In the end the AC unit installed cools the garage workspace quite well. I the unit I bought was the biggest 110 volt unit I could find. I wish I had gone with a 220 unit. On the average summer day it will cool my garage nicely. On the 100 degree days if I start the unit in the morning it will keep up just fine. It does get overwhelmed on a 100 degree day when my wife and I both drive home from work with cars that have been outside all day. Two hot engines in an already hot garage the AC just never really make things cool, but I will tell you that inside 30 minutes it is way better than without AC. Just the de-humidified cool air blowing on my workspace makes things acceptable and I can work out there without sweating. I do have three ceiling fans over the work area.
Here is a picture of from my work space looking at the unit. As you can see it blows right at me.
My garage is nothing like Jack’s award winning garage, but I love it more because it has three cars parked in it with enough room to open the giant door of my El Camino and not hit anything. The real bonus is the bathroom out there as well.
You will notice that there is a small door cut into the main door. That allows me access to the back yard when the AC unit is in place. Without that little door I either have to open the main garage door and let a lot of cool air out, or go through the house. If I am dirty from working on the 911 my wife will get a little upset with grease staining on the door knobs.
One mistake I made was making the bottom of the little door as high as it is. On a decent day I can just open the main garage door and then open the little door for cross ventilation. We have two dachshunds that can approach that door and peek in but they will not jump over and into the garage. I should have brought the small door as low as possible to make using it easier. With the raised bottom I have to step over and it is a little bit of a dance to get through. I added the little knob as a grab handle to help me balance as I step through. The other stick on a hinge is to hold the door open. He raised door bottom does help keep leaves and other debris from blowing in.
I have a “Kill-A-Watt” device to measure electrical usage. I calculated my electrical usage and at the summer rate it cost me about 80 cents per hour to run the unit. After 10 hours in the garage I spent 8 bucks to come inside and not be soaked in sweat. The cost of one six pack of beer to stay sweat free. I spent one long day in the garage and did a complete clay bar and wax job and interior detail on my Carrera. At the end of the day I came inside and did not even need a shower. It was a 100+ degree day outside. I had to throw that in to have some 911 content.
The total cost of the wood, glue, paint, screws and the AC unit was under 400 bucks. If you wait until fall you can pick up a window unit on sale for cheap.
