**15x7 workshop heated and cooled by a Pioneer split unit. 2x2x5 grow tent in the room. Mars Hydro t2000 light,one small oscillating fan and a infinity T6 with new 67 controller for exhaust. Without researching I bought a cheap unit at Walmart. It’s crap. Started researching and it looks like most units are sketchy in performance. My question is is it better to get a dehumidifier big enough for the room or does anyone know of a small unit that performs well inside a tent? I want to buy nice,not twice if I can help it. If anyone has experience with either room units or tent units I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.
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@Bud1 the best way to do it if you have a whole room set up is to get a dehumidifier for the entire room. So get one that is designed to handle the square footage of the entire room and set it up in the room outside of the tent.
It works better this way since the tent intakes and exhausts into the room anyway and it’s better to pull dehumidified air in than it is to push it out and pull higher humidity air in if you put the dehumidifier in the tent.
This goes for humidifiers and ac units as well.
MDbuds thank you for your response. The whole room is only 105 sf and most dehumidifiers start with 1500 sf. I’d think any small unit would work, however that doesn’t seem to be the case. At what point is a bigger unit overkill for the space. My surfing Amazon has shown that most of the smaller units all have some good reviews and some bad.Do you or any of the other great growers have a particular brand or unit that is reliable and works?
When it comes to dehumidifier you pay for what you get if you want a good one it’s going to cost you.i started buying cheap ones well after going through a few ended up paying for it if you know what I mean
Dehumidifiers is technology that is evolving. Some of the little units work fine when used as intended the trouble is time and volume. A unit that will dehydrate a phone booth won’t work if you’re pumping air from the room into it all the time. It’ll assist, water out is a plus, but it isn’t enough.
Because of the extreme variation in water content of air a temperature changes, piping the output of a window AC into a tent will be dryer air. When it gets colder outside, air pulled from outdoors will be dryer than warmer indoor air.
So I’m using a four inch dryer duct to pull outdoor air in the thirties through fifties in temp through a long duct so it tempers some, and it is dry compared to 72 deg room air. Bottom line is you gotta create a humidity gradient so leaves can lose moisture and heat.
Reed thanks for your response. I’m trying to avoid more buying mistakes. One is enough. Still hoping someone can recommend a good unit.
almost any 35 to 50 pint will work. Key components - SELF DRAIN. You do not want to have to empty a bucket
honeywell, emerson, etc…somewhere around 200.00 go to amazon and read reviews but make sure you get one with a hose that can direct the flow of water, not a built in bucket unless you desire to deal with spills
room is better to dehumidify than just tent unless
there is a temperature disparity between tent and room. Then condensation will build on / in tent and null and void the effect
North country guy, thanks for your input. I can’t vent to the outside either in or out with my current setup. IMO my best path forward is to try to dehumidify the air in the grow room outside the tent. I welcome any input and am starting to think maybe a good small dehumidifier doesn’t exist since no one has mentioned any units that they’re happy with. I don’t want to overkill a15x7 room with a 4500 sf unit.
Mike, thanks for your response, your info is helpful and gives me some direction. Happy growing
@Bud1 i have a homedics right now we see how long it will last never used this brand before time will tell
Mike, I think this is a case for reading C net type reviews. I agree your best bet is whole room humidity control. Years ago my mom and stepdad dad lived in a basement apartment in the building he owned. I remember they had a dehumidifier unit that doubled as a piano bench that would hold gallons of water. But like lights, technology and efficiency jump in big steps, so you may as well try to get the best tech at the moment.
NCG, I agree, lots of advances. Some good some not so good. It’s amazing reading online reviews how to one person a device is life changing and a POS to another. The search continues. Onward thru the fog.
Thanks, I’ll take a look at Homemedics. Happy growing
I know not really helpful, but mine is an old Sears brand Kenmore. I have had it is 1999 and it is still pulling water out of the air no problem. It runs continuously (it self cycles defrost mode, most do) in my garage with all the aquariums and drying plants. If you come across a cheap old one they seem to last. I think the last Sears just closed last month. I bet the great great grandkids of Sears Roebuck don’t vacation with Jeff Bezos.
Thanks I’ll check it out