Dehumidifiers

[Nub]

So..i am just the happiest guy ever right now. I managed to pick up this big bitch brand new for significantly below retail(1250), even tho it is not nearly as efficient as the 155 i wanted..i could not pass it up. Quest dual 150. Can not wait to hang her up. Has anyone else ran any of these units? I almost bought an aprilaire, one of the large shop guys was really trying to sell me an 1870 when i asked about a quest 105..so glad i passed. I know those are nice too, but way harder to install for my purpose in comparison. Confident this thing will do the job, be able to drop the two smaller units i have on each end of the large sealed room and just hang this in the center, came with the duct kit as well, so ill also use the fan function to circulate air, placing a duct on each end of the room.

Love the holiday season, even tho i do not celebrate any holidays.

 

[Guest 3rdCoaster]

Nice!  I have not used a Quest, but have been drooling on them for a while.  

Residential units coils get all gunked up because they dont filter the intake air properly, decreasing efficiency and causing them to freeze up.   The Quest units allow for proper filtration and are built to suit our needs.  Hope it serves you well. 

[Nub]

@3rdCoaster yah buddy, maybe the holidays may reward the drooling!!😁 I am going to get this thing hung up soon and see what it can really do. I still really want that 155, 7.8L/per kwr is pretty amazing. What i didnt know while going through this buying venture, is that at least some of these quest models are actually made by Therma stor/santa fe impact, specifically i think the 105 and 155, but licensed/branded to quest, where they warranty it for grow rooms...or something like that🤔. One thing i know for sure, is itll be saving me at least around 6 amps of power pretty much every hour, because the ones i have now pretty much never shut off😂(Kinda undersized a little, and not very effiecent)

[Smokin Joe]

I have been looking for the btu's of heat these units put out and can't find the info. I'm in the market for a good unit myself but need to know the btu output to size my ac properly.

have ya seen that anywhere?

[Nub]

43 minutes ago, Smokin Joe said:

I have been looking for the btu's of heat these units put out and can't find the info. I'm in the market for a good unit myself but need to know the btu output to size my ac properly.

have ya seen that anywhere?

No, i have not. I have not plugged it in yet, only briefly to see the airflow and sound. I dont know if you are running sealed or not, but there is an option on some models to add a vent, to vent that heat outside. This unit in particular draws 10 or 11 amps on 120, so i assume it shouldnt put out as much heat as even a 1k lamp. I will call the rep tomorrow and run that question by him. Im curious to know now too.( my ac is way oversized, so i hadnt even thought of it yet tbh)

 

[Nub]

Eh..maybe they cant be vented. I was wondering how they would do that, but i just went through the manual again, and it specifically said it BOLD letters-DO NOT VENT OUTSIDE.

[Guest 3rdCoaster]

Im watching the after Christmas blow outs and 420 sales this year for some new gear.   That and I just butchered a new one for the grow, so its good for now.  

However...If they figured out a way to vent the heat and keep the dry I would have bought one today.

[Guest]

Quest dual 225 is the tits, it runs 240v at around 6 amps, it puts out roughly the same heat as a 1000w light and ballast.

im not to techy but I don’t think it would be possible to vent the heat load on this unit without venting the dry air.

[Nub]

9 hours ago, 3rdCoaster said:

Im watching the after Christmas blow outs and 420 sales this year for some new gear.   That and I just butchered a new one for the grow, so its good for now.  

However...If they figured out a way to vent the heat and keep the dry I would have bought one today.

Quest makes a split unit now, just like a mini split but specifically for dehumidification..i think that would be the only way.

[herbert]

Wow... maybe there are some on eBay but these are definitely commercial grade for growroom environs, petty pricey .you can seal the evaporator inlet on a Freidrich with duct tape and supplement the nylon screen filter with a flattened hepa and save a lot of money. I got one for my friend from Grainger and it does up to 80 pints of water removed a day for his flower room.

or the Grainger commercial models .

