Cooling down my Reloading Room

[Vicdiesel]

Not sure this is the place to post.

Live in South Texas. Made a 10’ x 10’ reloading room in my garage. Fully insulated. Been running a portable AC for about 1 1/2 years, barely sufficient. So, looks like the unit shit the bed. Any AC guys here that can provide some suggestions? I’m thinking it’s too small for a mini split and it obviously doesn’t have a window.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[hlee]

I’m not an A/C guy, but you could knock a hole in an exterior wall, frame it out, and drop a window unit into it. Size the hole for a really big unit that you can readily source.

 

[black5.3]

A window unit would be a better/cheaper option imo. I would also get a decent gauge to monitor humidity and temp in the room. You might have to also run a small dehumidifier for the area, that will make it feel even more comfortable.

 

[Vicdiesel]

Trying to avoid making a hole in the wall big enough for someone to crawl through.

 

[orkan]

Not sure this is the place to post.

Live in South Texas. Made a 10’ x 10’ reloading room in my garage. Fully insulated. Been running a portable AC for about 1 1/2 years, barely sufficient. So, looks like the unit shit the bed. Any AC guys here that can provide some suggestions? I’m thinking it’s too small for a mini split and it obviously doesn’t have a window.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

Mini split.

 

[Vicdiesel]

My concern with the mini split is that it is too much AC for the space and it won’t keep the humidity down. Most of the mini splits I see are in the 12,000btu (1 ton) range which is rated for approx. 500 sq. ft. The smallest I’ve found is a 9,000btu unit good for approx 350 sq. ft. I’ve read that if you don’t balance the room size with the AC unit size, humidity isn’t resolved.

 

[orkan]

If a portable AC unit rated for 500sq ft (there are many) won’t keep it cool enough, then you definitely won’t have an issue with a 9000btu mini. You can always vent in warm air from the garage to keep it running more.

I find it hard to believe a floor standing portable unit can’t keep that space cool. I’ve used them in spaces as big as 1000 Sq ft and they’ve done a great job.

https://amzn.to/3ARaw5G

Something like that one there should work fantastic.

 

[BamaSE]

mini-split….been using them in small spaces here in sub tropical SE Alabama for a few years now with no issues. Reach out to a qualified hvac company for options….Carrier makes a smaller unit….more expensive, but similar to guns n scopes in that you buy once/cry once.

 

[260284]

My concern with the mini split is that it is too much AC for the space and it won’t keep the humidity down. Most of the mini splits I see are in the 12,000btu (1 ton) range which is rated for approx. 500 sq. ft. The smallest I’ve found is a 9,000btu unit good for approx 350 sq. ft. I’ve read that if you don’t balance the room size with the AC unit size, humidity isn’t resolved.

Most mini splits have inverter compressors and will run at reduced capacity once the space gets close to setpoint. It will ramp up and down based on the load. There are a lot of units made in China that major companies slap their label on. If you want a solid name brand, Mitsubishi is one of the better ones out there. A friend put a Mr Cool unit in a rental and has been happy so far. I have been in the HVAC industry since 1984.

 

[Mike Casselton]

The answer is simple. Mini split and make your reloading space larger

 

[brianf]

agree with all the above...splits are the way to go

they condition the air not just blow cold when needed

most have a circulation mode that keeps the air moving at a reduced rate yet still pulls moisture

forgot to add, if your afraid of the unit being too big just crack the window

you can always warm up but you cant cool down in that weather

 

[black5.3]

My opinion of a window unit is based on cost, do it yourself, and you can grow into a bigger unit more easily if your area grows. While you can grow with a mini split, chances are you can’t diy, and the cost will be significantly more. More money saved equals more guns, reloading components, and shooting.

 

[babyguppy]

so, inside your garage, you made a 10x10 room? so the A/C is spitting the heat into your garage? OR you have the A/C spitting the heat outside of your garage? you can always insulate your garage and just A/C the whole damn thing, problem solved.
You use RMAX foam board for your insulation? at least 4 inches for a true igloo effect?
Get a 110v mini split and call it a day. IT will do everything you want it to. Nice part it, the condenser is on the outside so you have smaller holes going into your 'room'.
window units are damn simple and cheap.

