EDIT rhis is really long and Carmen and I have spoken elsewhere about my thoughts on Dehumidifiers - “Dehueys” or “DeChoppers” for ever more. And high on her own high quality homegrown weed she asked me to give an opinion on the Rh implications of growing on a kitchen table in the most southern bits of the Western Province of South Africa where I lived a long time. Its a really long post, technical and even when you think I’m joking I’m not. I think this could be like just the coolest grow - and def journal eva! Like organic Co2 on a kitchen table no tent? She does the HVAC natural style! She shows some recipes for food seasonally and like three grows through the seasons through th year (because environment does flip substantially in Southern, SA) like lamb with mealie in Spring on the table with the plants!
This is my pitch Carmen - you asked me for an opinion on it elsewhere. Sorry its so long! But I really, really thought it through. Cause yeah you a star and enjoy your grows and chats. So best I got for what its worth - even just typoed it!
To start-
Lights - Woah! Slick! I expect a full report on the table please.
I’m hoping for some sweet Stellenbosch Boere Maisie’s cottage table from 1856, looking put in its new home over a rocky and craggy, salt spumed beach or something on the rocky southern end of the Atlantic Ocean after (?!) I think it meets the warmer but no less violent Indian Ocean. A swirl of frothy white waves through an old thick, melted looking glass panelled window of a cottage built with mortar made from cow dung and white painted with a green tin roof. Resolute at the top of the cliff facing the weather. I appreciate this is something most people will consider a weird fantasy…. Carmen, I hope, gets the sentiment!
Environment where you are, and I have lived back on the day there within 100km of you for like 8 years, i never noticed any humidity in my whole time in CT.
Other bits of Africa a bit higher. 50-60
% but generally localised. You’re in a Rwandan Jungle and its 70% you’re ok about it. You’re in Kigali its more like 50% Then obviously South East Asia - you think Thailand at 75% walking around is high? 95+ % walking around in Hong Kong is normal for 4 months of the year.
I can’t see you needing any dehumidifier at all.
Do you think it's just a waste of money? Unless I can get away with a dehuey (nice word
) half the size, a proper one isn't happening. I simply don't have the money for it. It's not the end of the world. I've managed 3 grows without. I don't want to go gimmicky if that's all it is.
Yes its a waste of money. You did without before!
Like always with the beating me to it Shed!
This looks like a fancied up version of hanging a nylon stocking filled with calcium chloride (ice melt) over a bucket. The calcium chloride collects moisture from the air and drips into the bucket. Maybe search diy calcium chloride dehumidifier. It's very inexpensive here, i don't know about there.
Stone always solid on its bad chemically stuff. Thank you for covering that off!
Is an air conditioner out of the question? That takes plenty of moisture out and it would make you cool too.
AC and HVAC is so misunderstood by a basic thing. Honestly. I am dumb as because I only resolved this after 3 months with an 18,000 BTU LG AC unit. Freshly serviced, and a 280L a day, 55KG 0.5 cubic meter sized dehuey, a 6” Inline fan with controller and a 12” square 3 speed intake fan. I still couldn't get the tenp and Rh down at all - imagine 3 5x5 feet tents in an L shape. That size with that weaponry took me months.
Your AC on dry mode - never use that. Your AC brings no air in from inside other than by passive pressure which is small.
On dry mode - it dried but heats the air, over and over again. Guess what it dries it and bakes it. The air intake is in the room. The bit that is outside? Window or split style? Thats venting hot air from the compressor, its not bringing fresh air at all.
That’s it. That’s the ball game.
So “cool” is recirculated air from the bit of the room where the internal bit is, then it gets progressively cooler and switches off at your preferred temperature, or in a range (I use, and used them 5 years plus!) Sensibo controllers for server rooms, living rooms, bedrooms and now grow rooms! They are genuinely one of my top 10 gadgets on the planet! Save electricty and control AC from anywhere on the planet with 5 minutes setup? Yeah, i have like 6 AC just at home and I run a lot of server rooms where temp is critical. Its hardcore business good.
We take now we figured it cold moist air out with the inline extractor (its also got a high Co2 content and Co2 costs money but there’s almost free Co2 as we shall see!)
