When is it too hot ?

[denis tuomey]

Alot of us have our shops in a garage, myself a 2 car garage, un air conditioned, just a ceiling fan, its been quite hot here in Texas lately and the temp. has been getting 97 to 101 :eek: in the garage. I dont mind the sweat but was wonderng what temps most of you work in and can it affect the outcome of a project :confused:?

[Brian Kent]

I find that 104 is a good temperature for wiping the cosmolene off of new tools.

Seriously, I can go into the 90's with a fan. After a short time though I really wish I had the option of AC. I just moved about 75 miles south and about 10 degrees cooler in the summer so I'll see if I "need" a small air conditioner.

[Bobby O'Neal]

I actually find it mostly annoying to have to continually wipe sweat off of work and tools. My garage is without any sort of AC but is pretty well insulated. If I get out early in the morning, its not too bad even on those 100 degree days.

[Joe Angrisani]

Brian.... Funny. I think. :eek:

Denis.... If it gets much above 90 degrees and 40% humidity here in Colorado, I'm in the hammock. :D

[Don Selke]

We have had a great spring here in Arizona so I have not shut down the shop yet. Next week they say we will be in the low to mid 100s. I have A/C but do not like to use it unless I am working on a special project. I am up very early in the AM to do shop work but when the temperatures hit 110+ I shut down and enjoy the pool and AC in the house. Make room for the car in the garage shop as it is hard to get into a car that has been sitting in the hot sun. I usually shut down for three months a year due to the heat. It is nice to be able to work the rest of the year with garage doors open and no heat. Oh well it is a dry heat, "funny" heat is heat and and saw dust and sweat does not work out very well. Glue and finish dry before you are done with the second pass of the spray gun when using water base finishes. I usually stock up on materials and tools in the summer months and play and review sketchup on the computer.

[David Helm]

It never gets that hot here. Typical summer temps are 75 to 80 max. Great working temperatures and air conditioning is nearly unheard of.

[Jerome Hanby]

It gets really hot down here. Long strings of near 100 (especially if you consider heat index) are not uncommon. I've got a big dime store fan I run and that helps. I'm watching for a cheap CL deal on one of the big round roll around shop fans. I try get started early, do as much outside my shop as possible (roll the table saw and planer outside), and plan for a long break in the middle of the day.

[Chris Kennedy]

Once it starts to get above 80 or so, I start taking measures. First the window fan, which does a pretty good job until about 90 degrees, and then the window unit. With that, I can work in the morning, but the afternoons are usually shot since the heat buildup is too much for the window unit. Over a 100 and I am done.

Chris

[John TenEyck]

I'm lucky to have a basement shop. It never gets over about 72 deg. in the summer, and if I run the dehumidifier it is an absolute pleasure to work there, especially on the average 3 days a year it gets over 90 deg. here. I guess for you guys down South and out in the desert 90 deg. would be just fine to work in. BTW, it's never been 100 deg. in Buffalo/Niagara Falls. Ever. On the other hand, we do get snow now and then. But you can work just about as hard as you want then w/o breaking a sweat.

[David Hostetler]

My shop is partially insulated, and air conditioned. I don't turn the AC on until the temp in the shop goes over 90. But I am also very sensitive to heat. (I tell my wife, I prefer cold. I can always put more clothes on, but there is only so naked I can get...)

If you are doing a garage shop in the south, you REALLY need insulation and air conditioning. Or take June through October off of woodworking and find something cool to do...

I must say, I find sweat, which heat will obviously cause, to be a fairly serious safety concern. It fouls up your safety glasses, makes your grip on tools or stock slippery, all in all a very bad thing to have to deal with. Air Conditioning is really the best way to cope...

[Ben Hatcher]

I keep the house pretty cool but there's a whole new level of ahhh when I walk down into my basement on a hot summer day.

[Larry Fox]

It has been pretty hot and very humid here in SE PA this week and it has definitely been uncomfortable to be out in the shop. I can take heat into the mid 90s but when the humidity kicks up I am pretty miserable and turn out the lights and go inside. I used to have a window unit that I ran 24x7 and it made it very pleasant but it broke about 2 years ago. This week makes me think I need to replace it - maybe I will do that on the way home from work tonight as it is still very hot. :)

[Jim Matthews]

We've had a run of higher temperatures, here in Coastal Massachusetts (low rent district, not Cape Cod) - approaching 100 degrees.

In these temperatures, my basement shop walls sweat and planing is sluggish, I suppose from drag between the plane and workpiece?
If I need a dehumidifier, which generates heat - I'm done for the day.

