Portable A/C Unit For Garage Use?
 

Anyone used a portable A/C unit for knocking the temps down in a garage? I have a three car fully insulated garage, including the doors, but it gets brutally hot in the summer. Total of about 600 sq ft. Looks like I can get up to 14,000 btu out of a 110V AC portable A/C unit, and tie into the existing dryer vent pipe for exterior venting. There's no 220V to be had, so it's that or nothing. I'm not expecting 70 deg, but knocking the edge off of a 100 deg day would be nice. These units also offer heat, which would be a bonus as well.

I've never done that but I could see it as an option, Matt.

I've thought about a window unit with cool and heat...but I ended up buying a ductless mini-split - that I have yet to install.

Good luck and please keep us posted!

Maybe a dehumidifier would be enough to make it more comfortable. I use one in mine and on hot humid days it makes it feel about 10 degrees cooler. It's just a roll around unit..but it really helps.

Just used a small window unit today and planning to get exactly what you're thinking, just over 1 ton of cooling should knock the temps down but it will most likely take a bit to do it.

Dehumidifier will actually make the room less humid but slightly warmer due to heat of compression. A portable A/C or split system is definitely the way to go.

My problem with heating or cooling the garage is, just about the time I get it to the temp I want, my wife comes home and hits the opener before she is even in the driveway, and opens the garage door.

I put a wall mounted Air King fan in mine instead of doing A/C. Makes it tolerable to be out there in the summer, but my climate is on the dry side. Just put sockets on any thing lightweight like papers, etc or they sail away. I run it on the low setting which is like hurricane force wind. Medium and high are insane. Bolted up to the wall on a piece of 2x6. I think I'm on my 3rd summer with it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00155VT9K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yes, it will work fine. I installed a 10000 btu window unit in my 600 sf insulated garage and it works great. In less than 15 minutes it makes it downright comfy. A 14k floor stander should be awesome. I just didn't want to give up the floor space. Go for it.

When I put central air in I put my 12,000 BTU window unit in the garage. Cools it down enough that I can keep the doors closed and keep the mosquitoes at bay with the added bonus of reducing moisture. Having a unit that heats would be a added feature.

Do you have a door to outside Matt? I got the biggest 110v window unit I could find and framed up in in the door. Set the AC back so the door closes when the AC isn't in use. Had my little 2 car garage down into the 80s on this 110 degree day.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1469427237.jpg

I use a 5k window shaker in my 450sf insulated garage on occasion BUT if I am doing any body work the dust gets too severe so I would also consider adding a big exhaust fan in a wall( maybe a reversible one) for added ventilation

It should be fine. The a/c unis that add heater option are nice (we have one at the stable to keep the tack room comfy in summer and winter) but the heater setting draws so much electricity it will cause brown-outs.

In my shop I run the wall mounted unit and hi-capacity fans...works like a charm.

Gee that look kinda familiar!

I have the largest 110 volt window unit they had at the store. It will keep the bay where I work in the 70s when it is brutal outside. I also have three ceiling fans above that bay and a floor fan.

I should have done a 220 unit and I will replace the 110 unit with a 220 when it dies.

If the wife leaves in her car I just tell her to park it in the driveway when she comes back. The door going open sucks a lot of cool air out but parking a car that has been in full sun and with a hot engine is just too much for the AC.

I use two 9,000 BTU units in a 25'x12'x12' plastic fabric garage at the office. This is installed inside the warehouse, so that it can be airconditioned. It will knock the temp down by only 10-12 degrees. YMMV, since I have only heavy plastic sheet as my "wall" with no insulation. I've considered installing a 3 ton "package" unit.

The portable units use the inside to cool the coil and then send it outside. So, you will get a constant small flow from the outside.

You can find 12,000 BTU mini-split units which are 110VAC. Installation is pretty simple, you can find how-to on You-Tube. You will need a vacuum pump.

Matt, check out the Woot offering of the day! https://home.woot.com/offers/delonghi-air-conditioners-your-choice-4?ref=eml_w_bs_3_tl&utm_source=Daily+Digest&utm_ca mpaign=9d58fea020-Daily+Digest+-+20160725+-+Woot&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c5ca76da11-9d58fea020-308142361#tracked

For occasional use get a window AC unit from Craigslist.

For a lot of use get a split unit.

My garage does not have floor space to waste on an AC unit...if you have room for it the delonghi unit will drop the temp and dehumidify the air. I would also suggest a big ceiling fan.

The Mitshubishi mini split I installed in the garage is right up there with the scissor lift as the best items I have ever purchased in regards to convenience . We have had so far 44 days of 90 + temps with fairly high humidity the kind that slaps you in the face when you walk outside. I keep the garage at a steady 78 - 79 degrees which is comfortable and easy on the electric budget ( about 20.00 a month ) . If I need it colder within 15 minutes I can be hanging meat if need be !

I second this. My Daikin mini split can handle my 3 car garage in this Florida heat easily. Though of course it isn't portable. Couldn't work in there otherwise during the summer.

I have a similar situation. I have a big 110v A/C unit (don't bother with the units that also provide heaters) and it keeps my 25x25x12 shop at a reasonable temp.

Another thing I did in my shop which you might consider is a whole house fan type setup. On days I know I will be in the shop, I run the fan for an hour or so at 0-dark-thirty to pull in some cold air; this makes a huge difference later in the afternoon. The fan also helps with evacuating noxious fumes

Yep, mini split is the slickest, quietest, most efficient solution. I have a 12000 BTU slide out wall unit in my 500 sq ft studio that was cheaper up front than a mini but it is noisy. Both of these offer a lot more cooling than a portable. A little insulation on the doors and rafters makes a big difference as well.

I bought one of these: Whynter 11,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner (ARC-110WD) ($350 on Amazon)

It's one of the few portable units that has make-up air provision for the exhaust heat. --that is, it doesn't suck hot air into the space being cooled; like so many other portable units.

Thanks guys! A little more info on my setup, the walls and ceilings are fully insulated and finished, the doors are insulated fiberglass, the side entry door is new solid core and seals well, and the one window is a nice insulated Andersen casement that I'm not going to hack up with a window unit.:) I'm really not looking to keep it 75 degrees at all times, but I'd like to be able to shut the doors, keep them closed, and crank the A/C to take some of the edge off of a hot day. Adding a little warmth in the winter would be nice as well. Sounds like the portable unit might be a good option, because I really don't want the hassle of a split unit.

Island, I was looking at a very similar unit with the separate intake/exhaust pipes on Amazon but at 14,000 btu. Sounds like you get more efficiency with the dual pipe setup on average.

Why not make a new opening for the window unit? That's what I did.

Definitely. I'm amazed that there are units that draw air from the room for the waste heat. But I suppose most people don't consider the (hot) make-up air that gets pulled into the room from the outside. I guess you have to be an engineer, or something. ;)

We're going to go with a roof mounted Hitachi unit to cool our equipment/ data storage room. It has an external condenser, and the evaporator looking unit sits inside. It can be set on very low, but the best part is that it's independent of the HVAC system for the entire building. It just removes heat from the small space that I want it to.

Edit: It looks like it's an inverter or mini-split.