Help Ventilate - 5x10 Tent 2000w

I currently am in the planning stages / process of my 3rd grow. I don't need any help in the actual cultivation department. But I do need help with the ventilation / Air Conditioning department of things.


Outdoor's Situation:
We are rapidly coming upon summer with temps of 85F - 100F daily with humidity in the 90's daily.


The Equipment:
2 - Lumatek 1000w Dial A Watt Ballasts
2 - Air Cooled Magnum xxxl hood
1 - Secret Jardin 5x10 Tent
1 - 8" Can Fan 737 CFM
1 - 6" 424 CFM Inline Fan


The Prospect Room:
To my disposal I have either a 13' x 14' room or a 11' x 10' room. Both rooms have a window that I can put an A/C in.

I then plan on putting a 5x10 tent with three 3x3 flood tables.

Overtop will be 2x 1000w HPS or 3x 600w HPS (1000 dialed down to 600)

Lights will be ventilated separately from the grow.


The A/C Problem:
I originally wanted to put my tent into the 13' x 14' room so that I could take advantage of the extra space, but after using the air conditioner calculator, with 2000k of lighting and the size of the room to begin with, I came out with around 20k BTU's that I would require for A/C. After looking at those A/C's they stop making 115v's at around 15k BTU's and I have no access to 230V or 240V.

After facing this problem, I then thought of the possibility of growing in the 11' x 10' room because I would only need around 12k - 15k BTU's to cool everything.


Ventilation Setup / Questions:
I planned on using the 737 CFM 8" Fan to cool the lights using this method :
FAN (outside tent) ==> Tent ==> Air cooled Light #1 ==> Air cooled Light #2 ==> Tent ==> Y Adapter with ventilation ==> Out side through window

I planned on using the 424 CFM 6" Fan as the scrubber and ventilation fan in this setup:
Carbon Filter ==> Fan ==> Tent ==> Y Adapter with Lights ==> Out side through window


Questions:
1. Can someone clarify to me if I am understanding this correctly - The A/C will cool the room and act as a lung. The tent will the recirculate the air within the tent, so that it stays at the same temperature as the lung room?

2. Since I am limited to an A/C unit that runs on 115v (12k - 15k BTU) Will one of that size be capable of managing heat in either 2 rooms with 2kw of lighting? Based on your experience!

3. Can you recommend a reliable window A/C unit in the range of 12k - 15k BTU. Currently looking at Fridgair, GE, and LG brands as Home Depot

4. Is my Ventilation setup the most efficient way?

5. Smell IS AN ISSUE (I am in a legal state, but not the best neighborhood, I don't need nosy neighbors getting funny ideas. What size & brand Carbon filter would you recommend for a 4x8. What other odor devices would you recommend as well?

6. Would you want the Air Cooled hoods to suck A/C from the "lung" or from another part of the house?

7. Would my two 1000w lights be best with the three 3x3 trays, or would three 600w HPS be better?

8. If the tent is constantly recirculating the air from the "lung" will the A/C be running constantly, or will it have "break time"?


Extra Info
- I cannot use a Mini-Split in this situation
- I cannot mess with the wiring to accommodate for a 230v plug
- I cannot construct any boxes out of 2x4 & Poly, a tent would be best for my situation


I tried to keep this as organized as possible. Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated, even if you have an answer for just one question, that would be great!

2. You need about 3k btu per 1k of lighting from my experience. A 12-15k btu should keep up but that really depends on the insullation of your room. If it is part of the main house you should be fine. If it is a shed type building you are probably going to need a bigger a/c or insulate.

3. Any of those brands you mentioned are good. I have used frigidair, GE, whirlpool, they all were good.

5. I use phresh filters and love them.

6. Ideally, you would want the air coming/going from outside so you don't have to cool the heat the lights are producing.

Thanks for the response!

2. It is in an insulated room within the house, so i'm hoping that it will do the trick.

For the answer you gave me on #6, you say to use the outside air to cool the lights. So If I were to put a vent onto each window, and go Window Vent ==> Tent ==> Air Cooled Hood #1 ==> Air Cooled Hood #2 ==> Tent ==> Exit Window Vent

6a. Would sucking the air from outside and pushing it through the lights be better, or sucking the air through the lights and pushing it outside?
6b. Does the temperature of the outside air effect the efficiency of this method of cooling the lights, or would it be better to grab cooler air from another room in the house?

Can that tent be moved against the wall with the window? It sounds like you could put one of the smaller doors of your tent against the window. That way you're not trying to cool the whole room, just the tent.

nevergoodenuf said:

Can that tent be moved against the wall with the window? It sounds like you could put one of the smaller doors of your tent against the window. That way you're not trying to cool the whole room, just the tent.

Click to expand...

Would the A/C actually work with the tent that way. As in displaying the temperature within the tent, and regulating based on the tents temps and not the surrounding room?

If that wall is sealed to the wall, then yes. The surrounding room might get warmer, but the tent should stay set to the AC.

^^^ like he said i cut a hole in my tent and mounted my window ac unit in mine and works great

Alright so if I but the tent right up to the window with the AC, so that one of the tents openings allow the A/C to sit within the tent. Then throw a blanket or something to insulate any gaps / openings. If ya'll think this will work then i'll give that a try. As for the size of the A/C, 15,000 btu overkill for 2k of lighting, or would you go with a 12k?

I can't help on size, I'm running all LEDs so I've never needed an AC. I always try to shop places that have a good return policy, then you'll have 30 days to know if you're happy with it.

I'm now thinking about cutting the hole in the tent, butting it up to the window and taping / insulating the A/C so its within the tent.

From those who have done this method, If the scrubber is doing an air change every 2 minutes, will the A/C keep up with the cooling at the rate the air is being removed?

If the A/C is put directly into the tent, then would it even be smart to use the carbon filter to keep smell out using negative pressure, or would it be better to use the carbon filter as a scrubber to keep the A/C working more efficiently?

If I used the carbon filter as a scrubber only, then there wouldn't be any negative pressure in the tent, so would the smell still leak out?

Also since this would be almost sealed, would I need to supply C02?

The air that gets sucked through the air cooled hoods, can it come from the same room that the tent sits in, or would it mess with the pressure within the room?