Window Units

[NeedsXtraspace]

I have an attached 525 sq ft two car garage. I use it for car and bike projects. In Georgia it gets hotter than hell. I need something to take the edge of off the heat in the garage in the summers. Home Depot has some 5000 and 6500 BTU units for less than $150. My plan would be to use the AC unit occaisionally when I do specific projects. Put it into the window and run it for the day and then pull it out when I am done. Anyone else use this method? The windows to the garage are on the front of the house and the HOA and the wife will probably have a fit if I leave it in all the time. I will definately be an in and out item. Your thoughts and suggestions. Mini-splits and such are out of the budget until the daughter graduates...

 

[Coach James]

A 5,000 BTU is going to burn up trying to cool 525 sq feet. Especially in a place as humid as Georgia. And taking it in and out of the window everyday will become a PITA the second time you do it. I would opt for a couple fans instead.

Coach

 

[Lou's Garage]

I'm also in GA (near Lake Lanier) and I use one of the free-standing 9000 btu units in my 660 sq. ft. 2 car garage. It's marginal, but definitely better than outside, on really hot days. Most of the time it is comfortable. Based on my experience I doubt 6500 will do it for you unless your garage and garage door is well insulated. I also have to deal with a HOA and the free standing unit has an easy to install & remove exhaust that looks somewhat like one of those small window fans. I let my shrubbery grow enough to block the view of the bottom of the window so you can't see it from the street even when it's there but even before it grew that high I never had a complaint. One caveat though, you don't want to bring a warmed-up car inside. The heat off the engine will drive the temperature right back up.

Lou

 

[Josh Kinzey]

I bought a cheap window unit for my 2 car garage out of desperation a couple months ago. It's hot and humid here in NC as well, so I kinda know where you are coming from.

The unit was $150 or so from Best Buy, and claims it can cool something like 200 square feet or something. My garage is a touch over 400 square feet, but my plan was to put the unit on my tool cart and point it at me. That worked OK for awhile, but it didn't really help. The unit puts out more heat from the back side than it cools, so it actually works more like a heater in the garage than anything.

I would put the unit in a window, but my garage doesn't have any, lol. About a month ago I dropped one of the garage doors on the unit and used some clamps to hang some floor mats over the rest of the gap at the bottom of the garage door. The little window unit will only cool the garage to about 90 degrees (which is better than the 100 or so outside) but it really does seem to pull the humidity out of the garage, which makes the 90 degrees livable.

I guess my point is that an undersized window unit can make the difference between 'impossible' and 'doable' in the garage.

 

[39Tudor]

I would permantly mount the unit in the wall on the least visible side of the garage in order to apease the wife and HOA. Most window mount AC units have provisions for permanent wall mounting designed in.

My detached garage is appx 1200 square feet. I purchased an Amana 18000 BTU window unit at an end of season closeout. I believe I paid about $450 for it. During garage construction, I framed in an opening in one wall so I could permanently install the window unit into the wall. I also ran a dedicated 220V service to that area. The unit is mounted on the far side of the garage away from the house and street.

Good luck with your project.

Jerry

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have an old 18,000 BTU window unit I plan on using in my 2 car when I finally get 220 run from the house.

 

[drivinhard]

I would permantly mount the unit in the wall on the least visible side of the garage in order to apease the wife and HOA. Most window mount AC units have provisions for permanent wall mounting designed in.

I agree. Messing with them in the windows is a real pain, and always sloppy.

I mounted a 24k BTU (bought for $250 on clearance during winter) above my window in my shop and even without insulation yet, it's rather comfortable in there. And it's been pretty hot here in GA.....

 

[Deltarat]

I talked to 2 of my friends in the heat and air business about central units for my 30x50 shop. They both told me to get a 18,000 window unit. I bought a 23,000 but I am waiting on the power company to hook me up. My son said- it's not going to cool it. I told him- well if it doesn't I will put in the second one. The 2 will only cost me $800 and the central would cost $3000. I should know how it will work in a week or so, when the power gets here.

 

[oldgoat]

I put a 18000 through the wall of my garage mainly because I have a sliding windown. However a window unit through the window is usually considered a easy access point to get in. When I put mine in I put screws through the shell into the studs so it couldn't get pushed inside. It is also up high enough that I can walk underneath it on the outside when mowing and not hit my head. Actually 2 units might be better in that it will spread the work out over a broader area. I would think for as large a building that you have even a 23000 would be marginal.

