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So, I removed the window AC unit in the wall of my shop because it stopped cooling. It was a 24,000 BTU unit, but Momma thinks the previous owners oversized it in an attempt to cool the entire shop. My shop is about 1100 square feet. The AC never did a good job cooling the far side of my shop (where I park the 71 and my Bullnose truck).
Here's a pic of the LG POS.
I'm wondering what folks use in their shop for an AC? I have a small wall heater in front of where I park the 96, so I don't necessarily need an AC/heater combo.
The dimensions of the old unit are 26Wx18Hx28.25D. The only other window AC unit I've found that would fit without modification is this LG.
I'm reluctant to buy an LG AC. We had an LG refrigerator that we got a warranty on, but I had to pull teeth to get it.
This is a portable AC that I've been considering. I could actually get 2 for the price of the window AC above. But I thought with one I could always move it to where I need it. It's 110V and my shop and house garage have plenty of 110V outlets.
At 59 years old, I've had enough of working in the summer heat, just couldn't bring myself to go out to the garage when it's 100 degrees outside! I just installed a window AC unit to cool my 550SF garage. I bought a 12,000btu Toshiba unit from Home Depot, which wasn't up to the task. The fan speed wasn't high enough to circulate the air, so I returned to HmDpo and bought a 14,000btu LG model on Amazon. The fan speed of the LG is probably twice that of the Toshiba and the additional btus of cooling really help to cool down the garage quickly when I'm ready to work. Another nice feature of the LG model; it has an inverter controlled compressor, so no hard start, and the energy efficiency is higher than a traditional compressor. it's also very quiet (compared to the Toshiba).
One thing I've consider is that any window unit I get is going to exhaust heat behind my shop near the privacy fence. I park my lawnmower back there with bikes Momma and I never ride. You can see how dirty the AC is in my pic above. It would be difficult to remove the AC and clean it once a year. In fact, when removing the faulty unit I dropped it. It weighs 120 lbs!
Another option if you don't live in a humid area is the old world swamp cooler, cheaper than AC, minimal up keep. I have both for my house and use mostly the swamp cooler mounted on the roof. It will drop the inside temp by about 15 degrees. I have had this setup for 30 years and would do the same if I had to do it all over....Tedd
I have a window unit in my 1 car oversized shed, no insulation, basically a shack and the 18,000 cools but never cycles off for the few hours I am in there. The portable units dont seem to cool as well as a similarly sized window unit IMO. I would replace with a similar unit as you are removing. Typically if you oversize a unit in your house it will feel cold and clamy as it wont dehumidify the air. In a garage you would not be concerned. And go with a 220v unit.
At 59 years old, I've had enough of working in the summer heat, just couldn't bring myself to go out to the garage when it's 100 degrees outside! I just installed a window AC unit to cool my 550SF garage. I bought a 12,000btu Toshiba unit from Home Depot, which wasn't up to the task. The fan speed wasn't high enough to circulate the air, so I returned to HmDpo and bought a 14,000btu LG model on Amazon. The fan speed of the LG is probably twice that of the Toshiba and the additional btus of cooling really help to cool down the garage quickly when I'm ready to work. Another nice feature of the LG model; it has an inverter controlled compressor, so no hard start, and the energy efficiency is higher than a traditional compressor. it's also very quiet (compared to the Toshiba).
Inverter controlled compressor is the way to go. Cheaper to run. I put a window unit in my bedroom and close the door at night. I like to sleep at 65 degrees top. Open the door in the day to help cool off house. Main cooling system runs less. My electric bill is way down. Was thinking to put another window inverter controlled compressor. And turning off the the central air unit. Would put one in the garage.
Just remember whatever unit you buy, you have to plumb the water collector pipe to the outside, or if you have an inside drain, to it. An AC unit will collect many gallons of distilled water in a short time if your humidity is high.
So, I removed the window AC unit in the wall of my shop because it stopped cooling. It was a 24,000 BTU unit, but Momma thinks the previous owners oversized it in an attempt to cool the entire shop. My shop is about 1100 square feet. The AC never did a good job cooling the far side of my shop (where I park the 71 and my Bullnose truck).
Jesse - I know you're smart enough to recognize you're missing a significant piece of the equation. You measure cooling capacity in cubic feet not square feet. Therefore, you need to factor in the height of your enclosed area, as well.
Have you considered an Air Source Heat Pump? They are far, far more efficient & economical than either a window A/C or a portable A/C & you have the benefit of both A/C & heat. The problem (and it's significant) is the fact a window A/C or portable A/C (although you didn't define the "type" of portable A/C you're referring to) do absolutely nothing to reduce humidity in the enclosed area. An air source heat pump will condition the air by removing the humidity; albeit, making if feel far more comfortable and use less energy. They make some inexpensive air source heat pumps these days. Most can handle up to four supply lines (ducts) into the enclosed area. Something to consider.
I have been debating what to use in my garage but i don't have the luxury of a window. If i had a window i would likely go with a window unit out of convenience and performance. As for portables, I will have to cut a 4 inch hole through brick to vent outside with a standard one hose system. Many folks out there say the two-hose portable work better due to the pressure differential inside with a single, but that's debatable. The other option i came across was the mini-split systems like Mr Cool. This requires two small lines through the wall with an inside and outside unit combined and has a higher price point. I have to say i am jealous you have a window.
The portable A/C units don’t work that well in my opinion.
