Garage/Workshop Cooling

[joevm]

I live in Phoenix, AZ. Gets pretty hot here (100+). Would like to be able to do some scroll sawing in the summer but it's to darn hot. Any suggestions on how I can cool down my garage/workshop to a bearable temp.? Central airconditioning is not an option.

[was dbfly]

Whole house fan. It fits in the celing, it sucks the hot air into the attic. be sure to have attic vents. it dosnt cool all that much but it moves a lot of air an makes it feel cooler

[areynoldsre]

Is a portable or window mount A/C unit an option? Might not get the garage cold but might bring the temp down to a workable temp.

[Wood Dog]

Dehumidifier and a couple of fans help.

[woodsman]

I use a Friedrich wall mounted ductless split system for my workshop. There are several other manufactures that make these type units. The main unit sits outside and you have a smaller out of the way wall unit inside the shop. Works very nice, my shop is dry and comfortable.

[Berone]

In Arizona you might try a swamp cooler. We don't use them in my part of the country because we fight the high humidity. Air conditioners remove moisture from the air; swamp coolers add it. I used large industrial units to cool a tent in a dry climate and they were great. Upside is that they use significantly less electricity than an AC unit. Downside is that they need a constant water source, so not good if you're in a drought. Home Depot lists a large number of them on their website, with a wide range of prices.

[joevm]

garage/workshop cooling

Thanks to all that have replied so far. As far as humidifiers or swamp coolers are concerned that poses another question. Wouldn't the humidty generated have an adverse effect on tools and wood? (ie: rust and a higher moisture content in the wood that I store in the garage). I have three fans going now. It keeps the air moving but it's still hot air. Does anyone have any experience with portable air conditioners?

[joevm]

garage/workshop cooling

Thanks to all that have replied so far. As far as humidifiers or swamp coolers are concerned that poses another question. Wouldn't the humidty generated have an adverse effect on tools and wood? (ie: rust and a higher moisture content in the wood that I store in the garage). I have three fans going now. It keeps the air moving but it's still hot air. Does anyone have any experience with portable air conditioners?

[HAMMER]

LG makes a portable A/C unit for just that sort of thing. Home Depot carries them as would LOWE's I would bet. The price range here in houston is from $300 to $600 depending on the BTU's of the unit.....

I am told by the store employees that this is a seasonal item and thet they aren't carried all year long...

[areynoldsre]

I've used portable A/Cs in a data center. It worked okay - put out cold air. They come in a lots of power levels, some starting around $250 up to whatever want to pay. The portable unit comes on wheels with a hose that needs to go outside the space (to dump heat and water). You'll need to make sure you have enough power in your shop.

I am thinking that in AZ an A/C unit of some kind is the best way to go. A swamp cooler would be okay - I doubt that it would put enough humidity into the room to affect your tools.

[pat c]

My shop is about 15 x 30 with a 12,000 btu window unit it. Shop is partially insulated. I put a big window fan in front of it as a booster. Keeps the shop bearable down here in SE Georgia.
Pat

[evilbadger]

I think Pat hit the nail on the head. How well is your garage insulated?
Even if you put an A/C unit in if the garage has poor insulation it probably will never be comfortable. You might want to look into Icynene insulation so you get a tight seal and an R-value of around 50 or better.

[Trackman]

My saw seats infront of the window in garage with an AC in window. I also use a fan to blow on me. This does two things helps move the air and gets the dust away from me.

[Jim Finn]

I had a portable A/C and it was hard to keep the dust out of. I now have a 10,000 BTU window air conditioner($279) with a 20x10 pleated filter in front of it and it keeps my 11'x25' garage workshop at 73 degrees while it is 101 outside here in west Texas. I use one stall of my garage for my workshop and have it well insulated. I leave the window air conditioner on 24 hours a day in this 100+ degree weather. Ther is no window in my Garage. The hot side of this window unit is dumping the hot air into the car parking side of my garage and I leave that roll up door open a bit .

[rippersmom]

Insulation is definitely the key for keeping the shop comfortable. We live in NW Arizona and use a swamp cooler and also a small window a/c unit on the opposite side that blows above our work benches. HOWEVER, the 24 x 30 shop/garage is NOT insulated yet, so when the temp gets in the 100+ range, the 2 units just cannot keep it cooled enough to be able to work in there.

I have to do my scrolling in the morning, before it gets too hot and in the evening, when the sun sets.

The amount of humidity from the swamp cooler is not an issue as far as rusting tools or warping wood. Don't worry about that.

Nancy in AZ (10 miles west of Kingman)