cut a hole in the wall (nicley) and explain after the air conditioner it can be a vent to get paint fumes and beer farts out of the small area
;D
If only it were that simple - my problem is, I don't have any "wall" left to speak of; it has all been taken up by either gorilla racks in front of it, or shelving, or pegboard (tools - but that wall is an interior wall anyhow, so its out) - I don't have any wall area left to cut a hole into that will pass to the outside...
:-/
how about a solar attic fan (or some passive venting) so that you are not creating positive pressure inside your attic space
you could also install a radiant barrier and/or better insulation while you are up there.
how about a solar attic fan (or some passive venting) so that you are not creating positive pressure inside your attic space
First off, I found out that my little AC unit isn't suppose to have the exhaust run vertically; I also found that you can't have the hose bent much when it is run horizontally (the proper position) - doing either will cause the compressor to overheat and the unit shuts down.
Even running vertically, though - there's no way positive pressure is being developed; we have eave vents in three different areas (one is right over my shop), plus two turbine vents that we had installed last year when we added insulation to our attic.
you could also install a radiant barrier and/or better insulation while you are up there.
Well - its a thought, but it ain't happenin' during the summer; a couple of weekends ago I was outside on the roof, cleaning the gutters (prep work for monsoon season), and I almost passed out up there; a couple of times I thought I burnt my hands/legs. Hot doesn't begin to describe Phoenix right now; there is no way I would be able to last in the attic.
For instance, right now (11:53 PM AZ MTN) outside it is 102 degrees F, with 20% humidity. At night. Nice, huh? It probably won't drop below 90-95 F tonight...
One thing I didn't have done when they did the insulation (and we got new doors and windows installed), was any work on my shop; so I still have little insulation above it, and single pane windows. I didn't do the insulation because blown-in makes a mess like you wouldn't believe, and I have a ton of electronics and junk in my shop (not to mention my servers); I didn't have the windows re-done at the time simply because it wasn't a lived-in part of the house, plus the shop was very cluttered and impossible to get around (we had to move a lot of stuff around and out of the way to let the contractor work to install what we did put in).
I tried an experiment tonight; blocking off the gap like I did before (which failed the first time), and running the hose of the AC unit out the bottom, but propped up so that it was more level, less bent, and straight. I ran the unit for a couple of hours while I did some parts sorting; I managed to get my shop down to a temp of 90 degrees F from 95 F or so. I think either the unit is bad, or it is too small for the amount of heat in the room and contents to effectively get rid of it. The unit didn't overheat and shut down this time, though, so that was a good sign.
I think tomorrow night I will try my swamp cooler, and see if I can stand the humidity, and see how cool it gets with it; otherwise, I am trying to think up a way I can set up a larger window-shaker unit (as someone else put it), which may be able to overcome the heat issue.
Change the door into a peltier cooler.
What's the floor in your shop like? dig a tunnel, down and right out and as far along your property as you can. I hear ground source stuff can be great if you go deep enough (but not too deep obviously!) ;D
What's the floor in your shop like?
Standard concrete slab - probably 6-8" thick.
dig a tunnel, down and right out and as far along your property as you can. I hear ground source stuff can be great if you go deep enough (but not too deep obviously!)
Hopefully you're kidding - definitely not feasible; even if I could get thru the slab cheaply (I'd probably have a heat stroke if I did it myself), here in Arizona if you go down 3-4 feet in many areas, you hit a layer of caliche, which is kinda like natural concrete, in varying thicknesses (in some areas it is so thick - several feet - you need dynamite to remove it). I honestly don't know my area, whether there is a layer, how deep it is, thickness, etc. It would likely be more work than its worth; it would be cheaper to have an A/C installed.
I've basically switched back to the swamp cooler; however, I can't use it much now that the humidity is so high (right now it is 88 F and 49% humidity - it rained earlier). We're in the "ugh" season, otherwise known as monsoon (even with A/C it feels bad).
Yeah I was kidding . I'd love to have that sort of tech in a house one day though.
Of course as a Brit, in our delightfully temperate clime , your descriptions make Arizona sound like hell! it's been kind of warm here the last couple of weeks and I'm struggling to sleep. It must of been ooh 19c in our house last night 
I can't use it much now that the humidity is so high (right now it is 88 F and 49% humidity
;D
What I wouldn't give for 49% humidity. It's 70% inside the building here. Probably because the idiots shut down HVAC at night.
