Danby 15000 BTU Air Conditioner

MustGro

Well-Known Member
Looking to cool my grow. Running an older 5000 BTU unit currently and it's not making it cool enough. Thinking of this unit https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/danby-dac150eb2wdb-6-15000-btu-window-air-conditioner/6000201272028
Anyone have an opinion?
It looks like the biggest unit for the best price. 120 volt but not sure of the watts/amps. I have a 20 amp plug-in just for it.
I can't use an A/C that vents (co2)so no portable units. As far as I know all the window A/C's just recycle the room air and put the heat and water outside. I've got lots of room to mount it and I don't think I'll find anything with more BTU's in 120 volt. I want lots of cooling in case I want to do a summer crop. Plus a big A/C might keep the humidity under 65% so I could run the dehumidifier less.
 

Beehive

Well-Known Member
I have something similar. But its analog. No temp setting read out. Only a knob.

ACs work by sucking air across the evaporator. Where the Freon goes from liquid to a gas. When it goes to a gas, it's super cold. So once air passes through the evaporator. It's blown out the top on the AC.

The condenser is in the back. Where the Freon is compressed back into a liquid. Causing heat. Which causes water to condense on the coil. The cheap window ACs don't even have a drip hole. The water evaporates.

A dehumidifier is an AC that's ran backwards. The condenser is where the water is pulled out the air. Like the rear half on an AC.

As for an AC dehumidifiering air. It won't be that much if any. Because the 'drying' part is the part that sticks out the window. Mine won't drop the RH% enough to notice a difference in the room. I still have to run a dehumidifier.
 

Renfro

Well-Known Member
All window AC units tend to leak a little so odor may leak out and a little CO2 as well. The dual hose portables are about the same, but way better than a dual hose portable. A window AC unit will freeze up when it's cool outside, so if you plan to run the AC unit when it's below 60F outside you may need to go another route like a mini split.
 

Renfro

Well-Known Member
On a 120 Volt AC, the largest units are around 14,000 BTU/hr. Beyond that they tend to go to 240 volt power.
 

J232

Well-Known Member
I use a 8k unit, I took it apart and used black duct tape on all the foam and joints, siliconed the foam edges, mounted it high. It’s light proof and sealed up. Drilled the drip hole bigger and ran a hose to the drain. Mini splits were out of budget, some day.
 

Renfro

Well-Known Member
Instead of cycling the air through the evaporator. A dehumidifier cycles it through the condenser. Water that condenses on the coils. Is piped to a pan. An Air conditioner backwards.
The water condenses on the evaporator coil, the condenser coil is hot just like with an AC. Evaporator and condenser coil terminology is based on the status of the refrigerant.
 

MustGro

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input stoners!
I had to have it for the grow so I pulled the trigger on it. Hard to find A/C units up here in Canada in January! People look at you funny when you ask them if they have any in stock when there's snow on the ground.
 

MustGro

Well-Known Member
As for an AC dehumidifiering air. It won't be that much if any. Because the 'drying' part is the part that sticks out the window. Mine won't drop the RH% enough to notice a difference in the room. I still have to run a dehumidifier.
There's something about paying to run a big dehumid and a big A/C in the same room that just seems fundamentally wrong to me somehow, but I'm doing it...
 

MustGro

Well-Known Member
I've had the Danby for about 3 weeks now and really like it. Thought I'd put some pics in here so anyone who is interested in one can see what it draws.
The first pic is the old Fedders and then the new Danby.
Next is the watts when she's at full draw. I did see her break 1000 watts a few times but didn't have my camera handy. It's rated at 1300 but I've never seen anything that high on the meter yet. In a 12 hour cycle she uses 5 kilowatts so about .80 cents a day for me in February.
The last pic is the power factor. The Fedders was .67 and the Danby is .96; so a huge difference in efficiency. My Qboard LED's are .99 so I'm pretty impressed with the A/C giving that kind of efficiency when she's at max draw.
 

Attachments

Syntax747

Well-Known Member
I've had the Danby for about 3 weeks now and really like it. Thought I'd put some pics in here so anyone who is interested in one can see what it draws.
The first pic is the old Fedders and then the new Danby.
Next is the watts when she's at full draw. I did see her break 1000 watts a few times but didn't have my camera handy. It's rated at 1300 but I've never seen anything that high on the meter yet. In a 12 hour cycle she uses 5 kilowatts so about .80 cents a day for me in February.
The last pic is the power factor. The Fedders was .67 and the Danby is .96; so a huge difference in efficiency. My Qboard LED's are .99 so I'm pretty impressed with the A/C giving that kind of efficiency when she's at max draw.
How big is your grow space?
 

MustGro

Well-Known Member
It was 12 by 6 feet last grow (in my signature) but I’m at 12 by 10 now and in veg during a heatwave it’s lazily keeping my room at 25c. It’ll work harder in flower with more light but it’s a champ. It did drop a few drips lately though but it wouldn’t fill a shotglass a week
 

Syntax747

Well-Known Member
I want one lol .. next spring I'm "suppose" to start growing in the pole barn. I was planning on framing in about a 10x10 ... mounting the ac into the wall going into the next room lol .. fuckin genius bro
You def got me thinking now.
 

MustGro

Well-Known Member
They say in the instructions that you’re not supposed to mount it in your house with the back half in your garage, which is basically how I have it set up. I don’t know why but problem free so far.
 

J232

Well-Known Member
Window shakers will be on sale soon. That no drip thing on mine, I ended up drilling a drain hole, it was getting in the condenser fan and spraying. Weird design...
 

J232

Well-Known Member
They say in the instructions that you’re not supposed to mount it in your house with the back half in your garage, which is basically how I have it set up. I don’t know why but problem free so far.
Mine is venting into the garage, it’s just heat and efficiency for the reasoning. Well maybe if the 410 leaked but that wouldn’t do shit.
 

MustGro

Well-Known Member
Window shakers will be on sale soon. That no drip thing on mine, I ended up drilling a drain hole, it was getting in the condenser fan and spraying. Weird design...
Mine is venting into the garage, it’s just heat and efficiency for the reasoning. Well maybe if the 410 leaked but that wouldn’t do shit.
I do hear the water running around in there when I’m in the other room. Certainly hot in there too during this heatwave but the grow is real comfy.
 

J232

Well-Known Member
I do hear the water running around in there when I’m in the other room. Certainly hot in there too during this heatwave but the grow is real comfy.
My garage is unbearable in this heat, I’m still running hid so it’s dumping the heat out. I took my window ac apart and siliconed the foam and painted it, taped all the inside seams. I’m guessing they expect the condenser heat to evaporate the water below with no drain but any high humidity, it can’t keep up.
 

Syntax747

Well-Known Member
Yeah, this year's heat was kinda concerning. It's either I move my grow into the barn or possibly not grow in the summer months.
My house has windows that crank outwards .. no way for me to install a window ac.
 
Top