Need ideas.. window unit venting through door?

[MikeN]

At my commercial office space I have a ~1300 sqft shop space (concrete tilt wall construction) with a 10x10 roll up door. The back side (door side) of the shop faces west so it's stupid hot in there in the afternoon (I have already insulated the door which helped quite a bit).

I've wanted to drop a 4-5 ton A/C unit in there, but haven't been able to justify the cost just yet (especially since we are renting). I am thinking about a short term solution to get us by when working out there. This would include something like a 22-24K BTU window unit, or perhaps (2) 10-12K BTU units.

Now, since I'm renting, I really don't want to cut a hole (or holes) in the roll up door, so I'm thinking about a way to mount the AC unit itself on a rolling assembly I could roll into place in front of the door when needed.

The next issue is how to properly vent it outside. My thoughts are to build some kind of 10' wide "wall" that would rest on the floor, the the roll up door would come down onto it creating a seal.

However, I don't like the idea of a 10' "wall" that I would have to store, move, etc so I'm looking for ideas of something that might "accordian" or fold that would fit the bill.

Another option... what about going ahead and cutting a vent hole through the lower panel of the garage door, but how could I make it look decent and be secure when not in use?

Okay creative guys... gimme your thoughts or ideas

 

[p_mori7]

Back in the day, when it got hot in the shop where I worked; we would prop open the access door to the roof...all the hot air trapped inside would escape through the opening like a chimeny...it helped alot...

Wondering if there is also a man-door on that side of the building ? Perhaps you could fab up something to fit into that opening instead ?

 

[MikeN]

Back in the day, when it got hot in the shop where I worked; we would prop open the access door to the roof...all the hot air trapped inside would escape through the opening like a chimeny...it helped alot...

Wondering if there is also a man-door on that side of the building ? Perhaps you could fab up something to fit into that opening instead ?

Yea... no man door and no roof opening

 

[Falcon67]

First thing that comes to mind is a big unit mounted in a 4x8 piece of OSB laid on it's side with a couple of extra "wings" to finish off the opening. You'd need the main assembly on casters because it'd be real heavy with a 24K window unit in it. You could hinge the OSB on either side of the unit to make it more storable.

In the same vein, if you shopped the AC companies for a recent take out, you might find a deal on a 2-4 ton upright. You can just set those on a wood filter box and build a plenum on top out of foam board and a few vents - real quick and dirty setup. You might need a new line set when you move to more permanent digs, but over all that's not much extra.

 

[MikeN]

hrmm... interesting

 

[MrsSnowDog]

I also don't have a place in the wall for a wall unit and my husband would probably be none too happy if I cut a place in the wall for one.

So, I have cooled a two-car garage over very hot summers with a portable a/c unit. I know that wall units are cheaper and do cool well but I have used a large 12,000 btu+ unit and it's worked just fine.

If your garage has a back door, make sure it has a storm door with a screen type window opening you can slide up for your a/c exhaust hose or hoses. Mine is a Larson Storm Door which you can find at Lowe's (easy install). I used the front double garage door to slide the water hose under for drainage. I ran the 50 ft. hose around the wall to hide.

I'd suggest getting anything 12,000 and above. I'm in the southeast and temps do go above 100+ with humidity. I have used 12,000 btu for years and it has worked well until this year when it has been unusually hot (112+). I'm replacing the 12,000 with a 14,000.

I usually leave the a/c to cool to 75 to 80 degrees but on 110+ days, the 12,000 btu is lucky to cool less that 85 degrees. I have had the unit for over 3 years so it's time to get something else with more cooling capacity. A friend of mine got a 5,000 btu against my suggestions and found she needed to return it to get a 12,000 btu.

Good luck - I went to Lowes and Home Depot for mine but I see this year, I'll need to order online to get the higher btu a/c unit.

 

[MrsSnowDog]

BTW, if you are concerned about security using a storm door even with a lock, these are a couple of suggestions that might help.

My husband found a cheap indoor security camera that sends pictures to a smart phone (or iphone) or email. It's Wireless IP Pan/Tilt/ Night Vision Internet Surveillance Camera Built-in Microphone With Phone remote monitoring support(Black) for around $50 on Amazon. Free Internet Surveillance.

If you want more security, we went with SimpliSafe. We had ADT but the montly bills were too high for us. We have been happy with SimpliSafe ($19.95 or $24.95/month).

 

[MikeN]

Thanks.. but as I stated... there is only a roll up 10x10 door, no other opening in the space.