Split System for My Detail Shop?

[Bullitt21]

I have had a long summer with the heat, and more importantly the humidity in the new shop. Humidity being a big factor because of the non-diminishing abrasives that I use to polish cars. I will be so happy to finally finish this project and work in comfort, not to mention how nice it will be to work with the garage doors closed and be able to control the climate and filter the air(because it gets very dusty polishing the cars.)

Here's my question for any HVAC professionals that want to chime in or anyone who has good or bad experiences with basically a 3 car garages that have been insulated. I have 750 sq. ft. of workspace with a loft upstairs. We insulated the entire garage, including the doors and filled or sealed up every crack and are ready to install the A/C. I've narrowed it down to a few 18k BTU units, all cold air only because I've never had a problem with the cold even in the coldest months here in Houston. The Sanyo, LG, and the Mitsubishi units I'm all considering, but the Mitsubishi is more expensive and I'm on a budget. I've searched all I can about these units on this forum and the one thing people say is to get the better unit, and you'll be much happier in the long run. I looked at an off brand type and there 24k BTU said it could cool 500-700 sq. ft., but the LG or Sanyo could cool more area with less BTU. Can anyone recommend one or the other(Sanyo or LG)?. I like both or these because they filter the air and have a dehumidification mode built in. I also looked at Friedrich but couldn't find one with all these specs, if there is one let me know. Also, will 18k BTU be enough to cover 750 very well insulated sq. ft? Also, the last piece of the puzzle go's up after it comes in, which is the garage door insulation that I ordered from "Texas Garages". I ordered the fiberglass insulation kit because it had an R rating of 7 i think, whereas the foil and foam board's R value was no greater than 4.5; I hope I made the right choice on that one. The main question I have is if I do end up getting a Sanyo or LG unit, which one is the most popular and would work the best.
Thanks

 

[6768rogues]

I have experience with a number of Sanyo units and they have performed well for years. I have no experience with LG, so I cannot comment.

 

[Car54]

I just had an LG installed. The Chaos air feature is cool...it varies the direction and speed of the fan to simulate a breeze. The indoor and outdoor units are very quiet. The one thing I do not like is the timer...you can only set the on and off for one time. I would have preferred a schedule thermostat. Check into which ones offer the tax credit...I believe the Sanyo did not, the Mitsu and LG did for the size I needed, 9k+12k/18k outdoor.

 

[jdub63]

During my recent research on mini-split systems one of the concerns that was expressed was the amount of "throw" the units provided. My shop is 30x50 with a 17' peak. Even though I was considering multiple mini-split systems, one of the technicians I talked to mentioned that the mini-split systems would have a hard time getting air flow to the other side of the room.

Based on his input, I opted to hit the craigslist and find a slightly used 3.5 ton split system. Although I found the air handler and condensor for only $300, by the time I finish the installation of exposed duct work, electrical and final servicing the entire project is going to run around $1200

So, it depend on how your 750 is laid out, if it's 15x50 you might have a problem, but if it's more square like 25x30 it would work better.

Just my opinion....

 

[Cuda]

I have two of the Mitsubishi units and have never had a problem with them.
One unit is at least 15 years old. The other is just two years old.
I'm not familiar with the other two brands you mentioned.

 

[dlewis]

I put in an Lg 18'000 air only unit at the beginning of the summer in my garage 24'x26' 10' ceiling,walls door and ceiling insulated in new jersey 90+ high humidity sun beating down on garage all day long.I have the thermostat set at 76F and it has no problem cooling the space and recovers nice if I come home and park a hot car sometimes two if the wife comes home around the same time in it.When I want to do something right away it has a jet cool function that will bring down the temp. faster.Very happy with the whole deal all together works like a charm.

 

[mo2872]

My vote is Sanyo. Just installed mine last weekend, and very pleased with the performance of the 18k unit in 950 sq ft. It has a "high power" mode, and the vanes have an oscillation function for that "breeze" effect. Just finished insulating the overhead doors, so, it should be that much better.

 

[Bullitt21]

Thanks for the replies, all the info is very helpful. The shop is 25x30 and has a 10x30 office in the back connected to the garage that you could hang meat in. That area is handled by a window unit mounted in the wall. I was only only leaning towards the LG because of their claim to really filtrate the air. Is this just a selling point or does the Sanyo have the same filtration system. I ask this because I do a great deal of wet sanding and mostly polishing and dust cakes up really quick on everything. Would the filtration feature be any different than the Sanyo? Also, would it actually filter out a good deal of the polishing dust or is that feature more for regular household dust particles?

 

[Car54]

I swear my LG in Plasma air filter mode reduces the efficiency greatly. I've only had a couple weeks with the unit, but so far that's what I'm thinking.

 

[jdub63]

In your case, I would ensure that the filter is reusable, that way when you finish a sanding job, just make cleaning the filter part of the clean-up.

good luck,

 

[Bullitt21]

Thanks, the ability to filtrate is what drew me to the split unit, but it seems the Sanyo is the way to go if the LG units Plasma System will affect it's ability to cool. As far as clean up, I keep my shop as clean as an operating room,(so to speak) I'm very OCD when it comes to cleanliness. My landlord for the property just so happens to be an HVAC contractor, and can get the FRIEDRICH unit for me cheaper. I looked into them and they have a reusable filter. Maybe this is the way to go, no? It will be free labor also since I added value to the shop by finishing it off and updating it. Everything is sealed(garage door threshold, bottom weatherguard) except for the top and sides of the door. I can see light coming in and want as much of a dust free zone as possible. I've got two webpages open and ready to order but don't know which one to order, the brush seals or the vinyl/rubber seals? Any info or experience with this would be helpful. Sealeze is what I was leaning towards with the brushes. Seems they perform better but I can't confirm that from experience.