[Chris Padilla]

Brian.... Funny. I think. :eek:

Denis.... If it gets much above 90 degrees and 40% humidity here in Colorado, I'm in the hammock. :D

40% humidity in Colorado?! :confused:

Okay, I know it can happen but that is rare and it doesn't last for long! :)

[Gary Hodgin]

Same problem. We're in the mid 90s right now. Some days I'll go in the garage around 7:30 or so and stay till around 10:00 and then it's back inside. Around 8:30 or so in the evening I'll usually go back and spend an hour or so on days I'm doing woodworking. A couple of days ago I was in the garage in mid-day with my grandsons for three or four hours building some boxes for their baseball/football cards. I felt close to a heat stroke. Anything above 90 is too hot for me now.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It never gets that hot here. Typical summer temps are 75 to 80 max. Great working temperatures and air conditioning is nearly unheard of.

...and yet David.....less than 300 miles away....we have a 3-5 week period where we can be over 100ºF with 110ºF not unusual...and an official record of 116ºF...and an annual average moisture of 13".....

[Chris Tsutsui]

At first I Thought about a ceiling fan since I'm in southern california. I recently added a 300CFM bathroom fan to the top of my garage which is 15' high since the ceiling is vaulted.

It makes a noticeable difference in venting out the hot air that accumulates at the top of the ceiling. I used 6" round flexible duct to exhaust the warm air and it's overall very quiet.

[David Larsen]

I am turning on the AC if it gets over 75. I hate sweat on the wood!

[Rod Sheridan]

OK, you guys can start laughing now, as this Canadian tells you that it can reach 32C here in Toronto (about 90F).

That's way too hot to be working in the shop without AC, makes me glad I have a shop in the basement, in an air conditioned house.

Regards, Rod

[Kent E. Matthew]

I find if I wait till the sun goes down I can get out there for a little while. My shop is a separate metal building. Plan to insulate and I have an old swamper I could set up. Only problem is after a few minutes I feel like I'm swimming through a cloud of bugs.

[johnny means]

My AC will be cranking for any thing above 75. But when im spraying( usually a couple of solid days) I have to continually exhaust the shop air, so the AC goes off. I must have been quite a sight to my 8 year old when she walked in on daddy in his underwear, flip-flops and a respirator:eek:

[David Nelson1]

I have spent way too many hours in the extremes over the the last 35 years as an aircraft mechanic. So for a hobby I'm not going to be hating it. Cider block constructed shop that is insulated and dry walled with a 12 K heat pump. The last week or so temps have reached the 100+ mark, nice and cool in the shop with the A/C off. Helps with all the shade the shop has and a very well insulated garage door. This is the first full year with those improvements and it seems that if I run the a/c in the evening for a couple of hours to maintain the temp its very comfortable to come home to the next day. Dehumidifier is on 100% of the time. The draw back is if you open the garage door and let the steam in, the cast iron just sweats terribly. Thank goodness for Johnson PW.

[Bobby O'Neal]

My AC will be cranking for any thing above 75. But when im spraying( usually a couple of solid days) I have to continually exhaust the shop air, so the AC goes off. I must have been quite a sight to my 8 year old when she walked in on daddy in his underwear, flip-flops and a respirator:eek:

Quite a sight indeed. How did that conversation go?

[Jim Matthews]

My AC will be cranking for any thing above 75. But when im spraying( usually a couple of solid days) I have to continually exhaust the shop air, so the AC goes off. I must have been quite a sight to my 8 year old when she walked in on daddy in his underwear, flip-flops and a respirator:eek:

I always wondered how some guys got their hair to look so good...197691

Getting that perfect lacquer look all over, just became possible!

[David Keller NC]

Hmm - Suppose I'm a wimp in this particular class, but I don't do any WW in the shop if it gets over 75 degrees F and 50% humidity. That's not a problem for all but July and August since it's a basement shop, but I have A/C and a dehumidifier used interchangeably depending on temp to keep it below 75F. I suspect this is the heritage of growing up in Alabama, and working on a steel yard in the summers when I was young (and in blue jeans, and long-sleeve blue jean jacket to protect against weld burns - that gets a little toasty when the temp hits 100 F plus).

To me, avoiding anything close to that situation again is worth spending $50 a month on A/C in the shop.

[Joe Angrisani]

40% humidity in Colorado?! :confused:

Okay, I know it can happen but that is rare and it doesn't last for long! :)

Thanks, Chris. SOMEBODY got the joke....

[Chris Fournier]

It's too hot to WW when either I drop from heat exhaustion or I start to have problems with glue ups, even then I can change the type of glue I use. My shop will get into the high 80's and low 90's on blistering Ontario summer days. A ceiling fan and a large industrial floor fan keep me just cranky enough not to quit and drink ice tea.

