arizona garage cooling

[cjg454ss]

so i just moved to arizona and built a home. it will be finished in 2 weeks. im trying to figure out how to cool the garage(1500 square feet). here are the specs

L- shaped garage with 24x20 with a 12 foot ceiling on the short leg and a 45x20 rv garage with a 20ft ceiling. i have R19 in the ceiling and r13 i believe in the walls. im not looking to keep it at 65* in August but in the 80s would be nice when im out there.

what is the best route? mini split? Ptak? HVAC, and how many BTUs, also the garage doors are insulated

 

[turbowoodworker]

I just moved from AZ and when in my shop I used an evap cooler. The humidity is so low 11 mos a year it worked very well. The garage door could be left open too. You can buy them at HD or CL and they come in variuos sizes, many on wheels. The only time it doesn't work is during the monsoons of August when the humidity gets above 35% or so. Hope this helps.

 

[cjg454ss]

If I still wanted a/c would 2 25k btu window units be enough?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

The problem with window ac is going to be moving the air

 

[cjg454ss]

How about a packaged 5 ton a/c

 

[Jagmandave]

Where you live in AZ will have a lot to do with what's appropriate......what you need in Flagstaff is way different than what you'd need in Phoenix or Tuscon.....

I live in Kansas, and our temps get almost as high as Phoenix and we get way more humididitty, my garage is about 1000 sq ft and I just bought a large window A/C-heater - cause we get cold too.

It runs on 240v so I had to run a new circuit but I think it will make it very pleasant, epsecially in summer. I'm also not trying to heat or cool to extremes, just enough to make it tolerable and my garage is insulated somewhat because it's under the bedrooms in a split level house.

If you don't need heat like I do, I think a big assed window unit will do the trick. Mine's 18,000 btu, but they make them up to 25K.....

Call any local HVAC contractor and they will tell you how much energy you need, then you can make the best decision.

 

[cjg454ss]

I'm in pheonix, I don't want to run it 24/7, I'd like to turn on in the morning and have it cool off to 85 degrees and just maintain it. I don't heed a system that will go from 100 degrees to 75 at 3pm

 

[thehazmatguy]

I haven't figured out an air conditioning solution for my garage yet. My Dad is about 2 miles away. He's got a window air conditioner in his garage that works pretty well. I'd guess his garage is 500 sq ft to maybe 600 sq ft and the air conditioner is probably a 5000 btu unit. As you mentioned above, if you turn it on in the morning (before the garage hits 105+) the window unit will keep the garage in the 80's. His garage door is not insulated but it's thick wood and faces North, out of the sun. Also, the garage shares two walls with the house and the garage does not get afternoon sun on any wall.

As Ducksface suggests... if you've got the ability, I'd go 5 ton. It's a real drag when you want to be in the garage and it's too hot to be out there.

I hope that helps.

 

[MSTER]

I live in the Phoenix area too. Ill tell you straight up that the window units will not work. You will be disappointed with swamp coolers too. A 5 ton unit may or may not be oversized. Hard to tell without doing a proper load calculation. Most contractors will do this for free hoping to get your business. You will need to install properly sized duct work also. Are you going to do this yourself? Do you want heat also? Are there any partition walls? There is a lot to consider if you want it done right.

 

[MSTER]

By the way...Welcome to AZ and congrats on the new home!

 

[cjg454ss]

thanks for the welcome, im ready to move in, setup the garage and fix my car. i hit a wall racing in sc. test pass 130 mph in the 1/8 and smacked the wall bad. i hit some water on the track

 

[ambenz]

I am surprised no one is suggesting a mini split system.
One of my customers uses these extensively up here in Chicagoland for school classrooms and seem to work pretty well. I am actually thinking about one for the garage....
...as soon as I have maid service, a yacht,a in ground pool, and enough cash flow to spring for parties every weekend!

 

[Angelfire]

Phoenix has gotten humid enough that swampers won't work as well as they used to (thanks be to the artificial lake, pools, sprinklers, etc...). I'd suggest looking at mini splits. They're very efficient and work well for cooling. For heating, not quite as good although in Phoenix they will do the job quite well. The other issue I worry about with swamp coolers is the increased humidity in the shop could result in rust on tools/equipment. I'm in ABQ and wouldn't put a swamper in my shop. If anything, I'll go with a mini split system.
Cheers.

