Personal Air conditioning recommendations.

Guest · Jun 10, 2020

Plain and simple I want to just knock down the temperature in one area of a non insulated stick built shop. If it could be dropped close to 10 degrees on a nasty hot day, that would be great. I just want to feel cooler when handcuffed to the machine doing what I call monkey drills. Where I stand is 12 feet from a 13" x 32" window opening that of course could be altered. It looks like most portable AC units only have 6 foot exhaust hose. What kind of window unit could cool someone 12 feet away, how many BTU's?

Mark Rand · Jun 10, 2020

You can fit a longer exhaust hose. It's worth looking at an adaptor for a larger diameter if you are more than doubling the length from the standard one, say 6" to 8". If you can find flexible ducting with smooth inside walls (instead of corrugated) that helps on longer runs.

guest · Jun 10, 2020

I have a Soleus portable AC for my office. It's 12,000 BTU. It's also a reverse cycle so it heats too.

It freezes me out of my office, easily gets a 30 degree temp drop. My office is 13x14x8.

You can extend the exhaust hose, might have to cobble up something hillbilly but it should work fine.

In the shop I have a Port-a-Cool 36". 4500 sq ft shop, I get a 20 degree temp drop with the roll up door open.

They don't work as well in high-humidity climates though. But if you're in the ~70% or lower humidity range they work good. They move a lot of air, and you can roll it around and point it where you need it.

GregSY · Jun 10, 2020

I don't really understand your layout, cuz you don't say, but assuming you own this building, you really need to build some walls within it, a roof, etc. then insulate it and use a cheap small window mount AC unit to blast you cold. You don't need any windows, let the AC exhaust into the main part of the building. Let the condensation drip someplace that won't cause harm...even if it's a 5 gallon bucket. Life's too short to be miserable when you're working, and 10 degrees ain't enough on a hot day.

Hodge · Jun 10, 2020

Don't know how high your ceilings are but if you can put up 1.5" thick or better 4'-8' sheets of insulation it will make a huge difference in the efficiency/btu's required.

ptsmith · Jun 10, 2020

If you are just standing in one spot you can put a window unit close by pointing directly on you. No venting outside. I do this in my garage with a 6500BTU unit. I it on a rolling stand and point it to wherever I'm working. It's far from ideal but it does work. No good if you have to move around much because it will make the rest of the shop hotter than it normally is.

But I'm just goofing off in my garage. It's better than nothing.

Guest · Jun 10, 2020

Insulation is out, that ship, has sailed. Too much crap would need to be torn out and put back. I just want to get some could air blown on me 12 feet away from a window. I figure if I tried adding extra exhaust ducting to a portable AC unit that typically has a 6 foot exhaust hose the back pressure would fry the unit.

Bill D · Jun 10, 2020

Other responders missed the "personal" part. They want to cool the entire room. I do not think it gets that hot in Virginia that you need a full body suit. I would think a cooling vest would be enough. You could run it from tap water in summer and hot water in the winter with a small hose. Do not connect to your coolant system since that liquid will be too hot.
A full body suit would be easy to rig with filtered supplied breathing air to reduce virus exposure. Or use a Racal suit!
Bill D.

Circulating Cold Water cooling vest, Stop the Heat Before The Heat Stops You

ptsmith · Jun 10, 2020

That's interesting. I think I'll try one of the vest.

Bill D · Jun 10, 2020

I believe race car drivers use the ice chest and water to run a cooling vest.
I know Milwaukee makes an electrically heated jacket that uses one of there standard power tool batteries. I think Makita does as well.
Bill D

M12 TOUGHSHELL Heated Jacket | Milwaukee Tool

Makita USA - Product Details -DCJ200ZL

And the ever popular solar powered fan hat. They even make some that are not a baseball cap.
Kool Breeze Solar Fan Cowboy Hat - My Cooling Store

swatkins · Jun 10, 2020

I have a 60 x 40 shop that is divided up into three sections... The ceiling is 14 to 22 feet high in two of the sections. Each section has a 699.00 window unit like this one from Home Depot.

