A/C Thermostat mog

[Beansfranklin]

Hi guys i'm working on a way to mod an a/c unit to function outside my tent and through a short insulated hose blow the cooled air in.

My question is, is there any way to attach a thermostat inside my tent to the a/c so it turns on automatically.

Also i was thinking, another way to do it would be to plug the a/c into the thermostat some how.

 

[joe dollar]

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1273065&cp=4280956.1260927&origkw=thermostat

try that

 

[legallyflying]

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1273065&cp=4280956.1260927&origkw=thermostat



try that

That won' t work. There needs to be a circuit board on the heater or AC for the thermostat to control it.

A bigger snag is this... If your AC is not pulling warm air in to cool it, your just going to be blowing cold air into your room and it isn't going to make much of a difference.

Your kind of spinning your wheels. Make something to hod the unit in the side wall of your tent.

 

[joe dollar]

well legallyflying they do work i have one hooked up to my ac......sorry to pop ur bubble but it is a 110 plug with a thermostat built into it so it turns whatever plugged into to it on and off at set temps....i.e. fans, heaters, hell even an ac

 

[legallyflying]

well legallyflying they do work i have one hooked up to my ac......sorry to pop ur bubble but it is a 110 plug with a thermostat built into it so it turns whatever plugged into to it on and off at set temps....i.e. fans, heaters, hell even an ac

Then it's not a thermostat in the true sense of the word. A thermostat would enable you to control the set temperature of the appliance the AC turns on and off at. If you have an AC that turns on when you plug it in then it would work great. Many AC units don't just turn on and start cooling when plugged and they often start up at a temp set at the factory. So the OP can unplug and plug in his AC and see if there is indeed some bubble poping. I would appreciate his response and results. I'll bet a nug that it doesn't work.

 

[Beansfranklin]

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1273065&cp=4280956.1260927&origkw=thermostat

try that

So this has an outlet i can plug into?

Then it's not a thermostat in the true sense of the word. A thermostat would enable you to control the set temperature of the appliance the AC turns on and off at. If you have an AC that turns on when you plug it in then it would work great. Many AC units don't just turn on and start cooling when plugged and they often start up at a temp set at the factory. So the OP can unplug and plug in his AC and see if there is indeed some bubble poping. I would appreciate his response and results. I'll bet a nug that it doesn't work.

I'm a lil confused by this? I thought you just plug in an a/c and flick a switch, thats all i've ever seen. I have a window unit and i turn it on/off by a dial on the front.

 

[legallyflying]

Yeah. You plug it in and flick a switch. If your not there to flick a switch..then it's not going to work. Most ACs have a digital control panel that once you plug it in (or a timer turns the power on to it). You still have to push a button for it to come on.

That unit does not in all likely hood have a socket that you plug into. The only thermostats I have seen that do are sold by grow supply stores. Think about it, does your home heater have a plug coming out of the wall?

If you have a manual knob that you can leav in the on position it will likely work. Your probably going to have to hard wire it though.

 

[bhorn41356]

You also have to remember that most residential thermostats operate on 24 volts or as we call it in the industry control voltage. When the thermostat calls for cooling the 24 volts energize a coil on a relay that closes a switch. Although there are thermostats that operate on higher voltage it can be a little tricky if you don't know what you're doing and what to look for. Good luck my man.

 

[Totalnewbie]

http://raybb.com/tech/106wac1.jpg
If you look at the diagram, you can spot a thermostat wired to the usually blk, common, wire to the compressor. The switch is high voltage. If you open your window unit up, look on the inside of the covers, or for a folded piece of paper, that is you wiring diagram. Even if your unit is controlled by a board, you can set it to its lowest setting, then control temp by cycling the compressor, this will run the fan constantly. You will need a 110 to 24v transformer and a 24v ac relay. Wire the relay in series with a tstat or the compressor, add a second 1 for fan control. Wiring is simply, 1 transformer wire is common, use it to wire the relay coils on 1 side and the tstat c terminal, the 2nd transformer wire goes to r on the tstat, from the tstat, wire y to the other sides of the relays. Set to cool and you're all set.

 

[legallyflying]

Those two guys seem to know there shit. I tried researching how to add a programable thermostat to my new mini split but since the don't make a plug and play controller board for it, I decided that it was way to expensive of a unit for me to be fucking with.

 

[Totalnewbie]

Miin splits do get more complexe, but if you wire directly to the compressor power, you should be able to trick it and bypass any safety switches. The compressor is outside, you will not be able to control the fan.

 

[Totalnewbie]

The other problem that may arise with mini splits is tha one compressor may control/cool multiple fan coils, in that case, you don't want to mess with it

 

[legallyflying]

Yeah, mine also modulates the amount of power based on cooling needs using an invertor. Basically, I'm not going to fuck with it.

 

[Beansfranklin]

http://raybb.com/tech/106wac1.jpg
If you look at the diagram, you can spot a thermostat wired to the usually blk, common, wire to the compressor. The switch is high voltage. If you open your window unit up, look on the inside of the covers, or for a folded piece of paper, that is you wiring diagram. Even if your unit is controlled by a board, you can set it to its lowest setting, then control temp by cycling the compressor, this will run the fan constantly. You will need a 110 to 24v transformer and a 24v ac relay. Wire the relay in series with a tstat or the compressor, add a second 1 for fan control. Wiring is simply, 1 transformer wire is common, use it to wire the relay coils on 1 side and the tstat c terminal, the 2nd transformer wire goes to r on the tstat, from the tstat, wire y to the other sides of the relays. Set to cool and you're all set.

Ya my first assumption was that i was going to have to hard wire it.

But check this out this is almost what i want.
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/2/Electrical/ProgThermostats/PRD~0522463P/NOMA%2BBlock%2BHeater%2BCord.jsp?locale=en
I could get it to turn on but how to get it to turn off?

 

[Totalnewbie]

I simply don't recommend that. If you get me a copy of the wiring diagram, or a model number, I can tell you what to do.

 

[Beansfranklin]

well i was thinking that all this might be a waste of time. cause when the lights ae on their going to create heat constantly so i'm going to need a/c constantly. so i'm goin to run it off a timer. My timer has 20 possible settings so during the off time in flower i'll just run it on for 1 hr off for 1 hr. And for veg i use fewer lights so i don't really need it.

 

[Red1966]

Buy a "LUX WIN100 5-2 Programmable Outlet Thermostat" and a cheap one knobber A/C. Put the thermostat inside your tent. Plug the A/C into the thermostat. Set the A/C to its lowest setting and turn it on. The thermostat WILL control the A/C (or heater, fans, whatever). DO NOT use a programmable A/C. You need one that has just a on/off switch and a dial type knob for temp control. The programmable one won't work with the outlet thermostat. LUX should send me a commission check.
Now, can anyone tell me how to light proof an A/C? Light is coming through the cold air vent after coming through the Styrofoam fan shroud.

 

[legallyflying]

Hey red,
Great advice. To light proof, I would try taping some cardboard inside the room such that it shades the AC from direct lighting. May not totally light proof it but should help.