 

[skulldrinker]

Only bad thing about Swamp coolers is they throw out a lot of wind. So if you're painting or if you are a stamp collector you may not want all the turbulence. Plus unless you're "in the breeze" of a swamp cooler when it's 110° you're not getting cooled.

PS and they deal with water that's how they work so if you don't mind getting water on the floor once in a while you may not want a Swamp Cooler.

 

[deter]

equipment wise: A 3 ton mini split costs around $3k. A 5 ton split system AC package costs about $2k.
figure in some ductwork on the 5ton, and its probably about a wash. 5ton would cool your garage well and circulate air much better than the minisplit

 

[nonhog]

Old thread and the site is gone. Interesting idea.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16963&highlight=ATTIC+COOLER

 

[CNGsaves]

If I still wanted a/c would 2 25k btu window units be enough?

Might get you by . . . . but . . . you'll get UTILITY SHOCK when those electric bills come in as those window unit air conditioners are notoriously inefficient!!

I have friend that works at utility company . . . they just SMILE when they hear that customers are adding window unit air conditioners. Pure profit for the electric company.

Would be more cost effective in the long run to do it right. I'd recommend putting in forced air system just like you would for a house that is appropriate size for your garage (ie 3 ton, 4 ton, 5 ton, etc).

 

[Falcon67]

thanks for the welcome, im ready to move in, setup the garage and fix my car. i hit a wall racing in sc. test pass 130 mph in the 1/8 and smacked the wall bad. i hit some water on the track

Can't help with the cooling but glad you're OK. Sorry to hear about the ride. 130 in the 660 is a pretty good clip.

 

[benz_dr]

5 tons for 1500' is overkill! The unit will short cycle and not dehumidify properly. I wrenched 30 yrs in Phx, and a properly sized mastercool will keep you very comfortable even in the monsoon.[6500cfm]

 

[skulldrinker]

5 tons for 1500' is overkill! The unit will short cycle and not dehumidify properly. I wrenched 30 yrs in Phx, and a properly sized mastercool will keep you very comfortable even in the monsoon.[6500cfm]

Is humidity really a concern? I would think you would need the huge resources of an over sized unit to over come the high heat that is retained in the surrounding materials. If the unit was off and the inside temps were at 130° It would take a smaller sized unit half a day to bring it down to 75°.

 

[benz_dr]

Monsoon-July thru September--fact, humidity is higher. Why not 100 tons? Cool it faster. Talk to a HVAC guy and ask about a "Mastercool". Seriously!!

 

[skulldrinker]

Monsoon-July thru September--fact, humidity is higher. Why not 100 tons? Cool it faster. Talk to a HVAC guy and ask about a "Mastercool". Seriously!!

What is the humidity you speak of? Do you people sweat? I spent last summer working in my brothers sign shop and he had 2 Master Coolers. Both of which I had to rewire new switches for. I found that they work ok for an open door kind of business cause the overhead door was to be opened one panel up at all times or he said it gets to humid. (and to think he's from Chicago) I never broke a sweat. And it was windy in there all the time. Always had to point the units away from the work table or it would blow all the work around. To keep cool in the hot Vegas summer heat we each had a unit pointed directly at us. It never reached air conditioned quality of coolness. You were always in a state of "I guess I can put up with this as long as I can just sit here and do nothing" People only use swamp coolers cause it costs to much to run run the AC. He had AC in the building but unless you left it on all the time it would not cool off a hot building. With the shop doors always being opened with signs going in and out I guess the Coolers were a good choice for him. The AC unit that was on the roof must have been a wimpy unit and wouldn't cool anything off if you turned it on when you opened up in the morning.

But yeah I agree ask a pro cause I'm only throwing my story out there to give you a guide.

 

[shade]

I put in a window unit I think 2500 BTU.
My garage is super insulated all walls and ceiling including garage door.
600sq ft
it cools to 78 (where I set it) no issues.