Portable A/C For Shop

foxtrapper wrote: Not that I feel like debating it, but my degree in mechanical engineering and years of experience in the field let me figure out some things pretty darn well. But I don't need it for this discussion. If you wish to assume that no window ac unit can cool your shop, fine. Having spent years in shops cooled with window ac units, I know for a fact that they can.

What experience in what field? Are you an A/C engineer? Not to get into a pissing contest, but I am. I work here - www.jbar-ac.com, and have for over 15 years. I've done design work for Catipillar, CNH, Vermeer, etc... I built and run the engineering test lab for my company. I designed and built a state of the art calorimeter and can determine the BTU capacity of any A/C or heating unit. For you to say you know that I can cool MY shop that you've never seen or know nearly enough about, with a window a/c unit makes you sound, well, not like an engineer. I know my shop, I built my shop, I did the calculations, I KNOW it will take 18k to sufficiently cool it and I KNOW I can't get an 18k a/c unit in MY windows (13.5" wide).
What if my shop was a steel building sitting in a field? Think maybe that would take a different capacity unit than a stick building with R-30 walls and ceiling? Just your statement that you KNOW a window a/c unit will cool my shop sounds ignorant. I can't even fit a window unit in my windows since they are sliders! If you re-read my original post, I never asked about how many BTUs it would take to cool my shop, as I already know that. What I asked for is opinions on experiences with particular A/C units. How about we keep the discussion on topic, okay? Sorry, I ran out of happy pills yesterday.

Cotton wrote: My shop is 60x32 but I only cool 2/3rds of it. I use a 220v window unit very similar to this one. http://www.lowes.com/pd_317022-2251-LRA257ST2_4294859075+4294830825_4294937087?productId=3199371&pl=1&currentURL=/pl_Window_4294859075%204294830825_4294937087_ says it's 25k btu It's 100 degrees right now and I have it set on 77.....feels nice in the shop. FYI it's a cinder block shop with 10ft ceilings and blinds on all the windows. I have another, smaller, window unit I plan to use to cool the other 1/3rd of the shop. Eventually I hope to go with a central unit.

Thanks, that's good information. Unfortunately, that unit is 26" wide and my windows are half that.

Wally wrote: You could just sweat it out with a box fan from Goodwill like us little people

For me it's not a luxury, it's a necessity for health reasons.

bravenrace wrote: What experience in what field? Are you an A/C engineer? Not to get into a pissing contest, but I am. I work here - www.jbar-ac.com, and have for over 15 years.

Hmm... you sound like my g/f... who is also an HVAC engineer (A.E degree, P.E., LEED and all that stuff...). All I can say to that (and I have to remind her more often than I'd like - since it usually results in an arguement) there's what the calculations say and then there's what get's the job done. The two don't always agree. Especially when you are constrained by existing conditions.

I have looked into the units you described in the first post when I worked on a project that used them as temporary units for critical IT rooms if the main system goes down. The biggest problem with them in a residential situation is the buy-in price. For not much more $ you could install a residential HVAC unit and hang some ductwork.

In reply to Ian F:

Are you referring to the portable units? If so, I can get a 12k BTU unit for around $400, which is not much more than a window unit. I don't know if it's any good or not, but that's the price. The benefit I see in a portable unit is that I can put the cold air where I need it. With a window unit, and in consideration of where my windows are and that if I could even fit one it I only have one window I could put it in, the cold air would always be in one place. That place at times would freeze me and at others leave me hot. The hot air duct for a portable unit I can fit in any one of my four windows, so it gives me a lot more flexibility, and I also could use a smaller unit. Does that make sense?

The one's I've worked with are somewhat larger. I provided 208v receptacles for them and the hot-air vent hose was connected hard-ductwork and central exhaust.

This appears to be the one djsilver mentioned:

http://www.sylvane.com/delonghi-pac-c120e-ac.html

I could see that working for your situation. Your only location restriction may be the length of the hot-air hose.

I found one that has two hoses that both go into a window. One is an intake and the other exhaust for the condenser, so that would solve the problem of pulling hot outside air into the shop. I really would like to stay with 110vac. I have 220 available, but if I'm using a portable, I'd like to be able to move it around. I have 110 outlets near every window, but not 220.