[Harold Burrell]

When is it too hot ?



Methinks that the only time it could possibly be TOO hot to work in the shop would be if it were in flames...

;)

[Dick Thomas]

Chris & Joe: 40%????????????????? Last time it got that high here we were wearing raincoats! (Conifer, CO, 8300' elev). Personal opinion is that anything over 75* is too !@#$%^&*( hot!
I'm just getting started on overhauling my shop (one-car space in a 3-car garage, and will include an overhead propane heater, with a 'fan on' option for circulation - may add another circulator in the opposite corner of the garage.

DickT

[Leo Graywacz]

I make my life working in the shop. I like it to be 75F, but in the summer it routinely gets to 90F at about 2pm. I have many fans and try to point as many of them at me as possible. Every year I think about putting in an AC unit. And so far I don't have one. I have 1300 sq ft with 26' ceilings. I will need a 3 ton unit, or larger. I am not looking to make it cold in there, just keep it in the low 80s with lower humidity. This 90F with 60%+ bites.

[David Helm]

...and yet David.....less than 300 miles away....we have a 3-5 week period where we can be over 100ºF with 110ºF not unusual...and an official record of 116ºF...and an annual average moisture of 13".....

It's all about marine air and the large mountain range between us. I love it here and don't know how all you guys can stand the heat!

[Danny Hamsley]

My shop is separate from the house. It get brutally hot. On must summer afternoons it will reach 95 degrees and not cool to below 90 degrees until late at night. I use fans to move the air. Three ceiling fans, a wall mounted shop fan to pull a draft, and a roll around shop fan to blow right on me where I am working. Even so, it is hard to get motivated to work in that heat. Unfortunately, I have to make 6 pieces of furniture for daughter's college apartment by the first of August, so I will have to work in the worst of conditions.

Interesting, it is harder for me to work when it is cold than when it is hot. That is probably because I have lived in this heat all my life. It looks like from this thread that I am not the only one that is miserable!

[Howard Acheson]

My biggest problem is keeping sweat off the wood. There is nothing that will leave persistent marks than perspiration. I wear a headband and keep a towel handy. And, don't forget about your arms. Resting sweating arms on the wood will cause later finishing problems.

Finish is the activity that is most impacted by high temperatures and/or high humidity. Oil based finishes have a own set of problems as do waterborne, lacquer and shellac.

[Jim Neeley]

Boy, you guys have it *rough*!! Here in Anchorage I work in an insulated garage and it's usually 55-65F in the summer when I'm working.. so the overhead door is open. If it's much above 70 I'm working slowly and by the time it hits 80 I'm spending hearly half my time sipping an ice cold Becks N.A. (non-alcoholic beer) and the other half puttering, planning and sketching with a high-velocity fan blowing over me.

During the 5 years I lived in the Denver area I'd sometimes work when it was 90 in the shop. I remember one particularly hot day there when I drank 5 quarts of iced water in a three hour period working under a fan... and it took that long before I'd needed the "facilities".. talk about sweating and evaportation!!

I don't know how (or why) you folks in the hot humid areas do it.. Too much for this ol' boy!!

[Greg Peterson]

Anything over 70 degrees is overkill.

[Kent A Bathurst]

My shop is separate from the house. It get brutally hot. On must summer afternoons it will reach 95 degrees and not cool to below 90 degrees until late at night. I use fans to move the air. Three ceiling fans, a wall mounted shop fan to pull a draft, and a roll around shop fan to blow right on me where I am working. Even so, it is hard to get motivated to work in that heat. Unfortunately, I have to make 6 pieces of furniture for daughter's college apartment by the first of August, so I will have to work in the worst of conditions.

Interesting, it is harder for me to work when it is cold than when it is hot. That is probably because I have lived in this heat all my life. It looks like from this thread that I am not the only one that is miserable!

Danny's got the worst of it, IMO....you get down south of Macon and the humidity can be brutal, plus the poor guy is south of Georgia's infamous "gnat line". His shop is in a nicely wooded part of his property, so that certainly helps, but still.....I've got a bit of elevation in Atlanta, which slightly moderates the temp + humidity, plus the gnats don't venture this far north. I am fortunate to be in a basement shop....walk-in from driveway, but the house is uphill from there, so 3 sides are buried. Basically never see >80* in the shop, and 70 - 75 is typical.

Even so, moved here from Michigan 8 summers ago. The first July + August, I was sure I was gonna die. The next year, I downgraded it from certain to probable. By summer 4, I was starting to think I had a reasonable shot at survival.

