cooling a garage space?
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Window unit Fredricks used to be the best. Mike
Porta Cools are great if you have high heat and low humidity, high humidity just turns them into a fan blowing more moisture. We used to have a 48" three speed and load up the 60 gallon reservoir with ice water, it would cool a large area. Porta cools are pricey though, I think the 16" is close to $600 and those pads do have a lifespan.
If you are in a dry climate, a wall mounted evap works great. I have one of these on mine:
Window Coolers
Even on low, it keeps the garage <90 even on 110 degree days. On high, it would probably cool the whole house. It runs on a 1/3 HP ducted fan, moves a bunch of air without much cost.
Window Coolers
Even on low, it keeps the garage <90 even on 110 degree days. On high, it would probably cool the whole house. It runs on a 1/3 HP ducted fan, moves a bunch of air without much cost.
How big of an area?
A roll around Porta Cooler is way overkill for the average California 1 car garage.
A roll around Porta Cooler is way overkill for the average California 1 car garage.
Stopped by a couple HDespots & Wallyworlds looking for portable AC. Nuttin under $500. Guess I'll keep sweatin....
Scratch that previous post.
Gonna go with an in-wall unit.
Further research this morning shows the portables are not only expensive but there is the fact that condensor cooling is achieved by drawing room air through it thereby creating a vacuum in the garage drawing more hot air in around doors and stuff.
Gonna go with an in-wall unit.
Further research this morning shows the portables are not only expensive but there is the fact that condensor cooling is achieved by drawing room air through it thereby creating a vacuum in the garage drawing more hot air in around doors and stuff.
2 things come to mind;
How hot is it where you live
Is your garage that air tight? If so, what ever you do other than drilling out broken bolts should be done with the door open, i.e. welding, cutting, grinding, painting, etc.
How hot is it where you live
Is your garage that air tight? If so, what ever you do other than drilling out broken bolts should be done with the door open, i.e. welding, cutting, grinding, painting, etc.
I've got a huge swamp box iffin' anyone is interested, (too big for mine).
well just my humble opinion, but an ac unit works pretty well but depending on the size of your garage will have limited effectiveness unless you throw down some real money for a big one. an evaporative cooler(swamp cooler) you can probably get for around $250-$300 and would work great. A crafty fellow like yourself can probably frame up a mobile stand for it. then you'd need a water connection and a spot for it to drain.
A/c units will tend to draw a LOT of power. depending on the size at least a 20A circuits worth and quite possibly even larger (30a @240 volts)to cool a two car garage. the swampy would draw maybe 5A or so(depending on the size). the trouble with the swampy is it has limited cooling effectiveness in high humidity. it will create a pretty high volume of air being moved which is nice for dust control and the air itself feels good even if its not the coolist air in the world. Swampy's are gonna be larger than a self contained a/c unit in terms of size and you'd need a spot to tap some water and have some water dripping out of it in some capacity. swampys are a little easier to maintain and fix so their lifetime can be extended for quite a while, especially if you can coat the bottom of the thing with something to keep the water from rusting the housing out. not so much with an a/c.
i would rock the swampy....its cheaper to buy and operate in the long run,a bit more versitile in terms of being able to move it around if you make a stand for it, and will take a little more of a beating with all the dust and crap in a garage. you will have to give it water, but if you can take on maintaining a cruiser surely you can find a way to run a 1/4" water line to it.
A/c units will tend to draw a LOT of power. depending on the size at least a 20A circuits worth and quite possibly even larger (30a @240 volts)to cool a two car garage. the swampy would draw maybe 5A or so(depending on the size). the trouble with the swampy is it has limited cooling effectiveness in high humidity. it will create a pretty high volume of air being moved which is nice for dust control and the air itself feels good even if its not the coolist air in the world. Swampy's are gonna be larger than a self contained a/c unit in terms of size and you'd need a spot to tap some water and have some water dripping out of it in some capacity. swampys are a little easier to maintain and fix so their lifetime can be extended for quite a while, especially if you can coat the bottom of the thing with something to keep the water from rusting the housing out. not so much with an a/c.
i would rock the swampy....its cheaper to buy and operate in the long run,a bit more versitile in terms of being able to move it around if you make a stand for it, and will take a little more of a beating with all the dust and crap in a garage. you will have to give it water, but if you can take on maintaining a cruiser surely you can find a way to run a 1/4" water line to it.
I had my garage insulated and rocked for the purpose of one day adding heat and air.
The problem here in Jersey is the humidity.
I understand the doors have to be open to perform alot of jobs but the times when there is just wrenching and fondling of my cruiser going down, I would like to be cool and calm.
Thats no lie I sweat my ass off yesterday cleaning out my old shop . Only a week worth of s*** to move or toss to go
MMMMMmmmmm pork roll ,egg and cheese on a hard roll with ketchup please
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- #14
I have a weird old set up , its 3 spaces (1 large single car , 1 small single car and a small workshop area. The space Im really trying to cool is the large single car , I was looking at a small "porta cool " style unit a 12" 3800cfm 1/8hp for $430.00 ie not a lot of BTU . the next size up jumps to just over a grand
.
Soo I went to the local home whore I mean wherehouse and looked a side discharge swampy's ... 300 bones with no motor
......
One of the problems for me is lack of shop space so figueing out where to put the dang thing is an issue. I think having an evap it would always be in the way, in turn pissing me off. Im kinda starting to think a roof mount swampy is the answer.
It gets it out of the way and gives options on flow routing , the only issue is getting water to the garage.
ken
.Soo I went to the local home whore I mean wherehouse and looked a side discharge swampy's ... 300 bones with no motor
...... One of the problems for me is lack of shop space so figueing out where to put the dang thing is an issue. I think having an evap it would always be in the way, in turn pissing me off. Im kinda starting to think a roof mount swampy is the answer.
It gets it out of the way and gives options on flow routing , the only issue is getting water to the garage.
ken
Swamp coolers also work better when they are drawing outside air and exhausting the old air. If you can find a good spot, wall mounts are easier to install and service. 1/4" icemaker lines or simular plumbing work well for delivering water. Good luck.
Maybe you should look at keeping just yourself cool with a cool vest? They work well and solve all of your dilema for a lot less money and it goes with you. Just a thought.
http://www.bullard.com/Respiratory/air_accessories/climate/isotherm.shtml
http://www.bullard.com/Respiratory/air_accessories/climate/isotherm.shtml
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or you could just work naked.... keep the door closed though
I run a window unit in my 2-3 car garage. The walls and doors are insulated, but the attic above it is not. It's a small unit...like around $120 at Home depot. It will not cool fast, but if I turn it on low the night before I'm going to work out there, it's VERY nice. Oh yeah, and it's about 90deg here today and my garage is about 79 right now. Not too bad for not running the unit hard at all.
This is what I use for a two car garage. Works just fine and is portable. You can buy cheaper units like these at walmart or lowes. I like it because on a hot day and if I'm working in the driveway I can roll it out plug it in and be cool all day. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...0051&N=526378+90401&langId=-1&catalogId=10053
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- #20
Well I stumbled on a scratch and dent wall mount swampy. Its not the biggest thing thing the world but its about the right size for my space. it is an 1/8 hp model 2 speed and Im not sure on the CFM or BTU but its all right , Its not gonna freeze me out but it moves some air.
I just happen to have some scrap and a set of casters laying around and threw a cart together.......
I just happen to have some scrap and a set of casters laying around and threw a cart together.......