AC in a garage shop

[James Hart]

I know most of you are probably more concerned with heat, but the AZ summers really cut into the ww season.

Have any of you insulated and/or put AC in your garage? If you could please share a few details on how you wnet about it and the $$ involved I'd really appreciate it. I'm going to try to find a contractor while things are really slow and see if I can't get it done.

Thanks,

Jim

[Bruce Page]

James, I put a small, through the wall, swamper unit in a few years ago, as I recall, it cost ~$300. It definitely helps, but if I had it to do over again I’d put in refrigerated air.

[Sam Layton]

Hi James,

My shop is 750 sq ft, and I installed a window a/c in the wall, and it works great. My a/c is an LG from Home Depot, 25000 btu's. I think it was like $350 or so. I live in so calif. My shop is well insulated as well.

Sam

[Eric Gustafson]

My plan is to install a mini-split system. It will be a heat pump, a 1 Ton unit. You can buy these and DIY the project, if you are inclined. I will either do the work myself or get a AC buddie to help me. Below is one example.

http://www.ac-world.com/SplitAir.php

[Dick Bringhurst]

James, When we moved into our current house in 2005, I had central air added to the house gas central heat. In doing this I had them put two outlet vents in the garage. I now get cooling and heating in the shop. the shop is an attached garage that is insulated. The temp. is controlled by the house thermostat. It works quite well. Dick B.

[Jim Andrew]

I just had the local hvac guy watch for a usable ac unit that he replaced. Not the highest rating, but really cheap. Got both a high efficiency furnace, and the old AC for 100$ and he charged for the install.

[Matt Meiser]

I put a window unit in a window every summer. I've thought about permanently installing it through the wall but have never done it. Make sure you size it properly. Too small or too big a unit will not give you the results you want.

[Art Mann]

I have a 672 sq. ft. stand alone shop that is fairly well insulated. Last year I installed a 13,500 btu window unit. It works pretty well but is a little small for the application. I live in AL, which is a pretty hot and humid place in the summer. I bought the unit at Home Depot for a few hundred. Can't remember exactly how much. Maybe that information will give you one useful data point.

[Tom Hamilton]

James, here in Houston A/C is a must for comfortable shop time. In fact I ran it today!

Sears window A/C unit, 25,000 BTU 110v, they go on sale regularly, I think a paid $350 for this one. I put a floor fan in front of the unit to move the air deeper into the 3 car garage and I'm a happy guy.

Our master BR is above so I'm insulated above and on the sides as well. I suspect good insulation is a "must-do" addition to most garages.

Best regards, Tom

[Lori Kleinberg]

I am also going to see about adding A/C to my garage aka workshop. When the house was built we had them insulate the garage, but I still don't think it will be a very efficent set up, but it is just to hot to work without A/C

[Chris Padilla]

Insulate, insulate, insulate and when you are done insulating...insulate some more! :D

Once that is done, you can find any old A/C unit you want and it should work efficiently for you. Better yet, for AZ, get a swamp cooler.

Bruce, why didn't that swamp cooler work for you in NM? Should be golden in the dry mid-west?

[Art Mann]

Sears window A/C unit, 25,000 BTU 110v, they go on sale regularly, I think a paid $350 for this one. I put a floor fan in front of the unit to move the air deeper into the 3 car garage and I'm a happy guy.


Tom,

You may want to check the specs on your unit again. 12,000 btu is about the largest unit I have seen that will run on 120V.

Art

[Denny Rice]

I installed 3 yrs ago a 25,000 BTU unit into the south wall of my shop. It has worked out great. It came with a small remote control and a timer which you can pre-set the time up to 12 hrs before you want it to come on or you can turn the thing on and if you want you can leave and set the timr to go off up to 12 hrs after you leave the shop. I purchased a cheap cover for the winter to keep snow out of it when it is out of season.

[Joe Mioux]

James, I put a small, through the wall, swamper unit in a few years ago, as I recall, it cost ~$300. It definitely helps, but if I had it to do over again I’d put in refrigerated air.

Hey Bruce, do you have a pic of this thing?

I use an evaporative system, in my greenhouses. Imagine a 100' wall of "swamp" panels and at the other end 100 ft in the opposite end 6 Acme exhaust fans 42 - 48 inch blades.

Im just curious to see what yours looks like.

[Brian Kincaid]

I have tried this with a window unit in my garage. The AC was really good at circulating cool air AND keeping fine dust stirred up. If you are sanding or sawing be prepared for a sore throat and some allergies long term.

Just my 2cents.

Brian

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Look into PTAC units. These are the single room HVAC units used in hotels. Lodgemart.com has an excellent selection, particularly for those looking for heat and AC. I bought an Amana 18,000 BTU AC with electric heat pump for less than a no brand name mini split.

[Jim O'Dell]

Anyone think about finding a motel that is renovating and see about buying an old AC/Heat unit? My BIL bought 3 for a 100.00 or so each. Now these are physically bigger units than a normal house window AC. When I enclosed the porch to be my finishing room/doggie quarantine room, I framed an opening for one of these. They are called PTAC for those not familiar with them. New on line, a 15K heat pump unit is about 650.00. All brands fit the same mounting sleeve, if I understand it correctly.
Anyone use one of these? One of these days I hope to find a local motel I can get one from cheap. My BIL had plans for the 3 he had.:( :rolleyes: Jim.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I am thinking about to put mini split system in my garage too, but AC guy did not recommend it saying it very sensitive to dust. I have 2 car garage about 450 sq.ft, I need AC and heat. Here in VA could be cold winter time. Still looking for alternative.:confused:

[Ted Jay]

As far as having A/C in the shop, it also helps lower the humidity level, and if you live in a high humidity area like we do here around Houston the humidity is killer.