-j
What I wouldn't give for 49% humidity. It's 70% inside the building here. Probably because the idiots shut down HVAC at night.
kg4wsv: Dude, is it raining inside?! ;D That sounds terrible...ugh!
Of course as a Brit, in our delightfully temperate clime , your descriptions make Arizona sound like hell!
daveg360: Arizona is a state you either love or hate; personally, I love it here.
Our current state government stinks, our sheriff seemingly in bed with neo-nazis, the fact that AZ is a neo-nazi hotbed makes me cringe, SB1070 was the dumbest thing I think our governor has done since she came to office, and there are a lot of tarded people here afraid of brown people from the south.
The land, scenery, and its history though are pretty amazing; you should see the desert blooming in the spring (especially around the Superstitions with a thunderstorm rolling in - wow). The high country up north, especially the Grand Canyon and the Four Corners region (Painted Desert and all that); once again, wow!
Dude, is it raining inside?
No, but there is an evil looking black mold growing on the radiator in my office.
That's what you get in Alabama in the summer time, especially when you turn off HVAC at night and on weekends. At the moment humidity is 18% worse in my office vs. outside (66% vs. a relatively low 48%).
-j
That's what you get in Alabama in the summer time, especially when you turn off HVAC at night and on weekends. At the moment humidity is 18% worse in my office vs. outside (66% vs. a relatively low 48%).
"When you think you have it bad, somebody else has it worse!"
Man, I feel for you! I can't imagine that; the worst humidity I've ever been in was in Missouri in August many years ago - but I don't think it was anywhere close to what you're talking about!
he worst humidity I've ever been in was in Missouri in August many years ago - but I don't think it was anywhere close to what you're talking about!
Nah, that's probably about the same as we get here. I took a trip with the Boy Scouts to Philmont Scout Ranch in NM several years ago at the end of July. Miserable here, and pretty much exactly the same in Memphis and Chicago. Got to NM, got off the train and thought, wow this is nice! Of course it was actually hotter and few days later I forgot to sunscreen my ears (doh!) and literally had blisters.
So yeah, we're pretty muggy, but at least we're not in danger of spontaneous combustion or anything. Your 118 sounds a bit worse to me.
And to bring us back on topic, I solved the "cool my shop" problem by putting a small heat pump in. It's a split unit, like a typical home would have, but the indoor part is completely self contained and hangs on the wall (no duct work, etc). My shop is a detached garage, so I can't exactly mooch off the house (well, I guess I could have ran a duct across the driveway, but I don't think the wife would have appreciated that. )
-j
Got to NM, got off the train and thought, wow this is nice! Of course it was actually hotter and few days later I forgot to sunscreen my ears (doh!) and literally had blisters.
Ouch! My wife and I once did a camping trip thru NM, and we visited the Acoma Indian reservation in the northern part of the state. The main pueblo sits on top of this rock mesa; a very beautiful location, but since the housing units are passed down through the matriarchal lineage by tradition, and there isn't any electricity (they have to use solar panels), nor water or fuel (both have to be trucked in), hardly anybody lives up there anymore. However, a few do. I went inside one place that was set up as a small tourist stand for snow-cones; outside the pueblo, it was 110 - inside it felt air-conditioned; it was actually a little chilly. With walls three feet thick, the thermal mass kept everything at an even and cool temperature. I wish my shop was like that.
See - on topic!
And to bring us back on topic, I solved the "cool my shop" problem by putting a small heat pump in. It's a split unit, like a typical home would have, but the indoor part is completely self contained and hangs on the wall (no duct work, etc).
This is what I was thinking about doing; a small split ductless system - maybe next spring if I can swing it. My biggest problem, though, is the likely need for a separate circuit to run it. I am not sure if that will be possible, until I can get an electrician to check.
BTW - I have read on those units that they can be hung or somehow mounted to the ceiling? Right now, that's the only possible place for one in my shop. Do you know anything about this?
My shop is a detached garage, so I can't exactly mooch off the house (well, I guess I could have ran a duct across the driveway, but I don't think the wife would have appreciated that.
I was thinking about doing the same thing, but due to the way things are arranged in our house and in my shop, I am not sure how it could be installed for the return air to the a/c unit (there's a bookshelf on one side and peg-board on the other in the way). Still, its an option that I will be looking into as well.
I have read on those units that they can be hung or somehow mounted to the ceiling?
Don't know about hanging/ceiling mount, but mine is on the wall above a window. It takes about 1'x3.5' of wall space.
-j