How to cool a space

[Amnesialocal]

Hi all,

It's freezing I know! And fighting yet to stabilise the environment ( unsuccessful at the moment).

 

I was nevertheless thinking how much trouble I will have in summer to cool the same place. Maybe I should start thinking about it already.

For those in attic, garage or similar....

How do you cool down an attic in summer?

AC? that's lot of watt!!!

Assuming the space can be insulated (1.5-2 inches) how do you cool it in an affordable way?

 

Thanks all

A

[Slippy One]

2 hours ago, Amnesialocal said:

Hi all,

It's freezing I know! And fighting yet to stabilise the environment ( unsuccessful at the moment).

 

I was nevertheless thinking how much trouble I will have in summer to cool the same place. Maybe I should start thinking about it already.

For those in attic, garage or similar....

How do you cool down an attic in summer?

 

Unless you're rich, trying to fight heat is a losing game indoors. Every summer the General Growing threads are full of "My attic/garage plants are hitting 38C, will they die?" Threads. While they're theoretically fine growing indoors between June-Oct, but when you hang them to dry, it's unlikely to be the golden 18C 60%rh we all know locks in the terps. Not saying it's impossible to dry slowly in the summer if you have AC, or a cool room, but not many have the cash for that equipment, especially the money to run them. Especially hairy to dry in a 40+ heatwave if you care about the best end product possible. 

 

Someone solved this with their converted winecooler fridge curing thread, slow drying in perfect conditions is doable during a heatwave if you're good with DIY and have space. 

 

Best conditions for keeping plants stable is winter. Whack a few heatmats around, throw a few tube heaters, connect them to some Inkbird reptile controllers, dial in the day/night temps. Done. 

 

If you go one further and splash out on AC Infinity, Controller 69 plus their gear (lights fans etc), that'll take care of the humidity duties (and excess heat in emergency). 

 

Stable environment is one thing we can create, stable genetics are another kettle of fish.

 

So the most efficient way of growing is also the cheapest. You should in theory get 3 harvest in over winter (8 weekers), but this would assume you had a separate space for clones/mums and drying. 

 

Summer can be for exploring outdoor genetics, upgrading equipment, cleaning gear, collecting seeds, etc etc, just grow enough over winter to earn your rest.

 

[Hazeytones]

I've grown in roofspaces, sheds and garages and to be honest the roofspaces are the worst of the lot I wouldn't do it again.

 

I do now grow in the attached garage but it's a custom room built from timber with 50mm insulation board with a central heating radiator inside. I have many problems in the summer but I've switched to led about 5 years ago so never had to deal with the extra heat of hps in this space. 

 

When I was in the roofspace I was under a 600 watt and it was a nightmare, I done my best by dimming the ballast and my intake coming directly from outside but on the hottest days this still wasn't enough. I was in a rented property for a short term so wasn't going to spend a fortune insulating someone else's house.

 

For me the growing in to hot an environment is one issue but drying it is another, the last thing you want to do is have a shit run from being  to hot then your crop turn to hay from far too fast a dry.

 

As @Slippy One says stick to the months that are suitable.

[Clubs]

The most affordable way I found was 50mm Rockwool slabs covered in 9mm OSB. 

[Slippy One]

Besides, the UK summer is good enough to grow a ton of hybrid genes, why waste leccy on cooling, lighting, fans etc when the great outdoors is the perfect grow space. Plants in 42 degree heat are fine as long as they're watered. Outdoor plants finish by October, where the perfect conditions for a slow dry exist.  

 

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Last summer I left a govee in my (switched off) loft room, temps were hitting 58c in the mini heatwave we had.

 

The loft isn't insulated but the room is. I couldn't be arsed with the stress of trying to cool that. I just do as the lads have already said grow in winter. Get outdoors more and get a holiday in summer.

 

[KC]

I love a summer grow in the loft myself, it costs me way less money. Luckily my house is strangely cold so when it's baking outside I'm not too bad off for drying as long as it's somewhere shaded and not in the loft. I run lights on at night obviously. 

[brock1]

Frozen 2lt pop bottle fastened behind your fans works a treat. If you don't use a inlet fan like me you can put them into inlet pipes. So four 2lt bottles of frozen water for me. Really cheap & works a treat. 

[Amnesialocal]

3 hours ago, brock1 said:

Frozen 2lt pop bottle fastened behind your fans works a treat. If you don't use a inlet fan like me you can put them into inlet pipes. So four 2lt bottles of frozen water for me. Really cheap & works a treat. 

That's a brilliant idea!!!

[Amnesialocal]

23 hours ago, Slippy One said:

Besides, the UK summer is good enough to grow a ton of hybrid genes, why waste leccy on cooling, lighting, fans etc when the great outdoors is the perfect grow space. Plants in 42 degree heat are fine as long as they're watered. Outdoor plants finish by October, where the perfect conditions for a slow dry exist.  

 

 

I will give another go ( but with autos mainly). 

Outdoor ended very very badly for me.

I will be more Serious (6-7) next year;) and less experimental.