They also have heaters which do a good job here in our mild winters.

One section, 20 x 40 with 14 foot ceiling, is insulated on the ceiling and west wall and the unit runs year round keeping it cool or warm depending on the season. I run that one mainly to keep the humidity down and the tools rust free. Easy to keep it 74 degrees on a 100 degree day. I can feel the cool air from the unit 20 feet away while operating a planer. You could also place a fan in front of the cooling vents to redirect air towards you if needed. Here is a picture from the inside of the shop showing the unit on the wall.

The unit hangs outside the wall and the condensation waters the grass. In this video you can see two of the units from the outside at 7:40. They are pretty quite....

The units require 220 and are easily installed in a window or as I did, in a wall cut out.

I have had one unit running for about 7 years now and they are pretty reliable. I have had to replace a few fan motors over the years but that is on on the ones that run 24/7. On all the ones I have bought they all would slide out of their exterior case for cleaning or repair. Another plus was they could be rotated to the different areas, if needed, as they all would slide into the installed cases.

Stay cool

thermite · Jun 10, 2020

Dualkit said:
Insulation is out, that ship, has sailed. Too much crap would need to be torn out and put back. I just want to get some could air blown on me 12 feet away from a window. I figure if I tried adding extra exhaust ducting to a portable AC unit that typically has a 6 foot exhaust hose the back pressure would fry the unit.

I'm cheap, Have two of the 10K BTU elephant-trunk units, two 5.5 K BTU ignorant window ones.

Main reason haven't had to rebuild the over-built central unit is no longer have the demand for its bigger hammer..

I simply shed a tad over fifty Mike Foxtrot POUND's the past six years.

Down from a lard-ass 245-PLUS to the 180's and goaling aound 175 on a mere 5 foot ten frame?

Pilgrim, an 85 degree day is now downright PLEASANT even higher with nought but a basic fan, not A/C....when back in the human-lard-insulated days 68 F was too damned hot!

I did say "cheap", but doing that actually shifted my food bills to some seriously nicer and marvelously more INTERESTING grade of vittles.

No significant sugar nor salt?

I tried a McD's burger about a year ago whilst on the road. Had to spit out even the first bite it tasted so vile. Same again their fries I once loved. Sugared as well as greased and salted. Can't take those any more, either. Fix frozen low-salt "Alexia" pre-cut fries or cut my own and bake, not fry, them in the Brevil instead.

A cool workspace can begin with reducing the insulation.. right under yer own skin?

Not as if we were meant to be whales, hunting in Arctic waters, is it?

Disregard if yer fit and "skinny".

But too damned many Americans are anything "butt"...

As we actually invite-in diabetes, high blood pressure, off high fuck-toes corn syrup, the carcinogens our "employee" gut bacteria generate from artificial "diet" sweeteners.. and otherwise dig our own graves with our teeth.

SteveF · Jun 10, 2020

Do NOT get a portable AC unit. Let’s think about this. A portable AC unit sucks air in the front, runs it over the cool heat exchanger and blows it back into the room. On the backside it sucks air in, runs it over the warm heat exchanger and exhausts that outside through the hose. For every cubic foot of air that is sent out through the hose one cubic foot of hot, humid outside air has to be sucked into the building through some gap. Even worse, the coolest air is the air near the portable AC unit which is the air most likely to get sucked into the back and exhausted outside. My wife bought one a few years back because “it was on sale”. I gave it away because my conscience wouldn’t let me screw someone over to an HVAC tech buddy who uses it to help a customer at least keep a bedroom cool until the repair parts come in. The FTC should ban those things.

Get a standard window AC unit. Seal it up well in the window opening. Rig up some ductwork and a hose so the cold air being blown into the room is ducted to where you want it.

Btw if that ship ever gets back near the dock, just putting up some insulation board between the trusses to make a 1” high channel under the roof decking so there can be airflow from the vented soffits up and out through a ridge vent will make a big difference.

