Shop cooling suggestions

[CGS1]

You may look at some of these.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_fans+drum-floor-fans+drum-fans

 

[dennishoddy]

I have an all-metal shop built on a concrete slab, 30’ x 40’ with a 12’ high center ridge. The walls are sheet metal with a little insulation there and on the ceiling. Two metal side doors at opposite ends and an overhead door. No windows.

No heat or air, either. It’s not so bad in the winter, as I can set a space heater on the floor near where I’m working, but the summer heat and humidity are a bear, and I can handle only an hour or two right after sunrise. I can keep working, but being hot and sweaty leaves me grumpy, which defeats the purpose of tinkering in the shop. I’ve been looking at ways to cool the space at least to 80 degrees, with a budget of $500. I can get a pretty good sized swamp cooler at that price point, and put it in front of one open door, pointing toward the other open door. I’ve seen charts that indicate a temp of 80 degrees is doable if the outside temp is no more than 90 and the relative humidity no more than about 65%.

Has anyone east of I-35 actually run a swamp cooler in the summer in recent years? If so, how well did it work? Any other suggestions without going over $500?

You will hate a swamp cooler in your shop building. Oklahoma has too much humidity on most days to make them efficient. Your building will be like a rain forest if it's tight construction with water dripping off of every metal truss and purlin. If you go that way though, freeze some 2 liter bottles of water and put in the water at the bottom of the swamp cooler to get some colder air out.

I'm in the same boat as you with a 30X40 building that is really tight and well insulated. I have overhead ceiling fans, and high volume industrial fans mounted on the walls that move a ton of air, but it still gets hot in the summer and I can't run the fans when reloading as it screws up the powder scales.
So, two options for me. AC the entire shop, or frame in the reloading area and put a smaller unit in for that purpose.
Looking at a small 110v AC if I frame in the reloading area I'm out $200 or so for the AC plus another $200 or so for framing, sheet rock, lighting, etc.
For a little over $500 I can get a 230V AC window unit at Atwoods that is I think 20,000 btu that would cool the entire shop nicely.
Used window AC units are 1/2 of new.
I know where I'm going with cooling down the shop.

 

[doctorjj]

I have an all-metal shop built on a concrete slab, 30’ x 40’ with a 12’ high center ridge. The walls are sheet metal with a little insulation there and on the ceiling. Two metal side doors at opposite ends and an overhead door. No windows.

No heat or air, either. It’s not so bad in the winter, as I can set a space heater on the floor near where I’m working, but the summer heat and humidity are a bear, and I can handle only an hour or two right after sunrise. I can keep working, but being hot and sweaty leaves me grumpy, which defeats the purpose of tinkering in the shop. I’ve been looking at ways to cool the space at least to 80 degrees, with a budget of $500. I can get a pretty good sized swamp cooler at that price point, and put it in front of one open door, pointing toward the other open door. I’ve seen charts that indicate a temp of 80 degrees is doable if the outside temp is no more than 90 and the relative humidity no more than about 65%.

Has anyone east of I-35 actually run a swamp cooler in the summer in recent years? If so, how well did it work? Any other suggestions without going over $500?

Go to Klamart in Pryor and buy an AC unit.

 

[MacFromOK]

I'd try a 10k AC window unit.

Not expensive, and might surprise ya with the doors closed, as cool air settles and will concentrate in the lower half of the building anyway. Add a fan for a breeze wherever you're working, and it might be quite comfortable.

I'd avoid water coolers like the plague (when humidity is high, your sweat doesn't evaporate). IMO you'd be better off with just a fan that those.

Just a couple thoughts.

 

[dirtrider73068]

Swamp coolers do ok if its low humidity they do make the air feel cooler but once it gets above 60% they get useless, they also induce moisture into the air, if its a woodshop that will play hvac on your wood, metal it's going to make it rust faster.

My garage aka shop was hot I had doors on north and south I opened to get the wind but on those still hot summer days, I couldn't do it, even at night it was awful. I come across a fan from a house hvac system, wired on a plug, used two real estate metal sign for a stand for the fan, blocked off the lower 1/3 of it to force more air out at a high speed and it works great, can feel it from the other end of the garage. It even help pull the hot air out of my attic in turn help reduce the heat in the attic. Most hvac places have old units they take out see if they have one where the fan still works might get it cheap or even free. Those hvac squirrel fans put out alot of air, you need to play around see if you need to block off the opening some to put back pressure to force more air and air speed out of it.

 

[Aries]

This thread is making me hot. I'm going to go turn the thermostat down.... LOL!

 

[TwoForFlinching]

My cousin does what Hoddy was talking about. He swapped an ac in for my grandma's swamp cooler. Pluto that old cooler on wheels and packs a couple of frozen water milk jugs in it. Pulls humid air across those jugs and cools off pretty good. It's not ac cold, but you point that thing at your plumbers crack sitting at the bench, it'll keep you from over heating.

 

[Parks 788]

If I had a 30x40 shop and much of my hobbies and other work areas required me to be in the shop a lot to get things done or even to tinker I would be upping my budget enough to spray foam the walls and ceilings and getting an A/C unit installed. At the same time I'd be setting up a heater or wood stove for the winter. Adding insulation and HVAC can only increase your property value if that matters to you and allows you to live more comfortably while doing your hobbies and activities.

 

[dennishoddy]

My cousin does what Hoddy was talking about. He swapped an ac in for my grandma's swamp cooler. Pluto that old cooler on wheels and packs a couple of frozen water milk jugs in it. Pulls humid air across those jugs and cools off pretty good. It's not ac cold, but you point that thing at your plumbers crack sitting at the bench, it'll keep you from over heating.

We came up with that technique when we had to go into heat treat furnaces at Smith Tool to re-brick and repair. Even after three days of cooling off, it was still 150+ degrees inside. We got a local heat and air company to build a plenum on the front of a swamp cooler then attached a tube to blow into the furnace and had a local ice company bring in 20 lb blocks to put in the bottom. The guys inside eventually called us on the radio and asked if we could shut it off for a bit as they were freezing in there.

 

[AKguy1985]

I'd say AC window unit. A friend of mine has them built into his shop walls, one on each end.