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What size mini split for a 60 by 40 pole barn?

jserr68594

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Joined
Dec 21, 2013
Messages
120
I am building a 60 by 40 barn with 14 foot side walls. There are four windows, an 18 x 10 overhead, 18 x 12 overhead and 14 by 12 overhead door.

I am in northwest Ohio and I am planning on using the mini-splits for both Heating and Cooling. I am going to heavily insulate the ceiling and walls.

I was thinking two 36000 BTU units might be a good choice. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance!
 
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STINEY

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Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
279
Location
Bucyrus Ohio
I'm going to jump in here.....I am trying to decide nearly the exact same thing in nearly the exact same area. Our 64x40 with 16' walls is well insulated with R19 batts in the 6" walls, R50 cellulose 20" in the ceiling, and R10 rigid foam under the 5" cement floor. We are putting liner panels in next, and there is a 20'x40' loft at one end. No windows and only one man door, with only one 14'x16' insulated overhead door. We are installing a 100" ceiling fan any day now as well.

It has been at this stage insulation-wise for the last 2 winters, which admittedly were milder than normal for this area. However, with no heat input at all and minimal direct sunlight (building is well-shaded by another large barn 30' to the south) it never dipped below 32 inside. In the summers on 100 degree days inside only got up to 84 degrees. Very happy with that, insulation definitely worth it.

I have tried to do the Manual J load calc's here but am no professional. With minor variation on the inputs I get cooling btu's from 6946 up to 10771. And heating btu's are closer at 96654 to 104400 but I am still very unsure of what I actually need.

I like the idea of the MrCool 36,000 with two 18,000 head units. I am doubtful on its ability to heat our building on an average 20-30 degree winter day. Most of our winter days fall in this range. Cooling isn't as big a concern for us as simply keeping the humidity under control, which I believe it can manage.

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u3b3rg33k

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Joined
Dec 18, 2017
Messages
4,048
undersizing is good for humidity control, you avoid overcooling that way. if your building is as well insulated and air sealed as you say, you'll be surprised how well it'll heat, especially if you're not looking for "keep the family happy" levels of temperature control.

there's a ton of heat available in the 20-30F temp range, so I would expect excellent performance (based on nameplate).
 

dshop

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
113
Mini-split??? you might want to consider this... I have a 60x40x 12 stick built on a slab. it is fully insulated floor to ceiling to floor with spray foam.
I have a 20 yr. old Goodman heat pump 3.5T with some flexy insulated ducting and it keeps the shop 85* max and 55* min with the power off. It will get me to a 70* working temp in 2 hours or less when I am out there working. The power bill for the house and shop hardly moves year round. this is in Raleigh, NC
 
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