Eric. Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 ...for the summer (gotcha) .....unless I buy an AC unit. Not that I'm getting much shop time these days anyway, being swamped with work and all the rest. But I can't stand being out there for more than five minutes and we're just at the very beginning of the three miserable months I wish didn't even exist. I mean why can't we just have like six Octobers in a row instead of the yearly hell on earth? And any of you freaks who say you love this steamy nightmare, just keep your mouths shut about it cuz I'm not in the mood, m'kay? Thanks. I digress... Quick AZ search came up with this one: http://www.amazon.com/SPT-12000-Window-Conditioner-WA-1211S/dp/B004K43I2Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1403721565&sr=8-3&keywords=air+conditioner+window My shop is about 3,800 cubic feet...that's 18' wide x 24' long x 9' ceiling. Any opinions on if this thing will cool me down or a better unit or any other advice...would love to hear it. I'm 3/5 insulated and intend to finish that right soon...when time allows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 12,000 btu is what i have in the main part of my basement apt. It works in the 350-400sqft it covers. You need to be looking at 18,000 minimum or else it will be running for fun. You know, like a practical joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Maybe Devon is not so bad after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 12,000 btu is what i have in the main part of my basement apt. It works in the 350-400sqft it covers. You need to be looking at 18,000 minimum or else it will be running for fun. You know, like a practical joke. My square footage is 432...but I'm not sure why square footage would be relevant...I'm not cooling a 2-dimensional square, I'm cooling a cube. So assuming you don't have 6 foot ceilings, I'm not too far off your basement apt. Surely you have better insulation being underground and all...but still. I'm not wanting to turn this place into a meat locker. Just wanna get down into the low 70s while I'm out here. If it has to run the entire time I'm in the shop, so be it. My space heaters run the entire time I'm out here in the dead of winter. Oh well. I pay the electric bill and move on. At least I can go out into the shop without getting all pissy and throwing things because I'm miserable. Other problem is the 18k BTU units appear to start around 500 potatoes. That's more potatoes than I really wanna potato. Ya potato? Just gargled this...energy star says 12k btu's for 450-550 sq ft... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneRider Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 My shop is about the same size, I put in a 240V A/C unit, cut a whole in the wall. I still have a small floor fan to keep the air moving. Before insulation, the A/C unit could barely hold a 10F delta, basically not worth it. I now have R18 ceiling and R12 in the walls with drywall, and the unit will hold 72F in there all day long, even when it is over 100F outside. Completely worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Maybe i messed up, my potato! (Bad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 I gasped when I saw that. More time at the keyboard then thinking up fall and winter projects. Or just splash out on some AC. You know it makes sense Mine is roughly the same size at 115m3 4000ish cu feet fully insulated. But we don't get summer heat anywhere near your heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Cindy Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 I have a standard 2 car garage with high ceiling with my shop in half of it, standard insulation, i.e. drywall but not much else. Last summer I installed a small window a/c and it made a huge difference. I use a fan to direct the air towards wherever I am working. It drops the temperature some but the biggest advantage is it takes out the humidity. I feel the impact within minutes and can work at the lathe comfortably for hours at a time instead of 5 minutes before I installed the a/c. Heat kills me, can not take it at all, but with this set up I am comfortable even when the outside temp is in the 90's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 Have you considered the geothermal option? More expensive to install initially but a lot cheaper to run. The same system will both cool your shop during those slightly warm periods ( ) and heat it when Santa is getting ready to visit. Best of all you can claim Federal Tax Credits for up to 30% of the cost (http://antonshvac.com/geothermal). There may be other rebates/credits you can get - http://energy.gov/savings Wikipedia article on Geothermal Heat Pumps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbutcher74 Posted June 25, 2014 Report Share Posted June 25, 2014 You could always move your shop into the big white toaster. I bet the airco works pretty well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 You could always move your shop into the big white toaster. I bet the airco works pretty well. Yeah, but what kinda gas mileage is he gonna rack up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Bienlein Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 I have a 24' x 24' with 9' at the walls and 12' at the peak. I have 3/4" foam insulation on the walls that has foil on one side and 1-1/2" fiberglass duct board for the ceiling insulation. I have a window unit mounted in the wall that's rated at 25,500 btu's and it does just fine in my shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 You could install two of these units and have 24k btu. I have never been satisfied with this type of unit, and they don't move a lot of air. Your main load will be cooling the room and all equipment while getting the temp down, 2 units would get you there faster, and you will have less chance of an undersized unit freezing up. BTW when the coils freeze up it doesn't cool, just blows hot air. I'm not a pro HVAC guy, but I would recommend a 2 1/2-3 ton split system. More taters than you want to part with, will move more air . Also not sure how much electrical capacity you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Maybe