For those of you living in the midwest or hotter more humid climates, do you run AC in the garage? If so what kind of unit do you use? I am looking at portable 8-12k btu units that run on 110-120 but am hoping to get some feedback from some fellow members before I purchase anything.
I had thought about it but the cost wouldn't justify it. The thing would run constantly since the garage is t insulated and there are the cracks between the door and wall. Small cracks but enough to let the cold air escape through. Now if I close all that and insulate, hell yes I would do it. It's hot in houston
There are all kinds of stand alone units out there, the only thing you have to do correctly is find a way to Exhaust all that hot, humid, air that the AC unit is going to pull out of your garage. I think most units sold are made to be used with a window that is opened and a shield is put into the opening with a cut out or something for the exhaust hose. Second think you also have to find a way to route the water line out of the garage or into a container, cause the unit is going to remove moisture too in the form of water. Once you get past that, and have figured out how much it will impact your electrical bill, you are done ! Good luck with this! Dan F
A member on another forum has a stand alone unit that he vents through the garage door. He made a plate that can cover the hole when not in use. He showed a temp gauge when the interior temp was 84 and after having the AC running for ?? it showed 70!! I would assume his garage is well insulted because his house looks rather new.
I thought about an Airconditioner for the Garage but I'd also have to buy a turnakit for where my balls used to be to help me stop the bleeding after my wife cuts them off. I'd love to have one though... Joe D.
Might be worth your time to look into one of these units: Port-A-Cool, Official Web Site of the Manufacturer
i have two customers that have these and they are a godsend. not sure exactly which spec model but i can work inside, shut the garage door... be cool in the summer and toasty in the winter...literally dead winter low 30 degrees outside and i will be "too warm" in light pants and a t shirt. Wall Mounted 18 - 30,000 BTU Heat Pumps - Fujitsu Ductless Mini-Splits
I looked at the mini splits but as previously stated I really enjoy my equipment and would like to keep them as is....I will only need to use ocassionally. Trying to get a paint correction done but the temps and high humidity are preventing me from doing the job. This doesn't look bad but some of the smaller portable units also dehumidify as well as cool. The STL is running 65-80% humidity lately not sure that this would help with that.....Damn my wife is going to crucify me.. Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will let you all know what I go with and how it works out.
Last summer i bought a cheap portable A/C unit from craigslist... it was 10,000 BTU and i got it for $150 and it was brand new... this thing made my power bill $300 higher for the month... i sold it the next day. I'll stick with a few good fans
Since I am not in the garage detailing every day, and since we don't have outrageous heat in the midwest all year round, I just open the door to my house and have the air conditioning run in any time I need it
At the present time I use a portable Sunbeam A/C unit and a floor fan in my 30x40 garage. It helps in this 100 degree plus heat but not to where I would like it to for detailing . I have a couple of neighbors that have installed a/c units they purchased from a local motel that both heat and cool. I like the way they perform and am now looking to find one for myself. Don't know what it will do to my eletric bill but I don't plan on running them all of the time.
I have looked at the dual units out of a motel before but I think the back half needs to be outside....no way I want to cut a hole in the garage wall that big...
I wish we would get a garage air conditioner, that would make my life so much more pleasant But we do have a heater, I don't know the specs on it but I love having that...it can be 19 degrees outside and I'll turn it up to 55 degrees or so and be comfortable working in jeans and a t-shirt.
I have a portable heater that connects to a propane tank, it heats my 400sq ft garage in a matter of minutes, but my garage is insulated too. I think I'll get a portable AC unit too.