That cold wetter air gets blown into the dehuey (was it a dechopper before?) where it dries the air but as part of that whole heat exchange process it gets warmer. The water goes out the building and warmer but drier air gets blasted into the AC intake so we have a virtuous circle.
I learned today - we have 21 much smaller plants inside still in veg actually flipped a few hours ago) I want my Rh 80% & 35c in Veg is OK
I was at like 58% and 28c so I just switched off all the HVAC and opened the doors! This is not a normal response to 58% and 28c in veg but for me works. Different places to discuss that.
With those sick slick lights you’ve been sent! (was SA customs a pain or are they not duch skellums now?!)
The beautiful wooden table, the wind swept white painted cottage (anyone that’s seen The Banshees of Insherin Irish movie, that looks not unlike where Carmen lives, bit warmer but not always!)
My advice is for your HVAC grow design stuff buy a sack, like a 50kg or whatever sack of potatoes each month. And cook and eat them. Chips cut, skin off, lightly coated m with rice flour, shallow fried in a neutral oil. Grapezeed, corn. Whatever is cheap in about 5cm in a wok. Best chips you’ll ever have in 20 minutes. Promise.a little compost pot of vegetable skins and perhaps carrots under the dining table. Maybe they do an odourless one?
Anyway keep that big sack of potatoes around. And Carmen - don’t put the extractor on too much at all. Just keep the smells down and the tenperature tolerable and happy for you. This will vary for Rh through the year. Because you get 2 seasons really. Hot and cold and often uninsulated very well relative to the rest of the world. So you might change you extractor hood practice between seasons.
Also, Carmen, I’d like you to start buying and leaving on the counter more grapes, more strawberries, more fruity stuff. Eat more of that type of stuff. Drink more beer and wine and just when you go to bed at night leave the glasses there and let them sit. If you decide to have shots of tequila at night - leave the chopped limes out.
When you go in there in the morning, resist the temptation to flick on the extractor fan or open the windows because you have a whole bunch of Co2 in there.
“glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy
Respiration is also the process by which once-living (organic) organisms are decomposed. When organisms die, they are decomposed by bacteria. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere or water during the decomposition process.”
The plants create (don’t I know it!) their oen humidity. But sugary decomposing fruit and veg produces lots of Co2
Cannabis plants love Co2 One of the best sink banks for global Co2 levels - plant like 20% the Sahara with hemp - it will fix a bunch of climate stuff - its ridiculously good at absorbing Co2 compared to pretty much any other plant on the planet.
But generally it gets all Indica about it. I’m just gonna take that and lie around on the couch in grow terms.
But you give it warmth and humidity it takes say the 400-500ppm you would have anyway. You use the extractor a little less. You keep it a little warmer. The bag of spuds, the fruit on the counter, the glass of Windhoek left out overnight?
With the extra warmth and humidity and the newly minted 600-700ppm background you get an all natural boost I reckon.
That is, I must add, achievable in a modern WP apartment without making the place smell. Its just fractions of a bit a more earthy, not smelly or anything. And because - you are targetting three grows? Seasonal? What works at one time of year might not at others. So you gotta learn three times!
Me?
Don’t buy any dehuey at all. Biy some nice food and we swap some recipes.
But we should track the Rh, temp, Co2 and seriously the fruit/vegetable products in the open.
450ppm is like average global background. 1200ppm is like the “yeah optimal with most peoples lights” i aim for an average above 1200, like 1250 in flower.
But just with / In veg a background from food lying around and warmth and a bit extra humidity, you get to 7-800ppm Co2. Totally safe. I mean ask a Dr but I think even with serious asthma that’s fine for a kitchen. Your plants probably a 10% growth bump minimum. But In flower even your Rh goes to 60% at 800pm its not great. But its ok you dry well.
The extra growth in veg though!
Because also - eat a lot of pasta, boil a lot of those potatoes. Because you are throwing nice humid air out there.
Get started! Why do we need to wait for June?!
You have those sweet slick lights! Pop.
and have room for one more to join. I’m a tad tardy but I’m excited for your new grow 
