Mr cool sizing and mounting location

[SSStang]

Hello my shop is coming along getting ready to order a mini split

My shop is 30x40x12 in central Texas. About 1 inch closed cell spray foam insulated garage doors. 30 foot side facing south.

Thinking to get the 36k Mr cool unit and a couple wall mounted fans to help move the air around. The garage doors face south. Should I mount the unit on the east side of building about centered?

 

[Black Oak]

Yes , I would put it on the east side for afternoon shade . Insulate the very best you can , it pays for itself in time .

 

[ford33]

How about calculating the heat load and getting the right size unit instead of "thinking" about it?

It's a lot of money spent if you get it wrong and you will still feel miserable in the Texas heat.

Fifteen minutes with an online heat load calculator will give you a working number to help you make a decision.

 

[SSStang]

I did and that's how I came up with 36k.

 

[dcg9381]

Load calc is probably best.
For reference, 40x60x16 in Texas, 3-4" of open cell foam, but 3 big 14x14 doors (almost no insulation) - I get by with 2 x 24K units.

 

[My Old Tools]

My shop is 30x40x12 with a 6/12 roof, so 22 feet at the peak. I have standard 4" insulation on the walls and another 8" on the roof. 7 windows, 12x12 overhead insulated door, one man door. I put a 36k MrCool in, mounted midway of the 40' wall at 9' up. My outdoor unit is on the northwest side but under a shed roof, so always shaded. After the first 24 hours where it pulled about 10 gallons of moisture out of the shop, it just barely idled to keep it a 75 degrees all summer. I think I might have gotten by with a 24k, but no regrets on the larger unit. Not that much price difference.

Above the 9' level where the unit is mounted, air stratifies and it is quite a bit warmer. Since my loft area is just storage, that works out fine. I used a simple box fan to move the air a bit at floor level, but once the whole shop was cooled down, it really wasn't necessary. This winter I'll probably put a fan in the loft to pull down the warmer air.

 

[BB Sig]

Why not go with the multizone DIY? You could run two 18k indoor units off of one outside unit.

https://mrcool.com/diy-multi-zone/

 

[SSStang]

Very good point I guess I'm being a cheap ***. Been spending a lot to build this shop, but that's one thing I should spend a little more for the year round comfort.