Cooling room while using CO2? Help!

mini splits are the only way to keep enviroment in room. no loss. my propane tank for co2 gen lasts for almost 3 months.

You won't lose CO2 in any meaningful quantity with any but the crappiest of ACs. I took mine apart and used metal tape on any place it seemed like it would leak. A window unit and a mini split are the same thing just in a different package. If you cut the lines on the window unit and extended it out, it would be a mini split system. If you properly seal a window unit it isn't any different than a mini split, and it can be completely sealed. You could even run the condensation from the unit into a bucket if you keep the ac tiled forward ever so slightly. I assume you are all running your mini split condensation into a bucket or something? If you run the condensation out it will smell like weed wherever it drips if your room smells. He said he isn't concerned about smell.

Consider a propane tanks/co2 tanks are 25 bucks or so to fill. If you spend 300 on a 15k window unit or 800 on a 15k mini split. That 500 dollars would fill your tanks 20 times. You aren't likely to ever break even.

I am very concerned about smell and I still run a window unit. Mine is filtered with two Can 33 filters though, there is absolutely no smell in my grow unless you stick your nose on the plants.

If you are concerned about CO2 loss, I would worry more about your electrical sockets in the room. Remember that CO2 is heavier than air. It falls to the bottom and displaces air. Your sockets are likely a foot or so off the ground and leaking CO2 unless you already took care of it. Baseboards also would leak if they have not been siliconed.

my electric bill dropped $37 a month after changing from wall ac to a 2x larger btu minisplit. now my 30# propane tank lasts for 3 months or longer(instead of 5-6 weeks). when lights go off co2 ppm is 1100, when they come back on co2 in room is at 1000ppm, now that is no loss of enviroment. so my savings is over $500 in one year. didnt take that long to pay back, now its all savings or extra lights.

I managed to get a 5,200 btu window unit to work reasonably well, but I only have 2 x 600 watts. I use less than 1.5 lb. co2 a day (20 lb tank lasts 2 weeks+) A/C isn't sealed at all. Lights are air cooled, tent is 54" x 96" x 76". Did have to duct A/C outlet and return w/6" flex and 2 x 6" fans and there's a 6 x 4 x 4 wye that sends cool air with a 4" fan to the reservoir. I stood on a ladder and smelled around the A/C and could detect any smell 2" away. Problem is I have 4 x 6" fans, 1 x 4" fan, and 3 x oscillating fans going, noisey. Only two of the 6" fans run all the time. I have a WIN 100 remote thermostat controlling the A/C and fans attached to it. If I owned the place, I'd go with a minisplit.

Originally Posted by superstoner1

my electric bill dropped $37 a month after changing from wall ac to a 2x larger btu minisplit. now my 30# propane tank lasts for 3 months or longer(instead of 5-6 weeks). when lights go off co2 ppm is 1100, when they come back on co2 in room is at 1000ppm, now that is no loss of enviroment. so my savings is over $500 in one year. didnt take that long to pay back, now its all savings or extra lights.

Since you already owned the window unit, that $ amount doesn't apply to you, you would have the full cost to recoup. My 15k window unit costs me about 15-20 bucks a month to run at 70 degrees. Did you have an old one that was low efficiency? Granted, electricity is cheap here.

no, wall ac was 4yo, but they are all still made the same way for many years. my mini is the inverter style(21seer) and uses much less electric, and is soooooo quiet.

To the person who said the mini-split doesn't pump air into your room, im guessing you have your condenser unit inside your room or something? Because when i was talking about how the mini-split pumping air into the room i was assuming the condenser unit was placed elsewhere, somewhere outside the room.

Anyway, as i was saying, heres my concern:
Lets assume the condenser unit is placed outside of the room, and the head unit is inside of the room blowing cold air.. Since i have a closed-room setup, im worried about all that positive pressure without any negative pressure.. Because all i have is my light-cooling fans (coming from outside of the room, and on a closed circuit running through my lights and back out of my room), some room fans, and my CO2 connected to a fan. But i have NO intake and NO exhaust.. So im worried about how all the positive pressure coming in from the mini-split unit will affect my room, and if it will diminish my CO2 levels very much (since all that positive pressure will undoubtedly force air out through cracks and unsealed parts of the room)...

And because of this, im wondering if a portable would be better? Because i was watching the video tutorial on the idealair website for their portables, and the guy says theres 2 airflow currents - one that sucks in air from the room and blows cold air back out into the room, and the other one blows out the hot air - and he says the 2 air currents NEVER cross paths with eachother, that the exhaust never crosses paths with the air thats coming in from the room and out as cold air.. So technically if this is true, i could just vent out the hot air, and since its not coming from my room i dont have to worry about losing any CO2 since it just gets sucked in from the room and back out as cold air... Right?

a mini split does not pump air into the room. the condensor unit goes outside, the evaporator unit( or head unit as you call it) is inside the room. 2small lines and a very small wire connect the two and the hole in wall is sealed. the evap unit takes the rooms warm air and circulates it over the evap core,cooling it. absolutely no exchange of air from out to in, impossible. i have a very sealed room, no air cooling for lights, co2, its all there except for one thing, no odor. if yournot pumping air into a room there is no positive pressure. as far as the portable from ideal, it cant be as sealed as a minisplit. if you still disagree then prove me wrong, ive used them all and only trying to help with the truth.