Hybrid Cooling Drying Room

Choco8

Insanely Active Member
I got tired of using cramped tents for drying, so I converted a small 8'x 8' room into a dedicated drying room. I used one big 84" x 84"x 24" Kobalt HD shelf unit as the main hanging area and (so far) one other shelf of a similar design which is 36" x 18". The shelves are a bit over 2' spart vertically, which is just right for the length of the branches I tend to cut to hang. The wire mesh used for the shelves makes perfect hanging spaces, and is easy to clean.

I wanted to have a system that will keep the room at 60% humidity at 60 degrees, year round, and one that would automatically use outside air when the temperature is lower than 60 degrees to avoid using an AC unit when not needed ( electricity is very expensive here).

To accomplish this, I installed a dedicated single-output-tube portable AC unit in one corner ( that vents directly out the wall), and a fresh air intake in the other corner which uses a big MERV-13 filter box and an 8" blower. Two tower fans, one high and one low, oscillate and blow at low speeds, but not directly on the hanging goods, just enough breeze so the buds are swaying very slightly.

To make the room switch between the two, I'm using a BN-LINK Digital Temperature Controller with the remote temp probe wired through the wall so the probe is outside. The AC unit is plugged into the "Cooling" outlet. The unit is set at 60 degrees, so when it's hotter than 60 OUTSIDE, the AC unit runs. When it's cooler than 60 outside, the "Heating"outlet gets power. Into this outlet I plugged a second cooling thermostat, this one with the probe inside the room. So when it's cool outside, this blower will operate until the room cools to 60 degrees.

To control humidity, there is both a small dehumidifier and a small reptile humidifier, plugged into an Inkbird humidity controller.

It seems to be working very well so far, switching to fresh air later in the evening and then on AC during the day.

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Fresh air intake using HVACQuick CFB Series MERV-13 filter box:
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Full House!

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Choco8

Insanely Active Member
That room is wicked amigo.
Are the stickers to mark what plant is where?

If they are have you considered using magnets. From past experience using tape I've had labels fall off leaving me guessing.
Yeah I noticed the stickers ( for strains and hanging dates) don't like the textured paint surface and start to come off. Magnets are a GREAT idea for this- thanks!
 

Choco8

Insanely Active Member
How did everything turn out?
Thanks for asking! Really well! It's just finishing up now, taking a few days longer than I thought.

But otherwise, the "hybrid" concept worked as I hoped it would. During the day, the AC and humidifier runs, then at around 9pm or so ( depending on the weather), the heating/cooling stat switches to the filtered air intake, which draws in air that is generally be on the humid side, so the dehumidifier start to cycle. The humidity will climb temporarily up to maybe 66% before the dehumidifier actually starts pumping out dry air. I think next time I will set the dehumidifier at 58% instead of 60. The dehumidifier compressor delay seems to make the room run at an effectively higher average than 60% humidity.

I also need to insulate the room better and/or get a bigger AC unit as the temp would sometimes climb up to 68.
 
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