I still like garage time

[William930t]

I like the idea of garage A/C cooling & dehumidifying, needed here in ATL. Quite a bit of information gathered from other threads on this subject. A Baz type window unit would be an easy install for me but I would have to remove it when not in use due to potential intruder access point. Can these be made secure at all?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by William930t

I like the idea of garage A/C cooling & dehumidifying, needed here in ATL. Quite a bit of information gathered from other threads on this subject. A Baz type window unit would be an easy install for me but I would have to remove it when not in use due to potential intruder access point. Can these be made secure at all?

It will be different for everyone, I guess, William.

My neighborhood is not a bad one wrt crime.

That said, the units usually come with clips you can install to prevent the upper window from being raised. With the upper window immobilised......it would be harder to gain access through that window.

Of course if a burglar wants to get inside something, they will find a way, regardless of what we do.

[Baz]

I should also add that what I installed was only a 5K BTU unit. My 2 car garage is approx. 400 SF and typically would require a 8K or larger sized unit to cool that much space. Especially give how poorly insulated most garages are.

But. I'd like to see how the smaller unit works out before making any changes.

I'm only looking to drop the humidity down plus whatever cooling is possible with that size unit to make it more favorable to the contents of my garage, including of course myself when I'm in there.

So we'll see. And I will post my thoughts, as appropriate.

I just came in from doing a few more things. Had to move my mini-fridge over a bit and while doing that I added more braces to the little wood stand it sits on.

This little Toshiba is WHISPER quiet!

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by William930t

I like the idea of garage A/C cooling & dehumidifying, needed here in ATL. Quite a bit of information gathered from other threads on this subject. A Baz type window unit would be an easy install for me but I would have to remove it when not in use due to potential intruder access point. Can these be made secure at all?

This is what I did. No window close to my work bay, but a nice door from the garage to the back yard.


The door to the back yard.


I built a wooden frame that fits on the outside of the steel door. I built a access to the back yard panel so I can get out to the back yard with the AC door in place.




I just open the door, and this is right there, in place ready to go.




I built a shelf at the exact same height as the height where the AC unit is in the door frame.


It will keep the work bay nice and cool on a 100 degree day as long as my wife does not return to the garage with the car hot from the sun, and an hot engine. That will be more than it can keep up with. She just has to park outside until I am done.

When I first built it in 2012, I could just slide the AC unit out, and put it on the shelf by myself. I nearly dropped it the last time I tried that by myself. Now I get a buddy to help me take it out in the fall and reinstall it in the spring. The door frame is easy enough to store against a wall in the garage.

Last winter, I just left it in place. No big deal. Just shut the steel door, and the garage is secure as before. Maybe a tiny bit more secure, as they can't even get to the door knob without moving the AC frame.

I measured the power draw with a meter that monitors total power use and it comes down to about $10 bucks per day to stay cool. I can spend the day working out there and not feel exhausted and beat from heat, and I don't even need a shower if I was doing electrical or things that don't get me dirty.

In the last photo, you can see my heater. It is a 220 unit that is only a few bucks per day to run it and keep the garage very comfortable. Totally clean, no fumes, no fire danger, just heat.

I replaced the suspension on my 911 during a blizzard and deep snow while in jeans a t-shirt. I was nice and warm, no frozen fingers.

[stevej37]

I keep a 40 gal dehumidifier in the garage year round. Even when it's 85 or 90 degrees in the summer...the garage feels like it has air conditioning.
Also helps to keep rust from forming on the cars.

[William930t]

Stevej: interested in your setup, are you dumping the water tank when full or have you installed a constant drain line?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by William930t

Stevej: interested in your setup, are you dumping the water tank when full or have you installed a constant drain line?

I'm not Steve, but can tell you there's no way you will be able to keep up using the built in drain cup.

You will have to find a way to run a drain tube to the outside.

Ideally the machine is up high so gravity will help the drain activity.

I know this from the work I did at Mom's house after the hurricane flooding last fall.

I had two machines going - both in her 2 bathrooms draining into her bathroom sinks.

================

While we are on the subject.

I just came in from my garage and there are no words to adequately convey what a GAME CHANGER having that little window unit is going to be in allowing me to work inside my garage now.

It's only a 5K size unit ---- but the interior of my garage is like HEAVEN it's is so cool!

If you have a window.....I don't see any reason to not do what I did.

It's a freaking 1 hour job!

Making plans right now to back my 356 out this week and spend a few days going through the entire garage. Cleaning, throwing stuff out, re-organizing, etc.

GAME CHANGER!

[GH85Carrera]

Baz, on many occasions here, the temp is not bad, but the humidity is oppressive. A small AC unit removes a lot of humidity, and make it lots more comfortable, and a few degrees cooler. I love my AC unit, and it is a toss up as to the AC, heater, bathroom or the lift is my favorite tool. A 4 way tie!

The first time I spent a day in the garage doing electrical work adding a fan to the condenser on the El Camino that only runs when the brakes are applied, and the compressor is running, I came in after many hours, and felt like I had spent a day indoors. No sweat, literally, I knew I in love with garage AC.

[rwest]

Working in the garage is great when three things are met: one, whatever you are working on doesn’t need to be done for you to keep on with your life right now; two the climate is comfortable in there and three, you have the spare time.

I currently have a electric heater that cost a fortune to run in the winter and no AC. I have talked with a company I worked with pre retirement and they are going to get me a good price on a mini-split that has a heat pump that is 100% effective down to -20F, so I will be able be cool in the summer and not break the bank in the winter. Rough estimate is $2,500 in parts- I will install and hire them to check for leaks and make sure it has the correct charge.

[rwest]

Oh, let’s add a fourth requirement- that your garage isn’t so full of crap that moving around and finding things is frustrating- need to do some work on that front before the snow flies!

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by William930t

Stevej: interested in your setup, are you dumping the water tank when full or have you installed a constant drain line?

I goofed on my post...should have been pints, not gals.

I dump it when full. It can have a hose hooked up to it, but I'd rather not have a hose laying across the floor.
Here, in MI, the springtime warm-up/sweat causes terrible humidity with a cement floor garage. I have to dump it every day. In other seasons, it's full about every third day.

It keeps up fine...no worries there. Working in low humidity is nice.
No reason here to have an a/c in the garage. Living where you are...I might think about it.

Oh...I also have a Hot Dawg overhead gas heater to keep the winter temp to no lower than 40 degrees. If I want to spend an hour or more in there...I bump it up to 60 degrees. It only takes a few minutes.

[ted]

When everything else on the property is running smoothly then it's back to the working on fun stuff in and around the garage.
1st choice working on the race cars.
2nd organizing the tools and cabinets in the race trailer.
3rd is simple improvements made to the slide in truck camper.
Clearing drains or plumbing work is a distant last.