I have a huge wall mount A/C unit in my garage that will also do heat for the winter. It was expensive, but most hobbies are. I consider the A/C part of the tools for the hobby. I bought my unit at the end of the summer close out at a decent discount.
I don’t use the A/C unless I’m going to be in the garage for a long time, and even then I try to start it early in the morning. Once everything is hot the A/C runs forever to cool things down.
Thanks for all the input. Lately, I've been working in the garage without an operating AC and without a fan (since I film my work to post on YouTube). It's been pretty unbearable. I actually talked to Oldsguy recently, he hasn't done any work on the Vista because it's been so hot. It seems I'm finally considering replacing that AC just in time for fall.
I'll keep everyone posted.
I tried a large portable from Amazon that was rated at 14000 BTU and was supposed to work for 700 sq ft which is about the size of my garage. I rigged up a way to have the hose outside under the partially opened garage door, and I sealed the remainder of the garage door opening.
IT DID NOTHING. Maybe the unit was bad, but even the air blowing from it was within a degree or two of the temperature of the garage. This was when the garage was around 90 F. These days in Texas, my garage is getting over 100 F by the end of the day. Even with a big shop fan, I cannot work out these for more than 30 minutes or so.
Even if the unit could have knocked 10 degrees off my garage I might have kept it, but it didn't drop the temp one degree. Luckily it had free returns on Amazon.
I am now looking to get a Mini Split installed this fall.
Portable units need to exhaust hot air out from the unit. I had one exhaust out the cat door. South Texas, it was only 9,000 btu. Three car garage. It was fine in the morning, but worthless in the afternoon. But kept the humidity down.
The SF number provided by the manufacturer assumes an 8' high ceiling; if your ceilings are taller that estimate is not valid. One square foot in a garage with 8ft. ceilings is 8 cubic feet. If the AC unit is rated for 700 SF @ 8ft. ceiling that would be 5,600 cubic feet. Another thing to consider is the building envelope, especially in the southern states like Texas; insulation and air gaps will leak out the cool air. Most garages have little to no insulation in the ceiling so the garage may lose the cold air as fast as you cool it. I had to blow R-38 in my garage ceiling before the 12,000 btu Toshiba unit could even begin to keep up. I also added a vinyl weatherstrip around the perimeter of the roll up door to provide a better seal.
Speaking from the experience of having central a/c, window a/c, portable a/c, and a mini split system, I will provide my 2 cents.
I kicked the window a/c units to the curb at my cottage this summer, and ponied up for a mini split. Two head units, one downstairs and the other up. Soooooooooooooo much better, quieter, and efficient. VERY pricey, though, but the added benefit of electric heat for the fall/winter/spring up to -18F is a bonus.
Portable a/c unit was purchased to supplement the central a/c at my parent's house for the 2nd story. There is only one vent upstairs, and the cold air return for the upstairs is not even technically upstairs. It is an older home that did not originally have forced air ventilation, so when my Dad remodeled, the house was not taken down to the studs and thus, the HVAC was not quite properly done. Heat is no issue, but during the dog days of summer, the central a/c doesn't provide much cooling up there. The portable unit does the trick, though.
If you don't want to invest in a mini split, I recommend sticking with a window unit. I would not, however, recommend LG or Samsung to my worst enemy. Luckily, I have smartly avoided both of those companies, as they both seem to have horrible track records for compressor quality. Makes me think that, because they are both Korean companies, they use the same compressor source. This is speculation, as I have not researched either of them enough to know for sure. But all reviews of their appliances seem to be the same. Odd that for TV's, both are considered top of the line, though. My own personal LG TV experience was enough for me to swear off that company 100%.
I just put a mini split in my garage, it works great. It cost $650 on Amazon and it arrived with a dent in the sheet metal and they gave me $150 refund. They are really easy to install and can just plug into an outlet. All you need is a 3 1/2" hole through the wall. Can't beat it and they claim it only cost .50 a day to run.
While perusing Youtube yesterday under (recommended for you) section what should ironically show up but a video of a fellow installing a mini-split at a home. Not diverting to the whole "they're listening to us" subject but the system looked very cool. Not surprised to hear from you Jeff that they are expensive though. I like the idea for sure but probably could not justify spending my bucks on one. As Jesse said, I have a window unit in my shop which is a 16x30x15 metal building. One corner is a 8x15x10 smoking room all walled in with a small window unit. The other 8x15x15 is where most of my tools and work bench is and finally the opposite side 8x30x15 is were I have the Vista parked. I secioned off the work bench area with some tarps to see how well the window unit in that area works because it was struggling to cool the entire area minus my smoking room. That kind of works but is not a good permanent solution. I would rather replace the window unit in the shop area with something better. Maybe a bigger window unit.
To add more context, my mini split system was $5895 installed. I'll have to double check, but I believe it's a 22k BTU unit, and my two head units 18k downstairs and 12k upstairs.
The DYI'ers could of course save on the install costs, and I'm sure that there are much cheaper options than what I went with. However, my intention was to have both reliable heat in the colder months so that I didn't have to rely on a propane wall furnace, and also get rid of the hassle of installing/removing window units on a seasonal basis.
A few different contractors I spoke with said that Mitsubishi makes the best quality mini split systems, but every contractor has a brand that they work with exclusively. You also need to consider the mfr, because if it is an unknown brand, you may run into parts and service issues later on if the cheaper mfr goes belly up.
My son installed a mini split into his house (1300 sq ft). His electric runs between 60-90 dollars a month. If real hot or cold it might get up to $100.
August 9th, 2023, 03:10 AM