Industrial Portable Dehumidifier, 115V, 7 Amps, Height 37-7/16", Width 23-1/8", Depth 17-15/16"
https://www.grainger.com/product/5EAJ4?cm_mmc=Share:CopyToPasteboard-_-iPhone_IDPShare-_-5EAJ4

http://questprotect.com/plug-and-play/quest-205-dual-horizontal-dehumidifier/

 

[Nub]

1 hour ago, herbert said:

Wow... maybe there are some on eBay but these are definitely commercial grade for growroom environs, petty pricey .you can seal the evaporator inlet on a Freidrich with duct tape and supplement the nylon screen filter with a flattened hepa and save a lot of money. I got one for my friend from Grainger and it does up to 80 pints of water removed a day for his flower room.

or the Grainger commercial models .

Industrial Portable Dehumidifier, 115V, 7 Amps, Height 37-7/16", Width 23-1/8", Depth 17-15/16"
https://www.grainger.com/product/5EAJ4?cm_mmc=Share:CopyToPasteboard-_-iPhone_IDPShare-_-5EAJ4

http://questprotect.com/plug-and-play/quest-205-dual-horizontal-dehumidifier/

 

Well...you would save money in the short run but most of these units will pay for themselves over the coarse of a year. For instance, the 105 draws 2 amps less than the dayton you listed, but removes almost twice the amount of water at standard ratings.

[herbert]

27 minutes ago, Nub said:

Well...you would save money in the short run but most of these units will pay for themselves over the coarse of a year. For instance, the 105 draws 2 amps less than the dayton you listed, but removes almost twice the amount of water at standard ratings.

I would not reccomend the Dayton , I was on Grainger app to lead people to Grainger , I like the Freidrich units but that was for a 10x10 tent . 

I deal with HVAC in my job, you do get what you pay for I admit and 36 hours of a broken dehumidifier could ruin the grow. For the situation we were in with constant care and the RH internal within a home with central AC it was ok. I was just putting out what I did for my brother, those quest are very good and seem to be popular with growers. I should have just zipped my lip but threw my 2 cents in.

and Nub that is a kickass unit I was not slamming you by any means. That little one we had that did 80 pints max did throw out some heat in fact a lot of heat,  I prefer everything running on 220 for efficiency as well rather than 120v

[Nub]

@herbert bro😂🤓 i welcome everyones cents...its why i hang around!! I just didnt know if you knew just how effiecient some of these things are. I figure i will use this one for a cycle , hopefully do another upgrade to the 155 and then sell this one for a little more than i paid...or maybe use it elsewhere.

[Nub]

Apriliares have a similiar efficiency but run on 230 i think, need a dedicated circuit etc, similiar prices.

[Smokin Joe]

Nope he can't duct a dehuey to the outside. It would defeat the purpose. They take in wet air and put out dry air. If you have a ducted split ac system you can get them with a dehuy function on the upper end models or you can duct the into the system. Otherwise it's a good idea to know the btu output of everything in the room. Helps ya dial in what ever conditions your hart desires   

[Guest 3rdCoaster]

13 hours ago, Nub said:

Quest makes a split unit now, just like a mini split but specifically for dehumidification..i think that would be the only way.

https://questhydro.com/product/quest-185-cool

This is the unit...it is set up like a mini split with the condenser located remotely.    Appears to be a very nice unit.    

Typically, if it is drying the air and not producing heat...its an air conditioner.    Legalization is spurring innovation through mans desire to collect the demarcations (cash).

The specs dont state the operating temps for the outdoor unit, so it may not be perfect for cold weather operation and the price is not listed either.   

Still, its nice to see the technology being customized to a growers wants and needs.

[Smokin Joe]

3300 bux is the msrp. I have been thinking about this and think I have it figured out. I used to work on refrigerated air driers for factories. What they do is dry the air that the giant air compressors make so the controls stay dry and functional. They do this by creating a dew point inside the dryer so the water comes out. Ya have to cool the air to make that happen. After the air cools it is then warmed back up and cooled again to remove the last bit of moisture befor it exits the unit. This must be how quest is doing it with the split system. The air dryer units use a hot gas bypass valve to keep them from freezing up under any conditions.

The upper end ac units with the dehumidifier function run the ac 24/7 at a very low speed. The compressors and blowers run only what they need to do the dehuey job with out cooling off the house too much. 

