Stinger
Well-known member
I just bought a new home with a 45x60x13 pole barn/shop in Kansas City with 6x6's and rafters on 8' centers. I'll be using fiberglass insulation on the walls with a vapor barrier and steel liner covering the walls. The ceiling will also be lined with steel and I'll use blow-in cellulose somewhere around 8-10" thick (maybe more if it's worth it).
I don't necessarily need to maintain 68 deg year-round but I'd like to be able to get it to 60 in the winter and cool to 80 or a little cooler in the summer. Typically in this area there are a few weeks each winter with highs in the mid teens (lows near zero) and a few weeks each summer with highs in the 95-100 deg range.
The shop has a 400 sq/ft office area that's insulated already and I'd like to have more controlled temp in this area (high 60's to low 70's year-around). The office is somewhat isolated from the rest of the shop (two doors is all that connects them) so if I'm not using a ducted system, it will be hard to get the heat/ac in there, especially if I'd prefer to keep the doors closed for noise/smell reasons. I'm thinking I'll use a small portable heater to bump up the temp in there and may use a portable AC to boost cooling in the summer for the office.
So what I'm trying to figure out is what sort of output would I need for this area and then what's the best option for heat and a/c for the shop portion of the building? If we assume it's not heating/cooling the office, we're basically looking at 2300 sq/ft of insulated space with 13 ft ceilings, 3 insulated doors, and no windows. I've currently got an old Bryant 589A square heat/ac unit (slab or roof mount) set up for propane that I'm using in my old shop that I could move to the new shop. Problems with that plan are that it's old so who knows how long it will last, it needs a new heat exchanger (old one rusted out), it appears to possibly be too small (2.5 ton, 65k btu output), it requires a big hole in the wall (~14"x36")and it requires ducting because the inlet and outlet are right next to each other (I'd leave the inlet at the wall near the unit and duct the outlet elsewhere). The main benefit here is it's free (plus heat exchanger repair). I've looked at mini-split units, I've considered a radiant tube heater, I've considered a regular propane shop heater mounted to the ceiling in the corner, etc. Not sure if there are other good options I've not seen/considered?
I'm struggling with figuring out how big of a unit I need since I've seen a lot of people on here say that whatever unit they have that's supposed to be the right size actually seems too large because their building is so well insulated, doesn't have windows, no air leaks, etc.
If anyone has any ideas for heat/ac for the office area as well, I'm all ears.
I don't have an unlimited budget and would prefer a DIY option if possible because I know what happens when you hire an HVAC guy ($$$$) but I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks for your time.
I don't necessarily need to maintain 68 deg year-round but I'd like to be able to get it to 60 in the winter and cool to 80 or a little cooler in the summer. Typically in this area there are a few weeks each winter with highs in the mid teens (lows near zero) and a few weeks each summer with highs in the 95-100 deg range.
The shop has a 400 sq/ft office area that's insulated already and I'd like to have more controlled temp in this area (high 60's to low 70's year-around). The office is somewhat isolated from the rest of the shop (two doors is all that connects them) so if I'm not using a ducted system, it will be hard to get the heat/ac in there, especially if I'd prefer to keep the doors closed for noise/smell reasons. I'm thinking I'll use a small portable heater to bump up the temp in there and may use a portable AC to boost cooling in the summer for the office.
So what I'm trying to figure out is what sort of output would I need for this area and then what's the best option for heat and a/c for the shop portion of the building? If we assume it's not heating/cooling the office, we're basically looking at 2300 sq/ft of insulated space with 13 ft ceilings, 3 insulated doors, and no windows. I've currently got an old Bryant 589A square heat/ac unit (slab or roof mount) set up for propane that I'm using in my old shop that I could move to the new shop. Problems with that plan are that it's old so who knows how long it will last, it needs a new heat exchanger (old one rusted out), it appears to possibly be too small (2.5 ton, 65k btu output), it requires a big hole in the wall (~14"x36")and it requires ducting because the inlet and outlet are right next to each other (I'd leave the inlet at the wall near the unit and duct the outlet elsewhere). The main benefit here is it's free (plus heat exchanger repair). I've looked at mini-split units, I've considered a radiant tube heater, I've considered a regular propane shop heater mounted to the ceiling in the corner, etc. Not sure if there are other good options I've not seen/considered?
I'm struggling with figuring out how big of a unit I need since I've seen a lot of people on here say that whatever unit they have that's supposed to be the right size actually seems too large because their building is so well insulated, doesn't have windows, no air leaks, etc.
If anyone has any ideas for heat/ac for the office area as well, I'm all ears.
I don't have an unlimited budget and would prefer a DIY option if possible because I know what happens when you hire an HVAC guy ($$$$) but I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks for your time.