[David Keller NC]

I make my life working in the shop. I like it to be 75F, but in the summer it routinely gets to 90F at about 2pm. I have many fans and try to point as many of them at me as possible. Every year I think about putting in an AC unit. And so far I don't have one. I have 1300 sq ft with 26' ceilings. I will need a 3 ton unit, or larger. I am not looking to make it cold in there, just keep it in the low 80s with lower humidity. This 90F with 60%+ bites.

Leo - Speaking as an engineer that is familiar with HVAC, it sounds like you got a quote for a full-time, constant duty cycle AC unit. Either that, or your shop has virtually no insulation. Presuming that you're interested in "taking the edge off", and don't intend to keep the shop constantly cool and dry to preserve your tools, you should be able to do well with a 1-1.5 ton window unit. If not, I'd suggest spending the extra $$ on sealing air leaks and insulating the walls & ceiling. That'll pay off not only in comfort/equipment cost/utilities now, but will also benefit you greatly in the winter.

[David Keller NC]

Honestly, I'm scratching my head over the guys in the South that don't have a window AC unit. The descriptions of heat & humidity in the South are accurate - it's brutal, and I'm a native Southerner, not a transplanted Yankee that had to get used to it.

Window AC units are cheap now - a heck of a lot cheaper than they used to be, and it really doesn't matter whether it's a garage shop with no insulation or not, you're just trying to cool you, not the shop! And even one saturday with about $125 in glass-bat insulation is going to make a huge difference (and let you get by with a much smaller window AC unit).

[phil harold]

I have a small window air conditioner that cools my 1200 sqft shop only installed because I figured it would run as much juice as an dehumidifier but provide cooling as well...
90+ degrees 90%humidity is a normal thing in the summer here
Keeps the shop nice, even so I have 12' ceilings

[Leo Graywacz]

Leo - Speaking as an engineer that is familiar with HVAC, it sounds like you got a quote for a full-time, constant duty cycle AC unit. Either that, or your shop has virtually no insulation. Presuming that you're interested in "taking the edge off", and don't intend to keep the shop constantly cool and dry to preserve your tools, you should be able to do well with a 1-1.5 ton window unit. If not, I'd suggest spending the extra $$ on sealing air leaks and insulating the walls & ceiling. That'll pay off not only in comfort/equipment cost/utilities now, but will also benefit you greatly in the winter.


I have tried a 12,000BTU (1 ton) window unit and it does work, but it is not enough. My building is a steel building and does have insulation. Nothing fantastic, just r15. My side walls are sheet rocked and the front and rear walls are exposed. The ceiling is also exposed. The insulation is behind a heavy plastic sheet. The building is green and the roof is light colored. There is significant solar gain during the sunny day.

Never have to worry about protecting the tools, I have never had any rusting issues.

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Danny's got the worst of it, IMO....you get down south of Macon and the humidity can be brutal, plus the poor guy is south of Georgia's infamous "gnat line". His shop is in a nicely wooded part of his property, so that certainly helps, but still.....I've got a bit of elevation in Atlanta, which slightly moderates the temp + humidity, plus the gnats don't venture this far north. I am fortunate to be in a basement shop....walk-in from driveway, but the house is uphill from there, so 3 sides are buried. Basically never see >80* in the shop, and 70 - 75 is typical.

Even so, moved here from Michigan 8 summers ago. The first July + August, I was sure I was gonna die. The next year, I downgraded it from certain to probable. By summer 4, I was starting to think I had a reasonable shot at survival.

LOL Kent! There's a reason why the baseball team down here are called the "Savannah Sand Gnats!":) I'm with ya' though- originally from Wisconsin, but have been in GA (south GA) for many years and I STILL feel like I might die outside one of these days from the heat!!!

[Bill Huber]

I am not sure just what is to hot.....

I just came in from the shop, it is 101° outside right now, now in the shops it's not, its only 97°. I have the fan going and with only 192 sq. ft. it's not really that bad.
I have though about putting in a window AC but then I have no insulation and I would hate to think what it would look like with all that saw dust in it.

