Hey Sonny

[dicklaxt]

Tell me more about this portable evaporator cooler,,,I'm desperate


dick

I looked around on Google and found the coolers and understand how they work,now the question is how much CFM would you recommend for approx 400 sqft shop that has insulated walls on two sides ,brick veneer on one side with foam board and sheetrock on the other and metal garage door. I also need a recommened manufacturer and retail outlet.The ceiling height is 8' and insulated.

What about a small window A/C unit,say 1 ton? I could set it on the floor with an A/C duct connection to a fitting mounted in the garage door. Would
a 10" round duct give me enough make up air? I could make a rectangular adaptor to the A/C Unit it self,then just undo the duct from the garage(shop) door fitting when the door needs to be opened,a two minute job.

Its a necessity to purchase ASAP

dick

[Super Ry]

I'm not Sonny but can offer some usless info :)

How tall is it to the ceiling - some garages have a LOT higher roof than the rest of the house. It might play a role in the size of em if your talking a larger shop with a high ceiling.

If moneys not really the most important factor then Mastercool seems to be the local favorate for efficency and reliability. Big plus is one big thick pad instead of 3 or 4 thinner ones. You don't have to change the pad but once every 5 to 7 years depending on the calcium in your water, down side is that the pad is lots more $$$ than the typical wood fiber types.

Course if your not going to cut a hole in your wall or roof - and size is a problem - the shop cool I've got works nicely. Its on wheels and has a drink holder for the happy hour following a day in the shop :)

Cooler days are a comin - I just turned my home one off and flipped on the AC as the monsoon rains are FINALLY on their way to town :)

[dicklaxt]

I added this info(your questions) to the original post,thanks for your input.

dick

[rrich]

Dick,

I lived in a house with an evaporative cooler. Basically it is a blower in a frame. The frame holds aspen pads and water is dripped over the pads. As the blower pulls air through the pads, the water evaporates and cools the air and adds moisture content (Humidity) to the air.

The bad news is that these coolers work great in low humidity areas (a.k.a. Desert) but once the humidity reaches about 30% they become ineffective. If the humidity is much over 30% they make the environment more humid and misrible.

[dicklaxt]

Well chit, I guess we have averaged 80 plus for the last 2 months.

Lets see what Sonny says about the makeup air on a window Unit


dick

[Monty]

Dick;
I don't know if you have any windows in your shop or not. I have 6 in mine, 3, 2-0 4-0 on the south wall and 3 on the east wall. My shop is the back 24X24 foot section of my 24X48 foot garage. The walls of the shop are insulated with 3 1/2 fiberglass batts (none in the ceiling yet, that a later project). I have 2, 5,000 BTU window units in 2 of the windows on the south wall. I can turn both on in the evening when I get home from work and by the time I have finished super 30-45 minutes later, the shop is comfortable, about 85 degrees. On the weekends, I turn the units on before 9AM and the temp usually stays around 80 all day.
Before I finished the wall and insulated them and added the AC units, I couldn't work in the shop after about 11AM. Too hot and humid.

Hope that helps ya.
Monty

If you always do what you've always done, You'll always get what you've always got.

[Darrin O]

Dick:

What about framing a hole in the wall and getting one of those Big BTU types that are made for that installation. They usually run on a 20 amp 240v outlet. Sometimes i've seen em in the local paper for less than a hundred bucks.

Darrin
"Ever notice how good enough, is usually neither good nor enough?"

[dicklaxt]

We just had a new Lowes open up about 2 miles away,never been there but will go this morning and see what the on floor unit specs say about the humidity thing Rich mentioned.

dick

[Monty]

Dick;
I just checked on line and none of the Lowes in the Houston area have evaporative coolers.
The had some a few years ago that looked like a large shop fan with a pad and recirculating pump on rollers. I started to get one, but the cost was well over $1,000.00. The AC units I ended up with, 1 cost me about $75.00 at Lowes at the end of sumer clearance sale and the other was free, got it from my MIL when she moved in about 2 years ago. You should be able to pick up an inexpensive 5,000 to 8,000 BTU unit for less than $150 at Lowes. It will work better than an evaporative cooler with our humidity, plus it will lower the humidity in the shop from our 100%+ that we have this time of year.

Monty

If you always do what you've always done, You'll always get what you've always got.

[ww_wanna_be]

Monty, I broke a sweat when you said 100%+ RH in Houston area.... I grew up in Texas City, and I recall growing up with only a whole house attic fan...sweltering heat from the gulf of mexico...95 degrees and 95 %...I don't know how we survived, except we knew that A/C was not feasible back then....

I agree with the window units, tho... I use a small one in my small shop, but I run it all the time... kinda a cool haven, away from everything else.... 6000btu's goews a long way in a small shop... HEY, I found something GOOD about a small shop!!

another .02,
jd