a silly question but, is your shop well insulated? My summer temps and humidity aren't nearly as bad as yours but, my shop is well insulated and I don't use any AC at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 My shop is a detached 2 car garage 21x27 without insulation. I had my HVAC guy looking for a used package unit for me for 2 years. Last summer he found me one. It was 3 tons!!! I said bring it on because it was $500 for a 2007 model. Last night It cooled the shop down from 90 to about 75 in 15 minutes. No, there is not a rust problem. A while back, I posed the AC issue to the forum and added that I have to keep the cost down (they didn't hear that part) and immediately, the thread went to a mini split discussion and they're only thousands of dollars. Yea ok...HVAC guys get these used units all the time. Someone wants to upgrade a unit in their house and the AC guy has to do something with the old one, so they sell them...sometimes for a song. Go see about 5 different HVAC people, explain your wants, and call them weekly to check in. You'll find one cheap and RECLAIM YOUR TERRITORY!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Kev, I'm 3/5 insulated...still need to do something about the garage door and blow in the attic. The walls are done. It holds heat pretty well but I think a lot of that has to do with the contents of the shop giving off ambient heat once it's up to temp. I doubt it will behave the same way with cooling. I definitely need to finish the insulation and address the drafts around the garage door. I have all the power I need...220 outlets are everywhere, however... I'm not interested in spending "HVAC guy" money. I did a little research last night, and it sounds like a 12k BTU unit will be perfectly sufficient for the space I need to cool. For $280 it's not that big of a gamble. It's only about two or three months out of the year that I'll need to run the AC, and in any given week only a couple or few days, and on any given day only six or eight or ten hours. I'll shut it off at night and only run it when it's really hot outside. If I spent 40 hours a week in my shop I would probably consider a more serious alternative. I'll add that I have an industrial fan mounted by the window that the AC unit will be going into, so that'll help push the air around. If I'm in the money-spending mood this evening I'll probably order the unit. I'll report back with the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Go for it man, gotta be in the shop! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 Go for it man, gotta be in the shop! +1 - doit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyF Posted June 26, 2014 Report Share Posted June 26, 2014 The only other option I see is to make a change of latitude, or just a more moderate climate. I like how my basement shop is always the right temp all year. Good thing it's cool now, 'cause I need that to cool down after carrying things up and down the stairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipmaster Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 My basement shop is the same size..it stays fairly constant most of the year without heat or AC but can get warm or cold on certain days. I use a small electric "radiator" type space heater when needed, (seldom), but the biggest difference for the summer came with installing a dehumidifier. About $120.00 at Lowes..comes on only when it needs to so it's fairly easy on the "potatoes". Winston Salem, NC can be very humid during the peak of summer and this made a huge difference in comfort the first afternoon. I hooked it to a drain so it is ready 24/7 and there's no bucket to empty. It keeps the humidity level at around 50 - 55 F so my lumber stock doesn't fluctuate in moisture like it used to. You can set it to keep it higher or lower..your preferance..well worth the money ...er... potatoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted June 27, 2014 Report Share Posted June 27, 2014 The only other option I see is to make a change of latitude, or just a more moderate climate. I like how my basement shop is always the right temp all year. Good thing it's cool now, 'cause I need that to cool down after carrying things up and down the stairs. Yeah, but that latitude change has consequences on the other end - like January and February. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC1501 Posted June 29, 2014 Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 I have around 500 square feet with 10 foot ceilings. I found a used 12,000 BTU air conditioner last summer for $20. When I say used I mean really well used, this thing is old. It cools the shop down though, I am sure it is not that efficient but I don't run it 24-7. Just while I am out there and maybe for an hour or two beforehand if it is really hot. It works great for $20! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted June 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 I ordered the unit from AZ and it was on my front porch in about 26 hours. I have it unpacked and I'm planning to install it this morning. I'm like a kid at Christmas. This is gonna be great. I hate summer! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted June 29, 2014 Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 I ordered the unit from AZ and it was on my front porch in about 26 hours. I have it unpacked and I'm planning to install it this morning. I'm like a kid at Christmas. This is gonna be great. I hate summer! Atta boy Kiki....NEVER give up the shop...not even to Zombies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted June 29, 2014 Report Share Posted June 29, 2014 Foil faced foam works good on garage doors. Weather stripping is a good idea too. There was a 5 ton AC unit in my shop when I moved in. If I left it on all night it was pretty cool by morning but the temperature climbed to 80 + by mid afternoon. If you opened the loading dock door a river of cold air flowed into the parking lot . $400 higher power bill that month. We went to only using it on the hottest days and when the compressor broke I never had it fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.