The new mini split ac units have variable speed compressors and fans so they can modulate to do what ever is needed at the time. They are using the same compressor for multi indoor heads as they do for single head models. I can see this working well but it's a mini split and they are great as long as they are working properly but let 1 hiccup and you'll be scratching your ass trying to figure out what's wrong. The major problem they have is they aren't service tech friendly. Some models even have the control board mounted upside down in the unit so it's almost impossible to trouble shoot. 

[Guest 3rdCoaster]

Good info from a guy in the industry...Thanks @Smokin Joe

Set up and maintainence is the issue. I cant just have somebody come on by and work on it with a room full of plants, not yet at least.   

I have set up a couple mini splits and they both ran perfectly...but a leak at any time would have sent me scrambling.   I can flare and vac out lines sets, and pump them down too... but dont have the tools or experience to weigh a charge back in if the charge from the factory is lost.  Knock on wood.  Seriously  I keep a big portable on standby, just in case

 

Got that thing hung yet?  @Nub

We are all drying to see how its workin' out.

[Nub]

No, not yet. I have a little bit of down time over there, just so i can make some changes at that place this week. I will have it up and the room running again by the end of this week i am hoping.

 Yah, the splits can be a pain to service. The big one i have gives you an error code and then based upon that code you can usually follow a service path and most of the electronic parts are just simple pull and replace but..not always the case haha. When we installed it, we had a ground wire that was not connected in the harness between the indoor and outdoor, had us freaking out because it said main control board was bad...was just that wire🙉😂

[Nub]

@Smokin Joe here is the information you were looking for. I guess my assumption relating power consumption equivelants to heat generated was off😂😞..quite a bit lol, at least if they are running constant.

 

 

[Smokin Joe]

I knew it would take a good bit to overcome the heat they put out. Looks like the average room could take close to a ton of cooling just to get over the heat from the dehuey. 

[Smokin Joe]

11 hours ago, 3rdCoaster said:

Good info from a guy in the industry...Thanks @Smokin Joe

Set up and maintainence is the issue. I cant just have somebody come on by and work on it with a room full of plants, not yet at least.   

I have set up a couple mini splits and they both ran perfectly...but a leak at any time would have sent me scrambling.   I can flare and vac out lines sets, and pump them down too... but dont have the tools or experience to weigh a charge back in if the charge from the factory is lost.  Knock on wood.  Seriously  I keep a big portable on standby, just in case

 

Got that thing hung yet?  @Nub

We are all drying to see how its workin' out.

Yeah the charge is critical on mini splits. Down to the oz critical when you have a line stet more then 15 feet. I have had problems with the factory flair nuts and flair so now days I replace the nuts and flair my own fittings.  A few times of evacuating the system and weighing a charge back in will learn ya a thing or 2. And just fyi, the hoses from the fitting to your gauge can hold and oz or 2 depending on if the unit is running or not.

i use a short 3" connector between my gauge and the unit when checking the system charge just to reduce the refrigerant loss.  

[Guest dansbuds]

13 hours ago, Smokin Joe said:

Yeah the charge is critical on mini splits. Down to the oz critical when you have a line stet more then 15 feet. I have had problems with the factory flair nuts and flair so now days I replace the nuts and flair my own fittings.  A few times of evacuating the system and weighing a charge back in will learn ya a thing or 2. And just fyi, the hoses from the fitting to your gauge can hold and oz or 2 depending on if the unit is running or not.

i use a short 3" connector between my gauge and the unit when checking the system charge just to reduce the refrigerant loss.  

that was the problem with my mini split , it would work for a couple weeks then leak enough it had to be recharged , finally replaced all the line fittings & no problem sense !

[herbert]

I agree joe with your logic process on gas loss. 

when I charge smaller units rather than use the gauges I make note of the units FLA. or full load ampere rating and put my clamp on ampmeter and slowly fill u til it reaches FLA. 

 

 

[Smokin Joe]

While that will work I have yet to see a unit run fla unless it is a hot day and coil is dirty. Most run below fla.