Help with idea to a/c Single car garage

[Wuaname]

Ok, so a mini split system is out of the question. Cost for the size of my garage is not worth it right now. I have a plan b, which to swap my 3 ton ac for a 4 ton qnd then run it to the garage after its insulates. But before i go that route, i thought of a cheaper alternative, although i have never seen it and dont know if it would work.. Thats where you guys come in ...help

I was thinking of putting a metal vent screen above the door, on each side of the wall (inside the house and on the garage side as well) so there is ac air from the house circulating into the garage.

Now here is where i veered off on the idea and where i need some opinions. I was thinking of putting a couple fans inside said vent, controlled by a switch on the wall with adjustable speed. Think of one of those fans to cool electronics or computers, maybe 5" - 8".

So when i am in the garage, i turn on that little fan, and cold air from inside the house circulates to the garage. I am not looking to keep the garage "cold" but just comfortable to be in.

Any thoughts on the idea? Its just a single car garage.

 

[captain14]

Fire wall between the two spaces is needed. You idea will allow the fire in one room a direct path to the other.

What does your AHJ codes say about this? And your homeowners insurance policy .

 

[Falcon67]

This is just flat no, hell no is just about every jurisdiction.

 

[pseudorealityx]

Bad idea all around. This IS a great application for a mini-split, or a window unit if you can put a hole in the wall.

 

[ssbtech]

Safety issues aside, you're not going to get the required circulation to actually cool (remove heat) from the garage.

Chemicals and fumes in the garage don't belong in the house. To cool the garage you need to remove the heat, which means returning the hot air into the house from the garage.

My apartment is a sort of horseshoe shape. If my AC can only cool one side of the horseshoe and barely touch the rooms on the other side, you're not going to get any cooling in the garage with your vent/fan idea.

As others have said, this is the perfect place for a mini split installation.

 

[Wuaname]

Thank you for pointing the firewall issue . Scratch my idea off the table.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Like they said major code violation, and even if you could install a special fire approved duct vent with fusable melting link, the additional load and duct run would probably result in no appreciable cooling in the garage using your current system.

If a mini split is too expensive now, then a window unit is about it, or a 14K BTU portable would be more flexible use in other situations. If you lived in a dry climate I'd recommend a swamp cooler, what I currently use in my garage

 

[sourdough]

I looked at your picture of the man-door in the garage that I assume leads into the house.

7 years ago I sold my house in Alaska, but before I could close on the house I had to weather strip the man-door and either install a door closer or 3 spring-loaded hinges for the reasons of air infiltration as others have stated. To accommodate the foam weatherstrip I had to move the hinges out 1/4" as well as the strike plate for the latch set. What a PITA.

Good luck in your situation. A small thru-the-wall A/C unit would be pretty inexpensive.

 

[vmusch]

Last home I had I just put a a small window unit through the wall, easy, cheap and effective. I did have bushes on the outside wall which hid the unit, not that it really mattered.

 

[vartz04]

I have a dryer duct out the back wall of my garage that I hook up a portable to if I am going to be doing any major projects in the summer (have to borrow it from work) I'd suggest you do the same as it works well. Only needed to put a 4" diameter hole in my wall.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Ok, so a mini split system is out of the question. Cost for the size of my garage is not worth it right now. I have a plan b,

Considering the possibility that a mini-split is a future plan "A", if you decide to install a wall unit (no windows), consider your location carefully. High up to avoid blocked airflow if allowed by code but also with respect to a possible future mini-split install being able to use the same through-wall access to run your control bundle. Obviously the hole would have to backfilled, nevertheless better than forced to make a new hole if not previously planned for.

I'm saying this because I am in the process NOW, of taking advantage of a preexisting 8x8 inch opening in my garage to run everything except line voltage.