Garage Setup - How do you keep cool
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 73,568
Likes: 33
From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 73,568
Likes: 33
From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
They work great. I imagine a person could fabricate something that would blow this, or a fan, onto an ice block as well. Just have to have a way to drain it. And may be more trouble than it's worth.but that is the way they did it before AC.
5th Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: Dupont Pa
AC is the only way. My friend runs a garage here in Pa and I looked at him like he was nuts when he showed me the ac system in the garage but after I was in there when it was 100 out he became my idol.
Pro
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 638
Likes: 1
From: Robesonia Pa
We have humidity here and I run a dehumidifier ( my garage is well insulated). Most days it is 20 degrees cooler than outside and due to 50-60 percent humidity feels like AC. I also run a fan and it stays nice inside for hours
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,700
Likes: 298
From: Ft. Lauderdale Fl
How the table turns. A couples months ago our friends down south were giving us northerners heat, no pun intended, about snow and ice. Now we have gorgeous weather and the south is in the oven. Whether it is freezing or boiling out, a cold beer will help one cope. Stay cool!!
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 383
Likes: 0
From: Pembroke Pines Florida
inside / outside wall unit
I just returned from a long vacation in St. Maarten. The villa we stayed in had the inside wall unit and the outside a/c unit that we have here in FL but only smaller. These work great, no home or villa in the islands had central air which is a power eater. Why run hoses, vents, a roll around unit (I think they are not worth the value) when you can have one of these installed or do it yourself.
They come ready to run, mount the wall unit and drill a hole to the outside and then install your unit on a small pad (2' X 4'), open the freon lines, plug it in and go from there.
These work great, and cool only the room you want cooled ---- and fast.
Most a/c distributors or installers will know of these units.
Good luck, I am lucky to keep my car iin our climate controlled workplace and work on all of my cars here on weekends or after work hours. My employer is the best.
They come ready to run, mount the wall unit and drill a hole to the outside and then install your unit on a small pad (2' X 4'), open the freon lines, plug it in and go from there.
These work great, and cool only the room you want cooled ---- and fast.
Most a/c distributors or installers will know of these units.
Good luck, I am lucky to keep my car iin our climate controlled workplace and work on all of my cars here on weekends or after work hours. My employer is the best.
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Drifting
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,565
Likes: 2
From: Sparta Mo.
HA! Plus, here is Mosquito County (yes, that is what this place was called years ago pre-Disney) the vulture sized blood sucking buzzards come out and if you open the garage door for a millisecond, they eat you alive!
Lots of good ideas here. Should have set this up when it was still cool out
Lots of good ideas here. Should have set this up when it was still cool out
My Dad uses a squirrel cage blower fan on a wooden mount. Imagine the fan from your central air unit blowing straight on you. It's like standing in front of a tornado. It work pretty well.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,021
Likes: 7
From: Morgan Hill and Marina California
The fan that doesn't cut it: is that a fan that blow air around inside
the garage? Or one that exhausts the hot air? I installed an attic
fan up at the peak of the roof in my garage. It blows the hot air up
there outside, and makes a HUGE difference on hot days. And when
the weather is hot, I run it all night to cool down everything in the
garage. I wired it with a SPDT center-off switch (had to go to a
specialty electric place). Switch up, fan on, Switch middle, fan off,
Switch down, fan is thermostatically controlled. I leave it in the
down position.
Chuck
the garage? Or one that exhausts the hot air? I installed an attic
fan up at the peak of the roof in my garage. It blows the hot air up
there outside, and makes a HUGE difference on hot days. And when
the weather is hot, I run it all night to cool down everything in the
garage. I wired it with a SPDT center-off switch (had to go to a
specialty electric place). Switch up, fan on, Switch middle, fan off,
Switch down, fan is thermostatically controlled. I leave it in the
down position.
Chuck
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,547
Likes: 46
From: NJ
I used to have a window AC unit. Worked SO. FREEKIN. WELL! Now I moved and Im not too sure what Im going to do with this garage... Its attached to the house so it stays some what cooler then outside but the second you open one of the doors... Forget it.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 657
Likes: 1
From: Sykesville Maryland
I picked this up last fall for $100 brand new
Portable heat, AC, and dehumidifier. Haven't tried the A/C yet but it heated my wood shop pretty well over the winter and wheels around very nicely!
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 73,568
Likes: 33
From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
Pro
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 657
Likes: 1
From: Sykesville Maryland
My shop is 12x24-just under 300sf and insulated. It was 10 degrees out the first time I used it. I let it run for an hour before I ventured back down there and it was comfortable.
My garage is 20x22 and half finished with insulated doors. In A/C mode it needs to be direct vented out a window. I'm sure it will be sufficient if needed in there.
I really lucked out with this. My nephew works for a property management co that was offered these by a supplier for $100 to clear out their seasonal inventory.
My garage is 20x22 and half finished with insulated doors. In A/C mode it needs to be direct vented out a window. I'm sure it will be sufficient if needed in there.
I really lucked out with this. My nephew works for a property management co that was offered these by a supplier for $100 to clear out their seasonal inventory.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 73,568
Likes: 33
From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
My shop is 12x24-just under 300sf and insulated. It was 10 degrees out the first time I used it. I let it run for an hour before I ventured back down there and it was comfortable.
My garage is 20x22 and half finished with insulated doors. In A/C mode it needs to be direct vented out a window. I'm sure it will be sufficient if needed in there.
I really lucked out with this. My nephew works for a property management co that was offered these by a supplier for $100 to clear out their seasonal inventory.
My garage is 20x22 and half finished with insulated doors. In A/C mode it needs to be direct vented out a window. I'm sure it will be sufficient if needed in there.
I really lucked out with this. My nephew works for a property management co that was offered these by a supplier for $100 to clear out their seasonal inventory.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 8,553
Likes: 3
idea. I see I can get some like the military uses for about $150. They don't use ice, you dip the packets in ice water to recharge them. Lasts about 2 hours in Iraq. Might be worth a try.I've found the ones with ice packs work best. The others with the little gel thingys that soak up cold water don't work very well...and their heavy. They work by having air pass thru the vest, so if you're somewhere that doesn't have a lot of air movement, you now wearing a very heavy hot vest. They tend to get moldy after a while too.
Try the ice packs, if you know someone who can sew, won't cost you a dime.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 657
Likes: 1
From: Sykesville Maryland
I wonder if a floating vinyl click tile would hold up in the garage. It comes with a foam vapor barrier and instantly eliminates most of the cold radiating from the concrete floor. We installed this in my mom's basement. Pretty cheap, and it carried a 25yr warranty.