OT (kinda) AC shop

[Jack]

Its been to hot to work in my shop. Thinking about putting an AC in. Not sure what size I would need. Talked to several dealers and they all had different ideas (depending on what units they had in stock) The building is a simple stick structure concrete floor, 7x9 garage door. The only glass is in the entry door. The dimensions are 15x22. The ceiling is R13 (3.5) inslu. No inslu on the walls which are half inch sheathing covered with half inch siding. One dealer said to go no smaller than a 17K. Any input would be appreciated.

[O D]

A good rule of thumb is 6 btu's per cubic foot. It may take it an hour or so to get down to your level of comfort, so give it some time. And be sure to check and clean the filter each day due to the saw dust.

A window shaker is the least expensive way to go if you are not going to insulate. Good luck

[Doug Winterburn]

If you're in a "dry heat" area like AZ, you might want to consider an evaporative cooler (swamp cooler) rather than an AC. They are much les expensive to operate, an you can buy a $200 roll around model from the Borg.

-Doug

[PC]

What location? What is the outside temperature? What humidity are you typically experiencing?

Phil

Jack wrote:

[Jack]

Outside temp in high 90's The humidity is generally pretty high. I'm in the Midwest (Kansas City)

[Mark & Juanita]

I had considered that for my shop, but rejected it for two concerns:

1. A swamp cooler will raise the humidity in the shop, potentially causing issues with rust on the tool surfaces and causing wood to expand, then contract when the AC is shut off for the night or week.
2. During the "monsoon" season, the humidity in Tucson is too high for an evap to do much good. The problem is that it is during the monsoon season when I find myself most in need of air conditioning. When the "dry heat" is on, the fans keep one able to work (I don't want to use the word "comfortable", 110 in the shop isn't exactly comfortable).

I'm in the process of insulating and putting sheeting on the walls -- I'm using 1/4" white-vinyl sheeting to allow for easy access at what is behind the walls in the future.

>

[Doug Winterburn]

I know what you mean. I haven't talked the OL into mine yet for the shop, but I know how well they work having used one in the Mesa house for 10 years. I know that they are totally useless during the monsoon season, but I think they could extend my shop time for three or so months in the "dry heat". I'd sure keep the Boeshield or whatever on the cast iron.

-Doug

BTW, you must be a lot younger than me, cause my thermostat doesn't agree with the 110-115 heat that blows outa my industrial fan :-( Damn salty sweat drips into the eyes, and next thing you know you want a $aw$top for protection ;-)

[Jim Stuyck]

Been there, done that, in suburban Dallas/Fort Worth. My garage is just over 400 square feet with two doors.

First, insulate the walls with R13 roll insulation. Cheap enough and, without it, you'll need a really big unit.

Once insulated, then a 10,000 btu window unit -- perhaps $238 at Home Depot (Hampton Bay model) -- will remove the moisture and drop the temperature at least 25-30 degrees from outside. On those

95-100 degree days here I typically maintain 76 without difficulty.

Like I said: Been there, done that. Insulation is required. 5000 btu is not enough.

Jim Stuyck

[PC]

Insulate. Also be careful that you don't get a unit that is too large. In areas of high humidity you want the AC to run most of the time to dehumidify. If it's too big it will drop the temperature before enough moisture is extracted.

Phil

O D wrote:

[Matthew Rohde]

Conusmer Reports has a "calculator" for determining AC size. It takes into account the geographical location, the size of the space, how many outside orifices there are, and what heat producing objects there are. It does not specifically mention the insulation already applied, so you may have to fudge it a bit.