Air conditioning

[bobbin]

I live in coastal New England.  It can get really hot and sticky here but it's not the norm, usually gone in 2-3 days.  But the hot and sticky weather is a lot more frequent than it was when I was a kid.  I've never lived in a home with AC and when AC has konked out in my car I've never bothered to fix it. 

We have awnings on our home and they cut the interior temperature by nearly 10 degrees.  But I would like to know how those of you  in areas that routinely see high humidity and temperatures address the maintenance of basic comfort in a work place. 

Talk to me! 

[SHHR]

I'll start off with a line from Biloxi Blues where Matthew Broderick's character while on basic training in Mississippi stated; "man it's hot, it's like Africa hot,.... even Tarzan would say this is hot"!

I have high power fans that move air fairly good and cools it pretty good too. with that said it's aggravating having it directly on you when cutting material.

My shop is pretty tight and have thought about installing some window units I have to cool it down, but so far am to stingy to pay the extra electric. Within the next month or so I am adding on a significant addition to our home and will put in a new central air unit and may install my old one in the shop.

Another thing I thought of looking into are these evaporative cooling units the Napa auto parts sales. They have them in different sizes and basically is a large air handler that has a filter media that water trickles over while the air blows over it cooling the air and even removing the humidity. They have a reservoir you fill with water and a pump keeps it recirculating over and over. they claim to lower temps up to 20 degrees and are more efficient and cost effective than air conditioning. I've seen them in a trade show and they felt great, but keep in mind we were in an air conditioned exhibit hall too, so I don't know what they'll do in the real world.

Kyle

[sofadoc]

Last year, the central unit on the roof of my building went out after 25 years. It was going to cost 10 grand to replace it. So instead, I walled off 550 sq. ft. of workspace, and installed a window unit. The 25,000 BTU unit is rated to cool 1400 sq. ft.. IT DOESN'T!!! So I added another unit that is supposed to cool 500 sq. ft.. STILL NOT ENOUGH!!
My electric bill is much lower  than it was with the central unit, but the trade-off is......I'm hot as hell!!!
I'm thinking about getting one of those "Freeze collars" like Mr. Freeze wore on "Batman".

[scottymc]

The doors of my shed face the ocean so I get the see breeze and the few days it gets over 30 deg. I take the day off. We have 5 separate split system units in our house, 2 in our living area and 1 for each of our units. Because we did it over a period of time it just worked out that way. when the last one was being installed the electrician commented it was a better idea to have a 5 different units instead of one big central one as he had just had a renovation done (2 doors down) with a central heating and all the mod cons my heating bill for a 1/4 was $400 his $1200 same size buildings we use more appliances, Also if one brakes down and the 5 year warranty is finished you buy a new one.     

[vinyldoctorlv]

you guys should be in las vegas, working on a car lot in 125 degrees working with chemicals near your face that cure at around 950 degrees.  :o

[MinUph]

I have a good size window unit in the wall of my 2 car garage. Does the trick well. Cools it down in about 15 minutes. Averages around 90-95 with high humidity here.

[gene]

Kile, I often times quote that line from Biloxi Blues. Occasionally someone will make the reference. You are the first person I have ever heard quote it. LOL

I have an industrial air conditioner that I will use mainly to get some of the moisture out of the air and lower the temperature a bit. It's too expensive to run all the time. I also have a dehumidifier that works well but it does put out warm air.

gene

[Rich]

I don't know about anyone else, but if I'm either hot and uncomfortable in the summer or cold and uncomfortable in the winter, my productivity (read:$$) suffers, so I pay to be comfortable and I think it's worth it.
Rich

[mike802]

Up here in Vermont the weather is very humid.  We usually get 2 to 3 weeks of 85 to 100 degree temps coupled with that high humidity.  Usually its not the heat so much that gets to me, put the humidity, makes it hard to breath at times.  My shop has a window AC unit that I built into the wall.  I only use it during that couple of weeks a year.  Unfortunately it only cools one room and often I have to work where there is no AC.  I kind of laughed at this,

I'm thinking about getting one of those "Freeze collars" like Mr. Freeze wore on "Batman".

Because I have gotten into the habit of doing something similar.  I take a rag about the size of a dish towel, run cold water over it, ring it out and wear it around my neck.  It really helps to make things a little more comfortable.  Of course I take it off if I have to deal with a customer.  In the past we used to get hotter summers than we have had in the last 5 or 6 years.  In those times I used to rearrange my schedule and work early in the morning and later in the evening, taking the hottest time, the afternoons, off.  Last Friday I closed at noon, because it was just to hot.

