mini split AC/heat for a garage ?

[rfuerst911sc]

Anyone using a mini split AC/heat system for cooling and heating their garage ? Found one locally that is 12,500 btu's and was wondering if that is enough for a detached two car garage ? Would only be using it when I'm working in the garage. Typical stick built garage with 2 x 4 walls with 3 1/2 " insulation with wood siding and wood sheathing on the interior. Ceiling is not finished currently but will be in the future. Summer temps are hot/humid and winter temps generally mild might drop into the high 20's but not very often. What do you think?

[mattdavis11]

How many sq. ft. is the garage?

[rfuerst911sc]

It's aprox. 24 x 26.

[mattdavis11]

624 sq. ft. You need at least 14000 BTU. Here's a chart. Properly Sized Room AC : ENERGY STAR

[Seahawk]

The best thing I ever did was install a a/c and heating unit in my barn workshop (I think it is a Mitsubishi):



I think is it 16k btu. On the hottest, humid summer days it really takes the edge off and allows me to work on stuff sweat free (I also augment with floor fans). It is not a split unit but I really don't know the merits/weaknesses of this unit over a split unit.

Winter here in Maryland can be a bit nippy but the unit allows me to work year round, which is great since the winter is my equipment maintenance time.

I also have a small window unit in the separate work area I use for small, detailed jobs so I don't have to heat or cool the whole shop.

The shop is slightly bigger than a large two car garage. I did insulate.

Two wrenches up.

[look 171]

I have no personal experience with them, but my HVAC contractor loves them. Cheap to install, and very efficient.

During some of my travels to some of hottest parts of Asia, in some of the smaller towns they use these mini splits systems (many of them were Mitsubishi or Sanyo) to cool the whole small restaurants. They seem to work well. So soon as we walk outside, that humidity just want to make me rip my skin off. It was that bad.

[rfuerst911sc]

Seahawk that unit is called a PTAC I have one installed in our sunroom. Works great to heat and cool the only reason I'm not considering one in the garage is because of the large hole you have to make in the wall. Other than that they work great.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

624 sq. ft. You need at least 14000 BTU. Here's a chart. Properly Sized Room AC : ENERGY STAR

Thanks for the chart very helpful. I wonder if two smaller window units around 7000 - 8000 btu's each would work better than a single larger unit ? Just considering all the options.

[ShakinJoe]

Pm sent

[fred cook]

I have a/c and heat in my garage which is about 700 square feet in floor space. It is also open all the way to the peak of the roof which has a 6/12 slope. Walls are insulated as is the roof. My unit is a 3 ton Trane heatpump with the compressor outside and the air handler inside. The building is in the shade until about 10:30 and is back in the shade by about 4:00. The color of the roof is an off white/cream. I also have two large ceiling fans installed to help push the warm air down from the ceiling in the winter and to "stir up" the air in the warm weather which reduces the amount of time the a/c actually is needed. So far the highest power bill I have had for the shop was just over $30 for a month. The unit will bring up the temp inside from the mid 50s to 65 degrees in about 10-15 minutes or so. Same with the cooling side, going from the high 80s down to the upper 70s in just a few minutes. Cost for the install including all materials and labor was about $4k. Hopefully this will give you some numbers to compare against the twin wall units and their operating costs. Good luck with your project!

[David]

12,000 mini split is a little small for your garage but I bet it still works good enough. I have a 24,000 Mitsubishi heat pump mini split in my 900 sqft garage and it's enough to make it cold in there in the summer and Houston summers are similar to Georgia summers. The heat work well enough for our mild winters too.