 

[Deltarat]

I know it was marginal, but that was the largest I could find. I was planning all along to use 2 units. I just thought I would give one a try and see how it does. I got it wired about 1:30 and it was 100* then. It really helped, but I was in the rafters all afternoon wiring lights. It was hot, but not unbearable as it has been. I have it set to come on at 5:00 AM and I will see if it can keep it cool. If not I will be installing another one for the hottest days.

 

[oldgoat]

Man I wouldn't have been in the rathers when it is 100. Been there, done that and I was sweating so bad I couldn't hardly see. Hope that it works for you though. When I have mine on I also have the ceiling fan going to help circulate the air better. Been thinking about moving the ceiling fan more to one end and adding another just fron of where the garage door comes stops at.

 

[Deltarat]

92* here today and the shop was 80*. I bought another 23,000 and will be installing tomorrow. If that does not do it, I will be adding more insulation, which I plan to do this winter anyway.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

My garage is a touch over 400 square feet, but my plan was to put the unit on my tool cart and point it at me. That worked OK for awhile, but it didn't really help. The unit puts out more heat from the back side than it cools, so it actually works more like a heater in the garage than anything.

Yep, if you convert electricity to mechanical energy, heat is being created. However many watts the unit uses, is what is being released into the air eventually. Kinda like having a couple of floodlights on a stand shining on you while you work.

Charles

 

[Mossberg]

I am thinking about installing a window unit in my garage this weekend. I don't know the specs on it since I got it free from the guy that was living in my house before I bought it.

He was using it to save on energy bills by turning off the central air to the rest of the house and only using the window unit to cool the master suite.

It gets hot as hell in my garage in the summers (I'm in Lawrenceville, GA). I figure it's worth a try since the unit was free.

I don't know what kind of insulation (if there is any at all) is behind the drywall in my garage, so I hope it can at least bring temps down enough for it to be comfortable.

Now, if I can find a way to get rid of those damn mosquitoes in my garage, I will be in good shape.

I will install it in one of these front windows. I hope it won't look too crazy there. I may need to find a way to disguise it.

 

[dipper]

I am planning on framing in for a 10k btu window unit on the back of my garage. I should be able to pick one up brand new, reconditioned for about $100. I won't need
it until next year; but it should do a decent job of taking the edge off and lowering the
humidity on those hot days. My garage is 440 sq ft.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Now, if I can find a way to get rid of those damn mosquitoes in my garage, I will be in good shape.

You must have sources of standing water nearby. Water standing in gutters that don't drain properly, wet spots in the yard, ditches that don't drain, a birdbath, something sitting with water in it. Get rid of these, and you will reduce the 'quito issue to something bearable.

Charles

 

[Aceman]

Mossberg, why did they use two different roof pitches on your house?

 

[Deltarat]

The second unit really made a difference. It has not been a 100* yet, but the index was 103 today and it was nice in the shop. The dog even noticed it. He usually comes in and makes a loop to be sure everything is OK and wants out. Today he stays in by the fan. Lowering the humidity is as much help as the cooling here in Ms. The timers are really nice too. I can set them to come on at 6:00 am and have it cool when I go out, with out having to leave them on all night. Money well spent.

 

[Mossberg]

Mossberg, why did they use two different roof pitches on your house?

Good question.

I wondered that myself. Maybe it was to get the proper height for the living space above the garage. This is how I bought the home.

 

[Mossberg]

OK, I found out my unit is only 5,100 BTU. I don't think that will even make a noticeable difference in the Georgia summer heat.

Maybe I'll put the 5,100 BTU in one window and supplement it with a 20,000 + BTU unit in the other window.

My only other issue is that there is only one wall outlet (I have two ceiling outlets for my garage door openers) in my garage and that is powering my beer fridge, deep freezer, and stereo. That outlet is too far away from the window to use and I already have it powering two major appliances. I don't know **** about electrical wiring, so I may have to get an electrician to wire an outlet between the two windows to power these A/C units. My breaker box is already inside the garage, so this shouldn't be too hard I'd think.

I plan on installing an air compressor eventually anyway, so I can have them make sure my electrical system is up to par at the same time.