Hot Garage.....

[Big Boi]

So I live in S. Fla where the average summer temp is 95 degrees and the humidity is around 54%. Currently I have an el cheapo ceiling fan that only puts out 3900 CFM on high. And a box fan in the window that draws in fresh air.

Im going to replace the ceiling fan with an industrial fan from Northern Tool.

Will the box fan help me stay cool by drawing in air, or exhausting it?

 

[Born_Annoyed]

Pulling air in from the shady side will work best. Still F-in hot though. Why not through a window air unit in that window? I wish I could blow a hole in the side of my garage and install a window unit. But damm the HOA...! What part of S Florida E or W

 

[Big Boi]

Pulling air in from the shady side will work best. Still F-in hot though. Why not through a window air unit in that window? I wish I could blow a hole in the side of my garage and install a window unit. But damm the HOA...! What part of S Florida E or W

Thats the problem, there is no shady side. You mean and in-window a/c? I would love to but the garage door is open whenever Im in there, and it'll never cool down.


So box fan, puller or pusher?

 

[sstruckguy]

It seems to be an easy fix. Leave the ceiling fan, kick the box fan, install a small window a/c ( by the looks of the area) and keep the door DOWN.

Then again, my average summer temp is the same as yours, but the humidity is at least double yours. (on a good day)

Formula for comfort: temp minus humidity plus conditioned air (cold or hot) equals much comfort

 

[Big Boi]

Thats the problem, there is no shady side. You mean and in-window a/c? I would love to but the garage door is open whenever Im in there, and it'll never cool down.


So box fan, puller or pusher?

......

 

[Charles (in GA)]

There is no way that a .9 (thats nine tenths) of an amp fan is going to move 21,000 cfm of air.

I have three Home Depot Industrial fans in my shop. They are 60 inch (thats 4 more than the Northern fan) they only cost about $73 (often found on sale much cheaper), I paid $60 regular price about 20 months ago. They are item number 526 012. They weigh 34 lbs as opposed to 21 lbs for the Northern fan, no amp draw given for the HD fan, and no CFM listed either, but it says on the box that on high speed its 10,000+ CFM (I didn't save the box but I recall that for certain.

If the Northern fan put out 21,000 cfm you would never be able to use it in a garage as low as yours. As it is, my fans are mounted 15 ft up and on high they blow papers off a work table when I park it under the fan, nothing stays put. The HD fans do come with a short down rod for low ceiling installations however.

Here is a thread on the 60" HD fan. Scroll down to about post #28 to see mine.

Be aware, the HD fan can be reversed but not easily. It requires loosening a screw on the bell cover above the fan motor and raising the bell cover up and sliding a switch and reinstalling the cover. You don't just pull a chain or slide an exposed switch like on home fans.

Charles

 

[bmrisko]

A somewhat different set-up, but I use one of these angled up at the ceiling acting as a pusher and it is amazing...better than any box fan I have ever had.
Lasko High Velocity

 

[sstruckguy]

It seems to be an easy fix. Leave the ceiling fan, kick the box fan, install a small window a/c ( by the looks of the area) and keep the door DOWN.

In real uncomfortable weather, that works.

Formula for comfort: temp minus humidity plus conditioned air (cold or hot) equals much comfort

It sounds like the major part of your formula is the door.

 

[DIC]

I don't know if you have the room but one of my fans is an old attic fan boxed in hangiing from the ceiling, But I have a 14' ceiling and It moves a lot of air....

 

[KCarGuy]

Moving the air around helps, but if your only moving warm-hot air...it never cools off.

You need to get the hot air UP and OUT.

if you have a way to install an exhaust to get the warm ceiling air up and out of the ceiling, you garage will feel alot cooler.
friends and family think my garage is air conditioned when they first walk in, its because the hot air rises upstair through an open staircase and out, and cool air falls, right where I want it (with me).

I also installed a window unit upstairs, I can close off the upstair and cool it down, or leave it open and it cools the main floor off even nicer.

 

[Big Boi]

What about this?

 

[Big Boi]

But seriously, how about THIS one?

 

[JCQuick]

Swamp cooler you can make one we did at the shop big box fan. Piece of 6" pvc pipe, cooper tubing and a small pump. I forgot what was used for mat.
pump mist mat air draws through the mat and makes it cooler

 

[Gary S]

I have two ceiling fans in my garage. They are nice to mix up the air, but they don't do any cooling. My 11k btu window air conditioner does keep it nice in there. I never work with open doors, so cooling it works nice. And, it ***** out humidity so it feels cooler than it really is.

