Cooling Garage Workshop in the Southeast on the Cheap

[Steve Kinnaird]

Nice area. Had a friend that lived in Punta Gorda.
Yes the humidity is very much part of living in Florida.
It will pour down rain and then be in the 90's and you feel like you are walking through a wall of water.
Good luck with the home search. Get a BIG garage

[Patrick Harper]

I must say I'm all socialized out @ the end of my day and week, but what is the MWA?

Modern Woodworkers Association http://www.meetup.com/Modern-Woodworkers-Association/

[Patrick Harper]

A radiant barrier in the attic will do very little because the temperature difference between the hot roof and the interior spaces is too small.

I think you might be wrong about this one. My hot roof is 135+ degrees. The ambient in the attic space is about 120, and the ambient in the shop varies from 80-90. The insulated walls of the garage are around 80 degrees most of the time during the summer. The attic ceiling is about 97. I couldn't imagine reflecting the heat from the 135+ degree attic roof wouldn't bring down the temps in the attic.

[glenn bradley]

Robert, unfortunately due to HOA regulations I cannot add any shade to the front of the house. That's also cost prohibitive for me.

That's unfortunate. Just to add some credence to the shade argument, the patio cover along the south side of my home drops the interior temp by 10 degrees. this is one of those things that is not subtle; you don't have to concentrate to feel the difference, it is significant.

[John Lifer]

You do realize that you have two inversely related desires? Cooling and cheap are pretty much exclusive of each other. Can't get cheap and have cooled shop, will cost you one way or the other.

I'd insulate as much as possible in the attic. Is the cheapest fix to get toward cool... Get an air conditioner and get on with it

[Robert Engel]

This is my shop a couple days ago:


temp.jpg

Its been in the high 90's for almost 2 weeks so I'll take 80-90 degrees all day long!!!

[Maurice Ungaro]

Patrick, when I lived in Beaufort, SC, I insulated my shop with Isonene spray foam insulation - walls and ceiling. It was an 18 x24 unit, with vaulted ceiling. I punched a hole in the back wall and installed a window unit. Worked amazingly well. Then of course, my wife would open the garage door for some flippin reason, and let all the cold air out! Seriously, check it out as an option.

[Patrick Harper]

This is my shop a couple days ago:


temp.jpg

Its been in the high 90's for almost 2 weeks so I'll take 80-90 degrees all day long!!!

Yikes. At least the humidity isn't 80%+ like it's been here for the last few weeks. I'm starting to think that just keeping the humidity down would make it a lot more bearable. It hasn't been getting more than about 85 degrees which leads me to believe that the insulation is doing a pretty decent job despite the garage door constantly being opened.

[Patrick Harper]

I believe that the radiant barrier is helping. I'm guessing that temps are down about 5 degrees from where they were, but the temps outside are down. It's just a guess.

I'm considering buying one of the small portable AC's and venting under a garage door or into the attic space. They don't have the best reputation, but most also dehumidify. I figure if it doesn't work out, I could easily return it after a day or two. I'd still love to do a minisplit, but it's just not in the budget right now. Don't know how much longer I'll be in this house. If the portable unit does an okay job, I could take it with me when I move.

[Michael Weber]

I have to agree with Mr. Wilson -- start by lowering the temp in the attic and separating it thermally from the garage. And IMHO, you can't beat radiant barrier materials for that. Google "foam insulation boards with radiant barrier" and you'll find a link to a Johns-Manville product. Buy a few sheets of that and apply them to the attic wall and maybe even to the underside of the roof rafters. Just make sure the radiant barrier side faces out or away from you. Measure the temp in the attic before you install it and the day after you install it. I'll bet you'll see at least a 20-degree drop in the temp in the attic.

My $0.02

I have a question about the statement "Just make sure the radiant barrier side faces out or away from you". Does it really matter? I have always understood it doesn't matter which way it faces but that it is imperative there must be an airspace between the reflective side and any surface it faces. Have I misunderstood?

[Patrick Harper]

I have a question about the statement "Just make sure the radiant barrier side faces out or away from you". Does it really matter? I have always understood it doesn't matter which way it faces but that it is imperative there must be an airspace between the reflective side and any surface it faces. Have I misunderstood?

Michael, the stuff I bought is reflective on both sides, so it doesn't matter. There are some that are only reflective on one side. If you live in a colder climate, you might want the reflective side facing in, to keep the heat in. In a warmer climate, you'd want to reflect the heat back out.

[Duncan Foster]

Hi Patrick. I live in South Florida and mini split does a phenomenal job removing humidity and cooling. Pricey yes. I got a Mr. slim unit from Ecomfort.com. Easily saved a couple of grand. Found a local electrician to install it for me., pulling the appropriate permits etc. The prices local company to purchase and install We're just too high.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have the combination of insulation, solar attic fans, and a mini-split system. Certainly not cheap for the combination, but absolutely works effectively in South Florida.

The solar attic fans were cheap and work very well.

[Rick Potter]

When you finish isolating and insulating, I would check CL for a large used window or through wall AC unit. That is probably as cheap as you can go and be effective.

[Charles Lent]

When trying to cool an area with an air conditioner, the unit must first reduce the humidity before it can bring down the temperature. Lock the garage door so she can't open it and it will have a chance at lowering the garage humidity. Once the door is opened, all that nice dry, and cool, air will be lost and it will have to start all over again. Insulate to the best of your abilities and install an air conditioner. window, mini-split, or whatever, but work hard at keeping the humidity out so your air conditioner has a chance of working well. If she opens the door it will likely take a 1/2 day to get comfortable again.

My shop is a 1 car size detached building. It has 3 1/2" fiberglass in the walls and 6" in the ceiling. I have a 1.5 ton window style heat heat pump mounted high in the North wall and the shop is located near Charlotte, NC. In this 90-100 heat that we've been having every day I have to turn on the AC very early in the morning or leave it on 24/7 in order to keep the temp below 80 deg. The humidity remains in the 40-45 % region inside the shop when the AC is running. I do my best to keep the doors shut as much as possible this time of year too.

Charley