have to drop for a successful grow man. One or the other, I dont see alot of other options =/

You could move the grow to your basement if you have one? Attics naturally draw heat, because hot air rises.
 
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