 

[BearHit]

Costco has a solar-powerewd one...

http://www.costco.com/Common/Search...e=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US

 

[mrpowderkeg]

How well insulated is your garage? And how cool does it get at night?

My folks have a pretty well insulated garage, and that can work in your favor. But it can also work against you. If their door is left closed during the day, the garage is nice and cool. But say if my mother comes home and parks her hot car in the garage and shuts the door, it's instant blast furnace temps. What I thought about doing is setting up about 4 bathroom vent fans in the ceiling to come on at night to draw the hot air out, and have a fresh air intake down low to let the cool night air in. If everything was on a timer it would all be automatic, and provide a pretty cool garage if you keep it closed up, and it would take care of the heat from the hot cars when everyone comes home, kind of like resetting the temp at night.

 

[mikeyr]

I like those Costco units, I will be buying one today. If we have a cool day the day before I noticed that my garage takes a while to get hot inside due since its fairly well insulated but it stays warm all night and starts out the next day warm. And since I know I do not have enough ventilation in my garage crawl space, I will try this out.

Anyone know if you can turn it off or if its temperature activated ? I would not want it to run in the winter where what little heat you have is a good thing.

If you cool the attic, it will help cool your garage but you have to keep the big door closed.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I suspect the solar-powered fan wouldn't move nearly as much air as a 120v unit. And on days that are both hot and overcast -- or hot nights -- it's going to sit there not moving.

If you don't have a source for air that's cooler than the garage (like an AC unit), you're not going to do much cooling. If you're pooling up hot air near the ceiling, then an attic type fan will pull that out. If it's 100-degree air getting drawn in through the door and other openings, then you're still going to be at 100 degrees.

The $379 attic fan that's linked might be the way to go if you have a traditional roof. If you have a flat roof, you can save yourself $300 with a unit like I got from drillspot. You could pick up some aluminum ducting and still make the $80 unit work with an attic under your sloped roof.

When I throw the switch on that fan, there's a 'shuck' sound as it ***** at the closed garage door and (if it's only open an inch or two) pulls the man door closed. It moves a lot of air.

But when it's hot and humid everywhere, you're not going to be cool unless you pay for some cooling. It's a shame solar can't produce more juice -- if it could run actual AC units, we'd all be happy and cool.

 

[Big Boi]

I suspect the solar-powered fan wouldn't move nearly as much air as a 120v unit. And on days that are both hot and overcast -- or hot nights -- it's going to sit there not moving.

If you don't have a source for air that's cooler than the garage (like an AC unit), you're not going to do much cooling. If you're pooling up hot air near the ceiling, then an attic type fan will pull that out. If it's 100-degree air getting drawn in through the door and other openings, then you're still going to be at 100 degrees.

The $379 attic fan that's linked might be the way to go if you have a traditional roof. If you have a flat roof, you can save yourself $300 with a unit like I got from drillspot. You could pick up some aluminum ducting and still make the $80 unit work with an attic under your sloped roof.

When I throw the switch on that fan, there's a 'shuck' sound as it ***** at the closed garage door and (if it's only open an inch or two) pulls the man door closed. It moves a lot of air.

But when it's hot and humid everywhere, you're not going to be cool unless you pay for some cooling. It's a shame solar can't produce more juice -- if it could run actual AC units, we'd all be happy and cool.

Heres a little info on our house...

1400 sqft, vaulted ceilings in main room and kitchen

 

[scottzilla]

Am I missing something?
They make these things called "Air conditioners". Energy star rated, cools the air fairly quickly and removes humidity. You can get a window version or through the wall version.

 

[darkbuddha]

I'm completely empathetic to your plight... I'm in Sarasota and completely understand the heat+humidity=hell thing. I've actually been avoiding going in the garage after 9am and before 7:30pm because it's so miserable in there, so I too have been looking for something to help.

I'm planning on adding a couple ceiling fans or a good sized shop fan or gorilla cooler. And I've been considering using a ceiling mounted power fan to evacuate the hot air into the attic. But recently I did a little research and found that having properly insulated garage doors can lower the garage temp 10-20 degrees during the day in Florida. Combined with an in-window a/c unit, it should make working in the garage during the summer much more tolerable. The only problem (for me anyway) is the cost of running that a/c unit might get prohibitive. So a wind rated fully insulated door now seems a worth while investment in the long term for lots of good reasons.

 

[copterdoctor]

It seems to be an easy fix. Leave the ceiling fan, kick the box fan, install a small window a/c ( by the looks of the area) and keep the door DOWN.

Then again, my average summer temp is the same as yours, but the humidity is at least double yours. (on a good day)

Formula for comfort: temp minus humidity plus conditioned air (cold or hot) equals much comfort

lol, you have 108% humidity on a good day????