 

[Vicdiesel]

Yes, exhausted is being dumped into seldom used area of my garage.
Garage was insulated when it was built, 1981 or so. Kind of weird considering it is a detached garage. I built the separating wall and insulated it and insulated the ceiling above the room.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

AC guy here. you're way overthinking it. the BTU/ sqft is a guideline and more of a up to the rated sqft than min. and an fyi, mini splits are dehumidifiers. some even have a dehumidify mode.

the only thing that happens if you drastically oversize the unit is that it can start and stop more frequently because it can reach setpoint faster.

if you undersize the unit it runs constantly because it cant reach setpoint.

also, with that portable all that hot air that you are exhausting from the room has to be replaced. so where is it coming back from? the hot garage space? under the door? cracks? you might be cooling the air and then replacing the cold air with hot. the unit is basically chasing its tail.

 

[Amac305]

I have an 8x8 shed that I turned into a home office. When insulated it and framed it out, I cut out a spot for a small Friedrich AC unit. I selected that specific unit cause it was the smallest BTU unit I could find, was wifi capable (can control the unit from my phone), and wasn’t going to shit the bed in two weeks like the $150 Home Depot units. Small spaces like this are not without challenges, however. These units (in my experience) are not as effective at pulling moisture out of the air, so you can end up with “damp” air.

I run in tandem a dehumidifier with variable speed fan and digital sensor so I know the humidity level. I also use the drip pan so I didn’t have to drill another external hole for the drip line. It requires manually emptying the pan, but it’s only 2-3 times a week. All things to consider. I use the variable speed because it gets noisy in such a small space with a dehumidifier running on High.

I’ll get you some pics so you can get an idea.

 

[Coffee_and_Pipes]

My grandfather lived in San Antonio, and he loaded in a shop behind his house. He used a piddly little window unit, and it only took the edge off the heat (and really only of you were sitting in front of it). He also kept all of his gun safes out in the shop. When he passed, we inherited a number of guns that had some slight amount of rust or pitting on them.

My recommendation would be a mini split along with a good dehumidifier. Mini splits might remove some of the humidity, but I’m not certain they’re up to the task of removing south Texas humidity; especially if you also have gun safes in your loading room.

 

[Amac305]

Here’s what I did- I’m not an AC guy tho so if there’s things anyone on here who knows what they are doing, I’m all ears and open to learn. Especially as it comes to reducing humidity.

 

[Amac305]

Because I did the work myself, cost was minimized, but by the time you factor in the Friedrich wall unit and the dehumidifier, you’re probably looking at about $1000. Which then puts you in mini split price territory if you already have the electric run to your location

 

[Vicdiesel]

I have a separate sub panel for the room with plenty of unused breakers.

2aBaCa…. should I be looking at mini splits with inverters to compensate for the oversized AC or am I overthinking things(I tend to do that)?

 

[babyguppy]

Yes, exhausted is being dumped into seldom used area of my garage.
Garage was insulated when it was built, 1981 or so. Kind of weird considering it is a detached garage. I built the separating wall and insulated it and insulated the ceiling above the room.

you might want to consider dumping the 'hot air' outside of the building.

 

[E. Bryant]

I have a separate sub panel for the room with plenty of unused breakers.

2aBaCa…. should I be looking at mini splits with inverters to compensate for the oversized AC or am I overthinking things(I tend to do that)?

I'm sure there are exceptions, but every mini split I've seen have inverterized controls.

I have several Fujitsu units in various buildings around my property, and they work well over almost the full range of Michigan weather conditions. A few are conditioning rooms similar in size to your reloading room.

 

[babyguppy]

Take the 10x10 room, add 4" of RMAX foam board all the way around, add a mini split so condenser is outside, and that sucker becomes a big igloo cooler. Also puts you up in the 21 seer range.
1" of RMAX foam board = 6" of regular insulation. RMAX works!!

 

[orkan]

you might want to consider dumping the 'hot air' outside of the building.

What he said ^

Think: Dryer vent.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

I have a separate sub panel for the room with plenty of unused breakers.

