How can I utilize window A/C units in basement

utopian

Member
I have a room that is 15x15 with 6K watts over 12 plants. I'm running the UC12XL13 under current system with a 1/4 HP chiller that keeps the water temp at 68. The lights are air cooled with two 8" vortex fans pulling air from the room through the carbon filter, through the lights, then to outside.

This is in a basement and right now I'm trying to use the house A/C unit to cool the room, but the temp is still around 78 in the room and 81/82 under the lights. Just started first week of veg. The room does pull cooler air from the rest of the basement, but that combined with the house A/C isn't quite doing it. This is in a Michigan basement, so as soon as we get closer to cooler weather (very soon), I was planning on pulling cold 50 degree outside air into the room to cool it, but until then, I need to do something else.

I'm thinking I need some more A/C, plus I don't really want to run the house A/C unit because the house is uncomfortable. I have two WINDOW A/C units (10,000 btu and 12,000 btu), but because this is in a basement, I don't have a window to set them into. There are the window wells, but it won't fit into that.

Question is.... Does anyone have any ideas on how to utilize these two A/C units, or how to duct the hot air from them outside? It would almost need to be some kind of enclosure for the back of the unit that reduces down to a standard size vent that would exhaust outside, but I'm not sure of the best way to do this.

I'm trying to avoid spending $1000 on A/C at the moment.

If there isn't a good way to utilize these two window A/C units, can you recommend a good stand-alone A/C unit around $500 - $1000 that would give me the most bang for the buck?

Any advice, experience, opinions would be appreciated.
 

jgoldgruber

Member
i have this same problem i have a sealed room for my grow and placed the window unit in the plywood near the floor its exaust goes into the rest of the garage. probably a bad idea, i know this but it does the job as long as it doesn't get too hot and flips off. if you only need to do it for a month i think it would be ok
 
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