Steve

thermite · Jun 10, 2020

SteveF said:
Do NOT get a portable AC unit. Let’s think about this. A portable AC unit sucks air in the front, runs it over the cool heat exchanger and blows it back into the room. On the backside it sucks air in, runs it over the warm heat exchanger and exhausts that outside through the hose. For every cubic foot of air that is sent out through the hose one cubic foot of hot, humid outside air has to be sucked into the building through some gap. Even worse, the coolest air is the air near the portable AC unit which is the air most likely to get sucked into the back and exhausted outside.

Mine were built to accomodate external air feed. Most of them probably are with a bit of adapting. Check the intake grill attach method.

But yer correct.

More to the point? "Results" as to operating costs are stark if yah bother to measure and record those.

The central air unit - R22 and over-engineered, target ACTUAL running 'economy" not SEER numbers - by a former USACE Cryogenics trained guru (Ich..) - averaged one QUARTER the net KWH power consumption to deliver far the better whole-house, not just "small comfort zoned" cooling.

I simply no longer need much more cooling than I can get with managing cool wee-hours night filtered fresh-air intake, closing up hot afternoons and evenings.

So they don't run at all, most days. A few slow, not noisy, fans, do well enough.

johfoster · Jun 11, 2020

I have never had a portable work well enough to be worth messing with in my experience. Keep in mind also that an AC does not take in air and put out 70 deg air, rather they take in what temperature the air currently is and lower it by an amount so not very efficient if it can't recycle the air it is cooling. Though a decent AC should get you your 10deg at least I would hope.

I live where we have 30+ days of 110+ deg weather often, and all an AC will do in an open not fully conditioned space is spend money. Evaporative cooling works great here in the shops thankfully since the weather is so dry, but probably not so well in VA I would guess. Would a box fan not be enough to take the 10deg edge off if you keep it pointed at you?

Guest · Jun 11, 2020

johfoster said:
Evaporative cooling works great here in the shops thankfully since the weather is so dry, but probably not so well in VA I would guess. Would a box fan not be enough to take the 10deg edge off if you keep it pointed at you?

Way too humid here for evaportive cooling to work, summer humidity averages 50%+ day in day out. I have plenty of fans they only keep the greenhouse effect away.

thermite · Jun 11, 2020

johfoster said:
probably not so well in VA I would guess. Would a box fan not be enough to take the 10deg edge off if you keep it pointed at you?

Humididity issue. Same as my wedding reception photo, outdoors in Hong Kong Park 95%-plus humididty temps even higher @ "Hong Kong standard".

They soaked-down my tux with water, fan was out of the photo frame.

I do it here when working outdoors, even rotatimg tirea. Soak the tee-shirt and a head-rag, aim the fan, take a break when it dries, soak-down, repeat.

A big floor fan out in the yard or on the carport looks weird, but I have plenty of extension cords!

Guest · Jun 11, 2020

I think I will try one 8,000 BTU window unit. I have a fused lower spine and how much weight I can carry without major issues drops by the year. Looks like that is 51 pounds worth, that is enough. As the BTU's go up so do the weight. There is another window on the opposite wall of the one I will use 20 or so feet in the other direction I might get one for that one also. The shop is 1,000 square feet square shaped A frame at the peak the roof is 14 feet and about 9 feet on the ends. I am just trying to keep it 90 or below with a little less humidity, not looking for miracles. Looks like the local Home Depot has a couple dozen GE models in stock. That town of Ashland is even getting protestors now, looks like the crap is spreading from the inner cities out.

Joe Miranda · Jun 11, 2020

In our 24x36'shop with 9+' ceiling we have an 18,000 btu unit. Keeps the place nice and cool. I think 8,000 is too small but would still help - and one on each side of the room would probably do the trick for you.

Can't you call on the neighbor kid to help with install?

I always buy ac units used. For $100 or $150 bucks you can pick up a nice 220v unit on c-list.

DDoug · Jun 11, 2020

Dry ice cubes in your fedora ?.....

Should create a column of cooled C02 fog all around you....

Personal Air conditioning recommendations.

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