2aBaCa…. should I be looking at mini splits with inverters to compensate for the oversized AC or am I overthinking things(I tend to do that)?

Never had to mess with an inverter. all the ones Ive done wire directly 208-230V from the Breaker to the outdoor unit and power+control (4wire) from the outdoor unit to the indoor head.

keep in mind the bigger the unit the more dehumidifcation capacity it has. I error on the side of oversize. your heat load may be more than the average.(design) you can always do less with a bigger unit but you cant do more with a smaller one.

 

[spife7980]

Stick a window unit in the box or do it right and get a heat pump mini split and do the whole garage for both summer and winter.

Or better yet just move it into your house and dont fuss with anything.

 

[Dogtown]

My garage gets pretty hot in summer, especially if I have to keep the doors closed so my scale doesn't get drifty. Easiest/Cheapest solution was to add a solar-powered fan on the roof to pull the hot air out while the sun is up.

 

[SB545]

Pipe an earth tube into your garage and attempt to exhaust your ac thru an exterior wall. It'll keep both cooler

 

[MikeinTexas]

Window beater and find someone to weld you a cage from rebar for the outside if you’re worried about someone pulling the AC out and climbing in. The problem with the portable AC is you’re dumping the hot exhaust back into the space. My bro lives in Tampa and has a portable AC he uses for when the power goes out, but he vents it to outside…it keeps one room cool. He’s crippled and can’t put in a window unit,but he can move the portable about the house. He just moves the flex duct to a window.

 

[300zx_tt]

Mini split.

Mini split for a 10x10?!? That’s nuts!

 

[Coffee_and_Pipes]

Mini split for a 10x10?!? That’s nuts!

As I type this at 11:00 at night, the temperature in my part of north Texas is 87*, and the heat index is at 90.* Come on down to Texas for a summer, and you’ll see it’s not that crazy.

 

[Vicdiesel]

Coffee, you understand…. Currently 82, feels like 91, It’s 11:30 pm and thats that we had decent cloud coverage today! more than anything though, it’s the humidity, I’m literally 300yds from the bay, feels like a sauna!

 

[300zx_tt]

As I type this at 11:00 at night, the temperature in my part of north Texas is 87*, and the heat index is at 90.* Come on down to Texas for a summer, and you’ll see it’s not that crazy.

A decent mini will cost you close to $2500, then if you can’t install yourself you’ll pay another $1000 for install. $3500 bucks to cool 100sqft is nuts

Me personally, I’d rather spend $500 on a portable AC unit and some 4” duct. Vent it outside and spend the remainder of that $3500 bucks on more gun stuff to fill that room up more

 

[jpndave]

You can get a mini split from under $1k to just over if you do the installation. I have installed several of these units. Those I have installed are variable output. The one in a room of my house will throttle down to barely running. I think you will be pleased with the results. Where they are variable output it won't short cycle like everyone is referring to.

 

[jpndave]

Never had to mess with an inverter. all the ones Ive done wire directly 208-230V from the Breaker to the outdoor unit and power+control (4wire) from the outdoor unit to the indoor head.

keep in mind the bigger the unit the more dehumidifcation capacity it has. I error on the side of oversize. your heat load may be more than the average.(design) you can always do less with a bigger unit but you cant do more with a smaller one.

The inverter is part of the unit. It's how they are built, not an additional inverter. The inverter allows the units to be continuously variable output, not on/off like a regular house A/C unit. The smaller units are 110v. My 18k unit is a 20a 220v circuit which cools/heats part of the lowest level of my home. Put a larger unit in a shop to cool/heat/dehumidify and a smaller one in a smaller workspace similar to the reloading room being proposed, etc. Watch where you locate the inner half so is doesn't blow at your scale. I would put the outer unit outside your garage so the heat is moved outside rather than into the garage to be dealt with there.

 

[BamaSE]

Mine cost $3k installed. Could have gone cheaper but due to some challenges in installation at the house went with what I got.

And there are decent sub $1000 units. I have one of those in my 12x24 hunting shed/cabin. Cannot remember the brand.

My perspective is the gun room is the one room that adequate climate control should be a priority. Especially in humid environments. It is a value/cost proposition….if you can afford it.