[Peter Quinn]

Honestly, when you have to start keeping your glue in the fridge just to get through a basic assembly because otherwise the open time is about two minutes less than it takes you to spread the glue, and the six fans you have running eliminate any chance that the glue you have spread isn't crusty in 30 seconds anyway, its time to get AC or get the heck out. When you have done so many glue ups in your underpants that you have dried glue squeeze on every pair, it may be time to look into HVAC.:)

I don't mind the heat so much on its own, though it can surely get oppressive in summer months. What I really don't like is the swings in temperature and humidity that occur daily. That can make some wood working very challenging, like fitting inset doors with tight reveals or installing panel molding. If the wood moves so fast you can watch it its time to take a break. The shop I work in has AC, but it doesn't make it cool, it just takes the edge off. I can remember the temp going well above 100 in the shop, and on those days you have to do your glue ups early, plan things well, and leave early or die. I'm on the second story of a metal building, the upper deck traps heat like a green house and the DC system removes cold quite effectively while introducing very warm make up air it pulls from every crevice. We shoot for survivable as a realistic goal. My home shop is in the basement, 12" thick walls, very powerful dehumidifier, never gets above 70 degrees or 38% humidity.......I may not get much done there but I spend a lot of time there in the summer. Its not time to leave until late December!

[Bret Johnson]

I too suffer from the Texas heat. I have a 2 car garage. Last year I spent $350 insulating, sealing cracks and crannies, and making it air tight. I even put the reflectix stuff on the garage door panels. It would heat up to about 90* when it was 100* outside. This year I put a 8,000 btu window unit in installed it in the ceiling and vented it out through a soffit. With 4 fans circulating air around the shop it is able to keep it at about 82* at 5 o clock when the sun hits the garage door and it is 100* outside. In the morning when I start the ac can pull the shop down to 76*. I wish it would keep it their as 82* is on the verge of being to hot for me. I am the type that sweats all over everything. So far I have been happy with ac I think if I would have gone with the next size up I would have been able to keep it in the 70's. Maybe next summer I will buy a portable unit to work along with it. I want the shop to be the same temp as the house!

Bret

http://public.fotki.com/bj383ss/

[Dustin Brown]

I consider it to hot to do anything but whats necessary when it reaches 101 degrees with 90% humidity. Just breathing wears you out.

We've been building a 21'x21' shop the last 3 weekends, should have been done by now but it's hard to work more than 30 minutes without taking a good break. Should be done soon, complete with insulation and 12,000btu window unit and ceiling fan. Probably a dehumidifier too.

[Kent A Bathurst]

LOL Kent! There's a reason why the baseball team down here are called the "Savannah Sand Gnats!":)

Don't I know it. Lifelong friend lives on Burnside Island - we go fishing on Tybee often. As soon as the breeze dies down, we pack up and get the heck outta there..the gnats will kill you. Even the August jellyfish run won't get me out of the trout hole if the specs are biting, but the gnats.....no. thank. you. No gnats in Doc's or the Wind Rose, though :)

[David Hostetler]

When she was growing up, my wife had a middle aged neighbor, maybe 45 or 46, pass away while mowing his yard in the heat. She is also very aware that I do have heat related health issues, and am more heat ailment prone than most (I know STUPID of me to live in the south, no need to remind me!), so she has an abnormal fear of me working in the heat. If my shop gets over 80, she insists on me running the AC until it gets under 80 before I step foot in there... I honestly don't mind anything under 90, after that I want to run the AC...

Just for what it's worth. All that sweat can make your grip slippery, and could potentially cause an accident.. Air Conditioning in a shop is not only an investment in your comfort, but also an investment in your safety... You might want to seriously consider air conditioning your shop space.

[Bobby O'Neal]

Its probably not worth dragging tools outside but its a lot more comfortable outside in the direct sun and heat with a potential breeze moving than in an uninsulated/cooled shop. I work outside all day in the Southern sun and heat and its really not as bad as it seems. Stay hydrated and you're fine. Not comfortable, but fine. If i spent more time in my garage than I do, I'd defiantely spend the money to get some form of AC in it.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

So, I see the post title "When is it too hot?" right about a post about urns. Well, it might be a bit too hot when you then require an urn.

[Charles Wiggins]

When I am in danger of getting sweat stains on my work, which for me, is about 85 degrees.

[Troy Turner]

Denis -

West Texas isn't any better. I have a metal shop, but have the bubble insulation. It works...to a degree. I have a small window unit in there, and a fan to help circulate. I noticed yesterday though that I was more comfortable to be outside with the saw horses breaking down ply than it was working in the shop. And it was 101 outside. Good news is, she's convinced I need a bigger A/C in the shop because it does cause a work stoppage :D

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Don't I know it. Lifelong friend lives on Burnside Island - we go fishing on Tybee often. As soon as the breeze dies down, we pack up and get the heck outta there..the gnats will kill you. Even the August jellyfish run won't get me out of the trout hole if the specs are biting, but the gnats.....no. thank. you. No gnats in Doc's or the Wind Rose, though :)

Burnside Island - nice place!! Yep, I'm waiting for the gnats to literally pick me up out of the boat and drop me on some remote island where they'll torture and eventually kill me! They always win the battle with me.