So I would like to make some upgrades to my shop cooling system which I run in the summer when it gets hot. I currently have a 5 ton system that dumps through an elbow atop the air handler. Of course I understand the risk and difficultly in having an air conditioner in a wood shop and I am fine with it. I have dust collection everywhere. Plus I have the unit as far from the cutting areas as possible. I basically got this system for a little of nothing so if it goes bad then I will replace it with another used one.
My entire shop is insulated with rolls of insulation on all walls and ceilings. My building is a metal covered shop framed out of red iron. It’s a rather odd shape but overall not including the separate finishing rooms, sanding and equipment rooms the main part of the shop that I am trying to cool is roughly 5,000sq/ft or so.
My questions pertain to how I can better seal up the ceilings where they meet the walls and where the walls meet the floor. My shop is old and some of the rolls of insulation are in bad shape and hanging off. Being that my shop is framed with red iron and steel and covered with typical shop metal on the outside walls and roof there are noticeable gaps around the base of the walls and at the top of the walls where they meet the ceiling. I figure that I could cut down all of the damaged/hanging pieces of insulation and replace those areas fairly easily. What I am less sure about and seek advice/opinions on is what to do around the tops of the walls all the way around the building to better seal that up (and at the base of the walls too) so that I can get my shop to cool off better this summer? I originally tried to use spray foam in a can at the tops of the walls but the small area that I experimented on to try this method didn’t work and actually damaged my roof because where I sprayed it the foam expanded and pushed the metal roof up causing leaks when it rained. Any advice or suggestions on how to do this?