 

[Highbrass]

I use my entire garage (2car) but my reloading only takes up half. My garage door opening was framed with 2x10s on the outside. I used that 10" to frame a 2x4 wall with a pair of barn type hinged doors. I insulated the wall and doors and installed a window unit in the wall.
I thought about a mini split but it was too expensive. A friend that is an AC man told me he has not had long term luck with the minis. The good part is should I decide to move the wall is just screwed into the surround board. It would come out easily and convert back with no issues

 

[Tortuga]

I keep one 14k portable on each floor and another in the 16'x16' sunroom. I like the portables because I still have use of all of my windows and in the case of the Black and Deckers I use, they also have heat which is a nice backup. I also wound up having the command procure five of the same portable for use in some of our comms sheds and cabins. Cutting a 6" hole in a wall or sliding your window open 6" for the duct is also pretty easy and discreet.

Black and Decker Portable A/C with Heat

 

[Haney]

I use a portable(on wheels) unit that requires a outside vent , It has 6" flex duct leading to a 4 inch by 8 inch hole in the exterior wall . I sized it to the room by manufacturers standards and then went a couple steps up from there . Works great .

 

[Vicdiesel]

Highbras, does the ac sit on an external wall or the internal one you built?

 

[Vicdiesel]

So, this is the unit I’m looking at, looks like it will do the job..

I’m gonna call around tomorrow and see what an AC guy will charge to pull a vacuum on the system, as per the instruction manual, after I install it. Should only be a couple hours of work at most.

Pioneer® Diamante Pro Series 9,000 BTU 19 SEER2 Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioner Inverter+ Heat Pump Full Set 230V with 16 Ft. Kit

Pioneer® Diamante Pro series. Super quiet, highly efficient. Finally, an affordable 9,000 BTU 230V Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner and Inverter Heat Pump.

www.pioneerminisplit.com

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

So, this is the unit I’m looking at, looks like it will do the job..

I’m gonna call around tomorrow and see what an AC guy will charge to pull a vacuum on the system, as per the instruction manual, after I install it. Should only be a couple hours of work at most.

Pioneer® Diamante Pro Series 9,000 BTU 19 SEER2 Ductless Mini-Split Air Conditioner Inverter+ Heat Pump Full Set 230V with 16 Ft. Kit

Pioneer® Diamante Pro series. Super quiet, highly efficient. Finally, an affordable 9,000 BTU 230V Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner and Inverter Heat Pump.

www.pioneerminisplit.com

so are you taking care of installation including runing all the elctrical and the soft copper lineset?

 

[Vicdiesel]

Yes.
I have a buddy that does electrical, the sub panel is on the other side of the wall I want to install on.

 

[Highbrass]

Highbras, does the ac sit on an external wall or the internal one you built?

It is mounted into the new wall that I built. That was purposeful as the 2 outside walls are brick faced and i did not want to cut a big hole that might be unsightly when i sell later. If interested i can send pics ??

 

[ddavis]

Not sure this is the place to post.

Live in South Texas. Made a 10’ x 10’ reloading room in my garage. Fully insulated. Been running a portable AC for about 1 1/2 years, barely sufficient. So, looks like the unit shit the bed. Any AC guys here that can provide some suggestions? I’m thinking it’s too small for a mini split and it obviously doesn’t have a window.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

I'm the same situation as you, nearly exactly. South Texas, built a 7x10' reloading room in the garage, insulated. I ran a portable unit for a while. It was awful. To go from mid 80's down to 70 degrees, it would take several hours. I switched to a 5k btu window unit and it will do the same in 30 minutes.

Here's the wild part: The windows in my room are in the garage portion. No way to get them looking outside as they'd be in my front door entryway. The window unit hangs into the garage which probably gets to 120 degrees most days. That window unit has been running all day every day for prob 5-6 years now. I just keep a hose hooked up to the drain that goes down to a 2 gallon jug on the floor. I have to empty the water every week or two. I can freeze it out in there.

It's probably pretty cheap and easy for you to add a small window in your framed in section. It's kinda nice to have *some* situational awareness to be able to look outside when your garage is open and it lets a little light in. That's my suggestion.

-Dan