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My house has a 3 car garage, the third bay was built as a "hobby room". This is where I do most of my guitar work. It has some HVAC, but it is not adequate. 300 sqf max. I need some ac/heating. Been looking at the portable units (12,000 btu) and the split units. Thoughts? Reccomendations?

Mike

Mike,

300 sq ft is about the same size as my detached shop. It has a window type AC/heat unit that works quite well. The only disadvantage for me is that the blower runs constantly so I don't want to leave it on all the time. The shop is well insulated and a small radiator type electric heater works well to keep the shop from freezing. I would like to eventually put in a small heat pump (split) type AC that I could let run all the time as I think it would help with the summer time humidity. Since you already have have some HVAC capacity, a window type AC/heat unit would probably allow you to get the shop to a comfortable temp easily. If I had the option (just my opinion) I would fork over the extra bucks and go for a split unit.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Do you have a window to mount a window unit? They are a lot cheaper. Also, get one with an energy saver switch so the blower shuts off when the cooling is not on.

My wife won't allow me to put a window unit in my shop, so I bought a portable AC. I'm not inspired by it's effectiveness. The biggest problem with the one I got, and maybe I should have researched more, is that it blows the hot air out of the shop, but the only air to replace it is outside air, usually very humid in my area. Between the dehumidifier and the AC, I can keep my shop, 230 sq', to about 80 - 85*. In the hot summer, it's hard to keep it that cool. The dehumidifier has to work harder when the AC is running, driving up the heat. I getting ready to look at split systems. I think it's the only way I'll succeed at beating the problem.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I have a split AC Unit heat pump in my 400 sq. ft. shop. The well insulated shop is kept toasty or cool on the one ton unit. I have a buddy that plays guitar and is HVAC too, so mine was cheap..... but good.

Running this unit year round, there was no noticeable difference in the electric bill. I know, but it's true, it's a sweet deal. I'm so thankful that the top out of that cherry tree missed my unit and my roof on the way down. The tornado that killed three at Mena went right over my house. It also got a huge bradford pear in the front and four shingles as it went over. Not complainin'.

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My shop is 240 square feet, with a 7 foot ceiling and good insulation. I've got a 12,000 BTU heat/cool window unit. I don't have a window, I cut a hole in the wall to mount it. It does an excellent job for me. From what I've been told the mini-splits are great. The portable units are not that great, and also take up valuable floor space in a small shop. For a portable unit to work resonable well they have to be vented to the outside. You'll be alot better off efficiency wise with a unit that runs on 220 volts instead of 110, reguardless of what type you get.
My views on this are not expert views, but I am well informed. My Dad is a retired building contractor.

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My shop is 12 1/2' X 25' and I have a 25000 btu wall unit that I bought from a guy at work for $100. It cools the place down well and has no heat but I live in Tampa and that's not a problem and I have a baseboard heater if it is ever in need. It doesn't have a energy saver and the fan blows all the time so I bought a 110v inline themostat and just use it to break one line of the 220v and turn the unit on and off. I also put two filters over the intake, a cheap filter and then a good alergy filter so it acts as a abient dust filter when running and keeps the coils from getting clogged by wood dust. I also had to put some paper towels on top of the blow vents as water drops will collect and get blown onto the bench. Now that's some nice cool air.

Well, I live in an area where HOA rules are in play. Ideally, I think the split unit is the best, but the portable is the most economical. Yet, I do not like wasting money. Gonna call a friend of mine who does this for a living and get his advice too.

But, if I do get a portable. I will just set it up on a "shelf" and vent through something that looks like a dryer vent.

That wall unit has to go through the wall, right? So its really like a window unit?

Mike

Waddy, Bruce, thanks. You both have me leaning towards the split unit. Yes, 220 would be more efficient.

Gonna have to call that friend of mine.

Mike

if you cut off one of the 110 lines in a 220 appliance would you risk damage to the appliance?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
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Nope, at least not in this case. I wouldn't work on it without pulling the plug as there is still one leg of 110v that is hot going to it.
Also 220v isn't any more efficient then 110v in this case as the unit still draws the same wattage. There may be a little less heat loss or better power factor but in the real world no difference. You just need smaller wire gage with the 220 over 110 and branch circuit breaker. I don't think you can vent a wall/window unit as the compresser puts off a lot of heat and it will condense water and drip. That's why a split unit has the compressor outside and the air handler inside. And a heat pump sort of is the compressor working in reverse. There is always an complete package unit like on my trailer. you might find a small one and you could put it outside the garage or on the roof. Either way you have to cut a hole in the wall or ceiling for the duct work supply and return. I think you should just get the wall/window unit as they are about $500 and up as it is for a 10000 btu especially with heat. The one thing you don't want is one undersized and will be running all the time. Split units really aren't made for a space that small and will cost you more just because of the extra parts, duct, pipe, electical wiring and disconnects and much more extra labor. Heck, why do think I went with a wall unit? The other option is to run a supply and return to your house system. I wanted to isolate my shop though for several reasons.

I'm just gonna put a 3rd unit in or grow my upstairs unit plus add some ducting.

I need this solved. Yes, I can go outside and run 50 miles in blistering heat. But I cannot stand sweating while working on projects! It just ain't right!

Mike

The only thing I hate about window unit is that they're noisy as hell, otherwise I don't think there's any real world difference. However some rooms like internal rooms with no outside windows has to use a separate unit. In America most homes got central HVAC but in Taiwan everyone either uses window units or separates.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I would think that if you got a 'through the wall' unit like Chris' above, and you made a shroud outside that tied into the decor of your home, the HOA would not even be an issue. Where I live, they have to cover the AC units on the roof and the propane tank. So they build little enclosures around it. I've seen those units up to like 40,000 btu, but with your size space, probably about 10,000-12,000 is sufficient.

Darrin