What effects does that have on your projects by turning the A/C off every night? If your a weekend wood warrior you might be using the A/C just the weekends, has anyone run into any of those issues or problems?

Ted

[Mike Langford]

My shop is a stand alone 20'x28' (560 sq ft) fully insulated....

....Back a few years ago we installed central heating & air (heat pump) in the house and I took the small (5,000 BTU) window unit we had in our bedroom and placed it in one of the two windows in my shop.....The unit is really too small and on extremely humid days it can't keep up, so I rarely use it. (I'm just to lazy to remove it from the window! ;))

If it's really hot I just close up the shop and go in the house and get nek'ed and enjoy the central air :D....Hmmmm....I guess I could get nek'ed and just stay out in the shop and get more work done!! :eek: Reckon?

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, one thing for sure Mike...it stop the rest of us from just dropping in unannounced!! :D Jim.

[Mike Langford]

.....76693






(btw....isn't that the most obnoxious "smiley face" you've ever seen?)

[Todd Burch]

I took/take the lazy man approach. I have a 1200 square foot garage (3 car garage, with a 20' extension on the back): 30' wide x 40' deep. A few years ago, my buddy's house burned down in the neighborhood and I got got his upstairs A/C unit (3 1/2 ton Rheem), plus all the wiring and outside box) for free. I installed it. Then, my other buddy who is an HVAC technician (owns his own business) brought over a very slighty used 100,000 BTU gas furnace and installed it and charged up the A/C system for free. I has already run a gas supply line when I put the pool in, knowing I would add heat later.

I've been insulating the shop as time allows and free insulation allows. When my neighboorhood was still being built out, I would go collect 1/2" thick (plywood board style) Dow "blue board" inuslation and fill the wall cavities with that. Other friends have donated R-13 at various times. Last ack I got was 23" wide stuff, so I had to cut it down to 14 1/2". A PITA, but the price was right.

I haven't done the ceiling yet, but I do have a bunch of R-19 stapled in place. When it's done, it will be nice!

Todd

[Charles Green]

I installed a mini split this summer in my garage. It has made working in the garage a nice experience. I no longer dread the hard work and the sweat. I can actually go out there for 30 minutes before we go to dinner and not need another shower.

My garage is about 420 square feet and it is an 18,000 btu unit. I would have put in a window unit but the garage is at the front of the house and not allowed.

It has only been running for about 5 months but haven't had any dust issues yet. I've cleaned the coils and filters with compressed air a few times. I also have dust collection on everything and a festool vac on the sander and a jet air cleaner so I try to avoid getting too much dust to it.

I haven't done any insulating yet as I haven't had the time but on a 95 degree day the shop will not get above 79 or 80. Once I insulate the garage doors, the ceiling, and the one uninsulated I think it will be perfect.

[Tom Hamilton]

Looks like the digital keyboard dance misstepped. This one is 15,100 BTUs. Tom

[Jeff Wright]

I've had a mini-split for over a year and love it. It cost $1,600 installed by a HVAC company. I'm told one today would cost about $2,300 installed professionally. My shop is an 18x24 2-car garage with an insulated garage door but no insulation on ceiling or walls. One wall is common to the house. I live in hot humid Florida. I plan to install 2" closed cell foam in the ceiling. Unit runs most all the time but does not seem to add much to the electric bill. Walls are block construction. Provides great cooling, heating when needed and humidity control. Very quiet and dust is not an issue in its filters. I have Oneida dust collection and Festool dust control as well.

[Al Willits]

Haven't a clue on swamp coolers as they don't work here in Minn so nobody needs service on them, but with any of the Freon based AC units dust is a major concern, if your DC system keeps the shop dust free, no problem, if not look for a unit that is easy to clean, that leaves out any of the mini splits I've seen, also if your using a standard house furnace like I am, a much better filtering system is need changing the basic filter often is needed (depending on how much dust gets on it.

Personally I'd opt for a window unit as they are fairly easy to clean and service, they are on sale at far less money that any of the other options.

Just a thought...and that'll be enough thinking for today...:)

Al...who does think 4 degree's is a bit cool today and probably won't need his AC

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

About $32-Gees - - or $30.00 depending on perspective.

The difference is phenomenal~!!!

I put in two big Lennox systems (about 5 tons) with two April Aire dehumidifiers. The AC was for the house, the dehumidifiers were for the cellar and shop.

However, for AC the shop merely parasites off the house and the cellar. The shop is in an attached garage at cellar level and there's a big door way to the cellar. There's enough leakage in the ducts in the cellar to cool the shop rather nicely (the installers didn't seal all the ducts completely). I use a $30.00 fan to move the air.


I had 'em place a big run right up to a window between the cellar and shop so I could put my own duct in after the inspectors left. I haven't needed to.

In the winter that same fan moves heated cellar air.
So it was either $32-Gees or $30.00 I don't know which.