kbuhagiar
Well-known member
Hello folks,
I am at the start of a garage expansion project, and as part of the project I will be installing AC, and I want to make sure that it will be sized correctly. I am also looking for recommendations and ideas from others who have installed HVAC in the garage.
Some background: I am located in Escondido, CA. The average summer high temperature is around 85, but it does frequently get over 90 degrees. The garage is attached to the residence and is 1700SF (1000SF with 10' ceilings, and 700SF with 14' ceilings). All walls and ceilings will be finished (drywall) and insulated. There is one 4' x 4' window dead center in the west wall, but it does not get any direct sunlight. Both garage doors (8 x 10 and 8 x 16) are insulated and face south, and get direct afternoon sun.
At my previous residence I had a Mitusbishi 24K BTU mini-split in my 1100SF garage and was very pleased with the performance, so I am leaning towards something similar here. Based on my amateur calculations I think I will need two 18K BTU units when taking the added ceiling height into consideration. Would this be enough, or should I step up to 21K BTUs? Is there any downside to sizing up larger than indicated (other than initial cost)?
The west wall of the garage is 50' long and would seem to be the best choice of location of the units and provides the best option for optimum placement for even distribution. It is adjacent to the electrical service panel and there is plenty of room to mount the compressor units on the outside of the wall.
I have a 200 amp service and a 8.8kw solar power system; will that be adequate to handle the additional load?
At the time of my last purchase (2019) Mitsubishi mini-splits seemed to be highly regarded by all the professional installers in the area. Is that still the case? Any new competitors worth considering?
I will have this professionally installed, and I will get multiple estimates. I want to have an idea of what to expect and what to look for before choosing an installer.
Thanks in advance!
I am at the start of a garage expansion project, and as part of the project I will be installing AC, and I want to make sure that it will be sized correctly. I am also looking for recommendations and ideas from others who have installed HVAC in the garage.
Some background: I am located in Escondido, CA. The average summer high temperature is around 85, but it does frequently get over 90 degrees. The garage is attached to the residence and is 1700SF (1000SF with 10' ceilings, and 700SF with 14' ceilings). All walls and ceilings will be finished (drywall) and insulated. There is one 4' x 4' window dead center in the west wall, but it does not get any direct sunlight. Both garage doors (8 x 10 and 8 x 16) are insulated and face south, and get direct afternoon sun.
At my previous residence I had a Mitusbishi 24K BTU mini-split in my 1100SF garage and was very pleased with the performance, so I am leaning towards something similar here. Based on my amateur calculations I think I will need two 18K BTU units when taking the added ceiling height into consideration. Would this be enough, or should I step up to 21K BTUs? Is there any downside to sizing up larger than indicated (other than initial cost)?
The west wall of the garage is 50' long and would seem to be the best choice of location of the units and provides the best option for optimum placement for even distribution. It is adjacent to the electrical service panel and there is plenty of room to mount the compressor units on the outside of the wall.
I have a 200 amp service and a 8.8kw solar power system; will that be adequate to handle the additional load?
At the time of my last purchase (2019) Mitsubishi mini-splits seemed to be highly regarded by all the professional installers in the area. Is that still the case? Any new competitors worth considering?
I will have this professionally installed, and I will get multiple estimates. I want to have an idea of what to expect and what to look for before choosing an installer.
Thanks in advance!
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