Yeah yeah I know it's a bad idea but can it work? Mainly I would leave it off and it would get turned on for the summer and winter days where I have a specific project lined up. I'd run it like 10-20 days a year so the efficiency is not relevant, but my question is can a unit keep up and what is the rule of thumb re: BTU for an application like this?
Ok BUT why would you want to? BTUs are what they are and IME insulation and air sealing are most cost effective decisions before determining heat/cooling devices
Cos I'm either going to move in a couple years or tear down the garage and rebuild it. I can do the mini split install myself (I have hvac and electrical experience) and re-use it down the road also, so this is a cheap stopgap....if it would work.
The place I work does this. The only A/C we get is if you stand in front of the unit. Sucks.. Also have a swamp cooler to help. He’s talking about getting another unit with 3 more inside units so we have cool zones.
Ok makes sense a a stop gap measure… having never done it can’t help help with effectiveness cubic feet of area divided by r2 (insulation WAG) normal temp to desired temps BTUs needed for delta
Oh good point, the calculations would be pretty easy for this since you can assume basically no r value.
I own one for my home and use it sort of as needed, our climate is not extreme enough to leave it on all year. So when you turn it on to heat or cool it dumps a ton of hot or cold air at you. That will feel good even standing outside so long as it's blowing on you and they blow hard. So yes, I think it will work for your needs but carefully place the thing to blow at the location that you intend to be standing or sitting or whatever. Sure, it might condition the whole space somewhat but it will take a while. If you use it as an instant device it can work and these things are cheap if you get the kind that you have to cut and flare the lines. Be sure to oversize since why not. Mine is a two ton model.
That's a good point. Hadn't considered that. Looks like they generally top out around 15,000 BTU. I think I need closer to double that.
Yeah I'm fine with having an "area" of air conditioning. Really I just want something that can take the edge off. If I can stand at my workbench in 80F on a 95F day that's enough. I don't mind flaring and brazing lines, running nitro etc.
Shouldn't have to braze and really very few run nitro. Most will just use the regular vacuum gauge/pump set and suck it down to -30 for an hour before releasing the charge. These things are designed for third world countries where a vacuum pump is already a stretch. Also worth knowing is that unless you choose a luxury brand like fujitsu, mitsubishi, or maybe even daikin, they are all made in the same factory and other than the label are identical underneath. You'll notice when you're shopping that they are all the same underlying device. I used the mrcool DIY kit because I didn't want to cut and flare the linesets. Next one will be elcheapo pioneer or whatever. I just wish they would apply this tech to water heating in a big way.
In the summer, if you cool the inside significantly below the outside air, you might have to watch for condensation on the wall and roof sheathing, or especially on the underside of the roof and inside of the walls if you just have metal roofing/walls on purlins. The HVAC will pull some of the humidity out as it runs, of course, but still something to keep in mind. I've seen metal roofing drip like it's raining inside under the right conditions. I sure don't blame you for wanting to cool your work space. The heat and humidity in the East have been horrible this year!
