As the mi or rant said, my office is now in my 500 square foot basement shop.
Im fat.
I live in the south.
I am more comfortable in a t shirt and jeans in 40 degree weather than naked at 80.
My shop is unheated and un air conditioning except for a single 4x6 vent hacked into the side of my hvac ducting and natural thermal efficiency from being dirt on 3/4 of the cinderblock walls on 3 sides.
Two 8x10 doors, no windows. Acess door to 6 foot high crawl space in one wall.
Toyman suggested a mini split or portable ac unit in my rant.
Wife has approved a reasonable expendature. But she is unemployed as of noon tomorrow, so i want to be a cheap bastard. Figure 550 tops.
Cooling a must. Dehumidifier properties would be nice, but i have a dehumidifier already running in here, so not a deal breaker.
Heat in the winter wouldnt piss me off, but also not a requirement.
And, GO!
500 sq ft is going to need just shy of 12k btu to cool it. How insulated are your doors. If they are leaking air a lot, that's going to boost your requirement.
Dollars to BTUs, the portable is going to be cheaper. 12k btu will cost you about $300.
A mini split in that size is going to be closer to $600+. But running costs on a mini split will probably be cheaper than a portable. They are extremely efficient.
A portable is going to require one or two 4" holes to the outside for condenser intake and exhaust.
A mini split is going to require one 3" hole for the lines and water drain.
My personal preference is for the mini split, but I keep a portable around for emergency cooling and it works very well.
One thing that may be the determining factor here: no 220 in the shop.
The doors are insulated. Very little gappage around the seals, to the point where the only drafts i get are in wunter with the wind blowing directly on them, and then can only feel if im laying on the floor near the door. Within a foot or two.
You can go to 12k btu with 110V. The unit I just put in SanFord is 110. Most portables are as well. It will require one hole in the wall to the outside.
This is 14K btus, 110v and $400. Mine is made by the same company. Linky.
St 12k btu, Amazon and lowes both have affordable options. But no brands i have heard of.
Is there any options that i should value over others?
I got a 14k Danby unit from Costco for less than $300. Very quiet unit that so far I have only run on low to keep my first floor family room nice and cool.
In reply to dean1484:
How long have you had it?
I wonder if there is a GRM solution here? If you pulled the A/C unit from a city bus or a roof unit from a large RV could you make it work?
Going to keep an eye on this out of curiousity... our top floor is ALWAYS roughly 10 degrees (or more) warmer than the thermostat (a floor below) is set to. For the time being it's not a serious problem since it also happens to be the least-used floor in the house, but if we end up needing those upper bedrooms (read: had a kid) we're going to have to figure out how to keep it a more reasonable temp without turning the rest of the house into a freezer.
If i go with a portable unit, how would o best deal with the exhaust?
Where would best placement of the unit be?
Buy a few large fans and aim them toward the doors.
Bigassfans have been covered on GRM right?
I had meant the pair of 4 inch tubes out the back of the unit, not car exhaust.
Unfortunately a big ass fan is not the answer here. Already have a box fan blowing directly on me, but it aint enough. Also makes paperwork go flying.
Hmm, my basement is always cooler than the rest of the house.
iceracer wrote:
Hmm, my basement is always cooler than the rest of the house.
Mines cooler than outside, but not cool enough. I blame the south facing doors and wall with all day sun.
Dusterbd13 wrote:
I am more comfortable in a t shirt and jeans in 40 degree weather than naked at 80.
Wrench naked. Think of all the electricity you'll save! 
In reply to LuxInterior:
Welding would be painful....
And the ac is more for the home office portion of use. Have to have a professional appearance and not smell like a sweat sock.
Lets put this in perspective here: i sweat like a whore in church at anything over 85. Or humidity over 75%.
Would you want me comi g into your meeting after that????
Dusterbd13 wrote:
In reply to dean1484:
How long have you had it?
A couple of years with no issues. These things are almost disposable they are so cheap these days. I have had really good luck with things I get at Costco. I trust that they weed out the true crap stopping it from getting to there stores. I know this is not always true but over the years it has proven at least to me that there has to be a level of quality before Costco will sell it.
I have decided on a 12k btu portable unit. Now, best way for hoses: cut holes in garage door and install dryer vent outlets? Build a knee wall under a door and make the door un opening? Vent to crawl space? Frill through concrete and rebar filled cinderblock that is faced with granite?
2 4 inch ducts seem common.
I also need to drcide on brand and place to purchase. Amazon, lowes, costco....
Something to consider, though I haven't researched how it compares price-wise or brand reliability wise:
12k BTU portable unit on Woot
I'd start with the fake wall under door because its the easiest thing to undo.
Given how below grade you are, I am very surprised you need cooling. My basement room where my PC is is similar in dimensions and gets to maybe 73? 75 at worst?.
Does the sun face the exposed side?
I'd vent through a garage door. Depending on the construction of the door (wood, metal, other) cut out a square of the appropriate size and vent as needed. A portable unit will have a condensate drain so it can go under the door as well. When not in use the panel could look like a pet door.
The problem with a knee wall is that opening the door a foot or two will open up a big gap at the top.
KyAllroad wrote:
The problem with a knee wall is that opening the door a foot or two will open up a big gap at the top.
Didn't think of that, good point.
