Any HVAC Guys here?

pocket

pocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Starting to warm up here in SoCal. Making it difficult to put in time at the garage table.

Purchased a 12k BTU portable AC but it did not make a dent.

Short of a split unit ($$$) what do I need to keep the environment tolerable?

Two car garage, 2.5 walls insulated, 2 walls insulated and dry walled.

Ceiling exhaust fan, ceiling not insulated.

Regular un insulated metal garage door (East facing)

I'm thinking of buying an in wall AC unit but I don't want to go to the trouble of putting it in if its just wasting my time.
 
ideologist

ideologist

I don't never exaggerate
Silver Member
Drop ceiling or some kind of ceiling to keep the roof hest from just killing you.

Cut some hard insulation foam to fit your garage door panels.

Throw a small cyclone fan in there to circulate air.
 
F

flyrv9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd do a temp survey to find out just how hot it is and where the heat is coming from. Then you can work on a solution. Once you have some numbers you can redo to see how any changes have faired. Others here who have tables in garages have reported changes in how their tables play depending on changes in the environment the table is in (temp, humidity, etc.).
 
mchnhed

mchnhed

I Came, I Shot, I Choked
Silver Member
12K BTU = 500 s/f

pocket said:
Starting to warm up here in SoCal. Making it difficult to put in time at the garage table.

Purchased a 12k BTU portable AC but it did not make a dent.

Short of a split unit ($$$) what do I need to keep the environment tolerable?

Two car garage, 2.5 walls insulated, 2 walls insulated and dry walled.

Ceiling exhaust fan, ceiling not insulated.

Regular un insulated metal garage door (East facing)

I'm thinking of buying an in wall AC unit but I don't want to go to the trouble of putting it in if its just wasting my time.
Click to expand...


12K BTU will Barely Just Do 500s/f.

Are You Placing an Exhaust Hose on the Portable Cooler?

Are You Venting the Exhaust to the Outside?

Ceiling Exhaust Fan WILL Suck Hot Air In thru the cracks around the garage door.
 
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hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
pocket said:
Starting to warm up here in SoCal. Making it difficult to put in time at the garage table.

Purchased a 12k BTU portable AC but it did not make a dent.

Short of a split unit ($$$) what do I need to keep the environment tolerable?

Two car garage, 2.5 walls insulated, 2 walls insulated and dry walled.

Ceiling exhaust fan, ceiling not insulated.

Regular un insulated metal garage door (East facing)

I'm thinking of buying an in wall AC unit but I don't want to go to the trouble of putting it in if its just wasting my time.
Click to expand...

Why are you complaining, look at how happy this guy is playing in the heat

76c081aedb9e1ea4cced943edbee1ea4.jpg



And he can barely hold a cue! Yes still happy!

4382670fca1b7c5b826cc216b6abac3c.jpg
 
pocket

pocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ideologist said:
Drop ceiling or some kind of ceiling to keep the roof hest from just killing you.

Cut some hard insulation foam to fit your garage door panels.

Throw a small cyclone fan in there to circulate air.
Click to expand...

Fan to circulate is not a bad idea. Thx
 
Dead Money

Dead Money

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My old house had a two car garage with a side door and window. Two walls insulated, two walls and the ceiling was not insulated. We blew in insulation in the attic over the garage and put a decent sized window unit in the side window and did nothing special to the garage doors. It made it very comfortable to do projects/tinker with cars with the doors closed here in the Texas heat of summer. Not "perfect" but very good. plus on days I run the A/C out there built up heat didn't bleed into the house from the garage. I think I spent about $500 total on it at most as I had a "hey buddy deal" on the insulation:)

*if your garage walls are unfinished on the inside you could open the un-insulated walls very easily and add insulation into them as well.
 
pocket

pocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Dead Money said:
My old house had a two car garage with a side door and window. Two walls insulated, two walls and the ceiling was not insulated. We blew in insulation in the attic over the garage and put a decent sized window unit in the side window and did nothing special to the garage doors. It made it very comfortable to do projects/tinker with cars with the doors closed here in the Texas heat of summer. Not "perfect" but very good. plus on days I run the A/C out there built up heat didn't bleed into the house from the garage. I think I spent about $500 total on it at most as I had a "hey buddy deal" on the insulation:)

*if your garage walls are unfinished on the inside you could open the un-insulated walls very easily and add insulation into them as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks DM, what sized window unit did you put in?
 
pocket

pocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
mchnhed said:
12K BTU will Barely Just Do 500s/f.
Click to expand...