[sofadoc]

We usually get 2 to 3 weeks of 85 to 100 degree temps coupled with that high humidity. 

It was 105 degrees today. 25th consecutive day of 100 plus temps. No end in sight. So when I read your comment about 2-3 weeks of 85-100, I was playing the "World's smallest violin" for you. ;D

so I pay to be comfortable and I think it's worth it.

Couldn't agree more. With my 25000 btu, and a 13000 btu both running full blast, it's all I can do just to get 550 sq. ft. down to 82 degrees. I'm gonna keep adding A/C units, even if I have to buy 50 of 'em.

[mike802]

Sofadoc:  With temps like that maybe a walk in freezer would be a better choice. :P  It is not uncommon to see humidity around 75 to 80% here, don't know what kind of heat index that makes, but over 100 I'm sure.  If your a southern boy Ill catch you on the flip side. :-*

[bobbin]

Yeah, generally speaking the temperatures don't get too high here, mid/high 90s is about tops and it doesn't stay in that range for very long.  But high humidity is part and parcel of my maritime location (keeping the tarnish off silverware is nigh on impossible!).

I've begun making the awnings for my shop.  It won't address the humidity but keeping the sun off the glass does keep interior temperatures considerably cooler, and you can leave windows that are unprotected by a soffit open during a thunderstorm. 

It's been a long time since I've made loose frame awnings.  I had to really scratch my head and I made the time to do the calculations and the layout on paper before firing up the hot knife.  Of course, it would be easier if I simply wanted a plain, stitched hem on the frill (valence), but why do it the "easy way" when you can complicate it by deciding to "guild the lily"??  I figure that since I work in the Home Dec. field I should add a little zip to what will be an obvious statement of my trade to customers.  Besides, I like things like fringe, welting, tassels... .  You get the picture.   ::)

I'll snap some pictures as the work progresses and put them up when the project is finished.  Think I'll beat the next heat wave?

[Mike8560]

My current seeing shop is not hive I've a got a widow unit in it andtwo wal mounted smal fans that blow at the two sewing  stations.  So es days it still vet prety hotwhen your moving around.  I may end up with a second window unit or maybe a larger one in the wall.
Co
mi g from NH I have pick up that didn't have ac   Didnt need it really.  But here I installed one.  It was tuff when we get the afternoon rainstorms you had to shut the windows and sweat  then it would steam up  te glass.   But the hard part Is patterning and installing yesterday I patterned a co rr for a azure deck boat   Left the bimini up for some shade and did it in the am but it was still hot
today I've got thenac on in the shop and will go back out in a few to work the patterns
mike

[sofadoc]

We're up to 30 straight days over 100 degrees. The 7 day forecast calls for temps ranging fro 101 to 108. Looks like we might make a run at our record set in 1980 (42 straight).
I remember that year well. My wife and I had 2 cars with A/C's that didn't work. We couldn't afford to get them fixed. And we had blankets strung over the curtains of our crappy apartment to keep the blazing sunlight out.
It was miserable that year. As I get older, the heat doesn't bother me quite as much as it used to (but, it's still hot as hell).

I'm going to try running my smaller shop A/C unit in "dehumidifier" mode in conjunction with my larger window unit.

[kodydog]

My A/C story.

I built my shop with Florida heat in mind. Heavy insulation in the walls and ceiling, insulated doors, double pain windows, the works. I built a wall, with a door, down the center. Wall mounted A/C's on each side of the shop. When I set the thermostat at 78 degrees that's where it stays even when its 100 out.

One morning, about a year after I had them installed I went to turn one on and heard a thump, thump, thump. I thought what the heck, don't tell me it's having problems already. Turned it off and back on and sure enough the thumping persisted.

So I climb onto a wood box and proceed to take the front of the A/C off so I can peer inside. And when I did out flies this snake. He had just had a head thumping and he was not happy.

My wife was on the other side of the shop, on the phone with a customer. She said she heard me scream (I prefer to call it a guttural man groan) and came running over to find me laying flat on my back doing a systems check to see if any thing was broke.

The snake of course wanted no part of me and went scurrying under my work bench. Took me about 1/2 hour to find the bugger. Took a broom and scooted him out the garage door. Snakes have no traction on smooth concrete.

Sure would like to know how he got up there, about 5' off the ground, and how he got inside my A/C and what was he after anyway.

Never a dull moment. No sir, never a dull moment.