Swamp Cooler / CO / Flower

Dr Smith

Dr Smith

Active Member
Hey all,

So I've got this room. It's about 17 x 7 x 7. I have proper intake and outake. I never have heat issues in the Winter but with the Summer months it's becoming a problem.

Right now I have my 1k MH on one side and 4x50watt T5 on the other side. Vegging of course. My temps are in the 80s. It's a delicate balance keeping it below 85 right now and I'm a bit worried becuase I plan to plug in 2x 1k HPS in a week or so.

A portable AC unit isn't going to work for me because I don't have anywhere to vent it. I am researching Swamp Coolers and it seems they would be a huge benefit during veg as they add humidity as well as cool. Bear in mind I am in Colorado. Humidity in my room ranges from 10% - 35% right now.

My concern is using this during flower. As they develop and start to hold more water the humidity will obviously go up.

Looking for opinions on this. Anybody in CO using a swamp cooler during flower? What results?

Thanks!
 
UncleBuck

UncleBuck

Well-Known Member
Dr Smith said:
Hey all,

So I've got this room. It's about 17 x 7 x 7. I have proper intake and outake. I never have heat issues in the Winter but with the Summer months it's becoming a problem.

Right now I have my 1k MH on one side and 4x50watt T5 on the other side. Vegging of course. My temps are in the 80s. It's a delicate balance keeping it below 85 right now and I'm a bit worried becuase I plan to plug in 2x 1k HPS in a week or so.

A portable AC unit isn't going to work for me because I don't have anywhere to vent it. I am researching Swamp Coolers and it seems they would be a huge benefit during veg as they add humidity as well as cool. Bear in mind I am in Colorado. Humidity in my room ranges from 10% - 35% right now.

My concern is using this during flower. As they develop and start to hold more water the humidity will obviously go up.

Looking for opinions on this. Anybody in CO using a swamp cooler during flower? What results?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
my swamp cooler cools my entire house, which only has the veg room in it. the flowering layer is out in the garage under 15000 BTUs.

humidity in the veg room (swamp cooler cooled) stays at about 50%, humidity out in the garage stays around 35% (AC cooled).

i'd say go for it. but keep in mind the swamp cooler won't work inside the room, you'd have to do install it elsewhere. could be a bit of work.
 
UncleBuck

UncleBuck

Well-Known Member
Dr Smith said:
Why will it not work in the room?
Click to expand...
do you understand how a swamp cooler works?

it takes the hot, dry air, uses a fan to pull that hot, dry air through saturated material and the evaporative cooling effect produces the cooling.

that's why you don't see swamp coolers in any part of the country that's not dry as a bone, like we are.
 
Dr Smith

Dr Smith

Active Member
I'm pretty sure I understand. Basic enough.. Isn't that exactly what I want to do? Remove the hot air from my grow room and replace it with cold air.
 
UncleBuck

UncleBuck

Well-Known Member
Dr Smith said:
I'm pretty sure I understand. Basic enough.. Isn't that exactly what I want to do? Remove the hot air from my grow room and replace it with cold air.
Click to expand...
ok, let me see if i can explain it another way.

swamp coolers only produce cold air through evaporative cooling. this depends on a contrast between the temperature outside of the swamp cooler and the water saturating the pads. if the air outside the swamp cooler is cool, there is no contrast and no cooling effect. if the air outside the swamp cooler is humid, there is no cooling effect either.

so you take a swamp cooler and you put it in your hot, dry room. it pumps out some cold, humid air. now your swamp cooler is sucking in cold, humid air. there is no contrast, no evaporative cooling, and you are running it for nothing now. it won't help anymore.

that's why it needs to be mounted outside of the room, either on the roof or there are also window mounted units.

it even says right on the portable units you are probably looking at that they do not work in closed rooms.
 
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