Thats roughly the size of the garage.

Are You Placing an Exhaust Hose on the Portable Cooler?

Are You Venting the Exhaust to the Outside?
Click to expand...

Absolutely

Ceiling Exhaust Fan WILL Suck Hot Air In thru the cracks around the garage door.
Click to expand...

I usually use it 30 mins prior to entering the garage then shut it off. Unless its evening and cooler outside then I'll let it run.
 
fastone371

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
I think you need to finish insulating the garage. My garage is 600 sq. ft., I insulated all the walls and the ceiling then put plastic sheeting then drywall on everything except ceiling. The plastic I put up to stop air infill during winter. I have a 16K BTU window A/C unit in the wall. When it was 95 and humid last summer it was 62 degrees in my shop. You probably dont need it that cold, I think I could have gotten by with less BTU. The complete insulation made an incredible difference. Before the insulation 115 deg in there was not uncommon.
 
pocket

pocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
fastone371 said:
I think you need to finish insulating the garage. My garage is 600 sq. ft., I insulated all the walls and the ceiling then put plastic sheeting then drywall on everything except ceiling. The plastic I put up to stop air infill during winter. I have a 16K BTU window A/C unit in the wall. When it was 95 and humid last summer it was 62 degrees in my shop. You probably dont need it that cold, I think I could have gotten by with less BTU. The complete insulation made an incredible difference. Before the insulation 115 deg in there was not uncommon.
Click to expand...

I think that has to be it. Most likely the ceiling is pumping in too much heat.
 
G

gxman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a almost 400sqft enclosed garage with 14 windows. It would get just as hot or even hotter than outside temp(south Louisiana).

Put in a $400 LG 15K BTU window unit. Now it gets comfortable in no time and can even get chilly when its scorching hot outside. I also have a ceiling fan on the other side of the pool table area.

It is a little loud but it doesnt bother me. So maybe consider a 15K btu unit. Its a decent bit larger than a 12K btu unit. Its the largest that would plug into a 110v outlet.

Ebay sells it refurbished for $340 free shipping. I got it new from homedepot.
 
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fastone371

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
gxman said:
I have a almost 400sqft enclosed garage with 14 windows. It would get just as hot or even hotter than outside temp(south Louisiana).

Put in a $400 LG 15K BTU window unit. Now it gets comfortable in no time and can even get chilly when its scorching hot outside. I also have a ceiling fan on the other side of the pool table area.

It is a little loud but it doesnt bother me. So maybe consider a 15K btu unit. Its a decent bit larger than a 12K btu unit. Its the largest that would plug into a 110v outlet.

Ebay sells it refurbished for $340 free shipping. I got it new from homedepot.
Click to expand...

Mine is also an LG (lifes good), I dont think its the highest end brand but it works dam good, better than I expected. Im surprised yours is 110v, my 16K BTU is 220V. My wife found it the day I told her I wanted to put an A/C unit in the shop. It was in a small town 5 miles away brand new in the box for $200 last summer at a 2nd hand store. Talk about lucky!!
 
fastone371

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
pocket said:
I think that has to be it. Most likely the ceiling is pumping in too much heat.
Click to expand...

I know the insulation, plastic, and drywall makes a huge difference. We have propane for heat. The first year with the Modine heater in the garage we went thru propane like crazy, the second year after insulating you cant even tell Im using the heat in the shop. Once I turn it on in the fall it stays until I turn it off in the spring. I have a lot of bare metal I cant have getting rusty, its hard enough to prevent that in the summer humidity.
 
J

Jsnstanley

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The unit works as a vacuum, pulling in it’s surrounding air and dispersed. Ambient air drawn, will be cooled aprox. 20deg. F. This is the “room" temperature. Therefore the need for proper insulation of the surrounding environment. I would recommend at least 12,000 but per 400 sq ft. due to the high heat load environment. And of course you have to realize that the ambient air temp and ALL the surrounding environment (ground, walls, furniture, running heat dispersing appliances, ect.) effect the proficiency. So hence to keep things at a nominal temp at all times will be the maximum efficiency. - HVAC heat/air conditioning owner/operator phx. AZ
 
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