Air Conditioning A WW Shop - Questions

[Glen Blanchard]

I am considering the installation of a split (compressor outside) air conditioning system (either ductless or with ducts - have not yet decided)in my shop. I am wondering how one designs a system that will not readily coat the coils up with sawdust.

I would like to limit this conversation to split systems - that is, not portable or window units. How can such a system get around the inherent problem of sawdust?

[Bob Borzelleri]

I am considering the installation of a split (compressor outside) air conditioning system (either ductless or with ducts - have not yet decided)in my shop. I am wondering how one designs a system that will not readily coat the coils up with sawdust.

I would like to limit this conversation to split systems - that is, not portable or window units. How can such a system get around the inherent problem of sawdust?

Check out the filter Mike Kelly put together, It's the third message from the top:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=22519&page=2&pp=15

[Steve Rowe]

I am considering the installation of a split (compressor outside) air conditioning system (either ductless or with ducts - have not yet decided)in my shop. I am wondering how one designs a system that will not readily coat the coils up with sawdust.

I would like to limit this conversation to split systems - that is, not portable or window units. How can such a system get around the inherent problem of sawdust?
Glen - I am in the same situation and have recently posted a similar subject where a number of users have the mini-split systems. You may want to look through that. In the meantime, I discovered one of the members of my woodturners club has such a system installed in his woodshop. To get around the dust problem, he built a box around the suction side of the air handler where he uses multiple pleated filters to increase the filter area. He tells me that it works very well.
Just today I have requested quotes for mini-split systems and a standard air source heat pump system for my shop.
Steve

[Bill Turpin]

Use a filter box with more surface area(three or four filters). Use pre-filters in front of good filters. The prefilters can be cheap charlie's from the borg or Walmart. Clean them often, daily if necessary. The second filters should be from a HVAC supply that may cost several dollars each. Second filters that you can read a book thru are worthless. The prefilters will stop the rocks, bugs, and most of the sawdust.

Reduced air flow from dirty filters causes over ninety % of all AC compressor failures.

The cut-to-fit thin foam filters for window units make acceptable prefilters for the prefilters. They can be washed with water after blowing off with air. The filters are coated with an oil that makes them sticky, replace these when the oil is exhausted.

Bill in WNC mountains