I'm planning to put in a mini-split A/C high on a wall (but still below the joists) in my garage to help with the hellish Texas summers. The garage has open rafters, with a ridge vent. I mentioned this to a friend, and she cautioned that the cooled air might go straight to and through the ridge vent, rather than cooling the interior. I'm curious about other opinions of this potential gotcha.
Mini-split & Ridge Vent
- Thread starter mscolvin
- Start date
7echo
Well-known member
How large is the garage and the split you are planning to use?
It seems like you should insulate the roof and sheet it in some way.
I reckon you could use it as a spot cooler, but you would lose a lot of cooling if the envelope isn't sealed.
It seems like you should insulate the roof and sheet it in some way.
I reckon you could use it as a spot cooler, but you would lose a lot of cooling if the envelope isn't sealed.
thooks
Well-known member
Get back to WoodNet
Greatbear
Well-known member
Cool air falls, so unless there is some physical force pushing the air upwards or displacing the inside air by pumping or blowing outside air in, the cool air will basically pool in the room. However, since there is free air movement through your ridge vent, anything that allows the cool air to spill out, such as an open door, leaky garage door bottom seals, etc, will allow hot air from above to enter the room. Also, since your roof is exposed to the interior from below, the heat from the sun beating down on it will radiate into the room quite easily. You can achieve some relief by cooling the space, but it will be pretty inefficient.