Portable A/Cs have come a long way since my first one. My current one will cool down one of my rental units (1500 sq') during the summer. It won't be cold but it will be nice inside compared with nothing. I bought it and have used it once as an emergency A/C when one of my tenant's unit broke down on a weekend until it was fixed. You just need a place for it to vent the hot air outside and any window will work.I'm looking at portable ACs, but out of my area of expertise or experience.
It's a standard T.Not inexpensive, but if you have electricuty and water a PortaCool works well. Mine is 36" fan. I got it for a steal from a cnc shop that was selling everything. Doubt I'd spring for new.
Also.. what size space are you talking? A smakker size coould work for a small T.
Yeah swamp coolers work OK temporarily but long term use in hi humidity areas will do quite a number on your tools. Be careful.Swamp coolers, aka evaporative coolers work OK in dryer climates. The OP info says Alabama, so I'm guessing high humidity generally.
In the SE, they don't work particularly well. Too much humidity, which means the opportunity for evaporative cooling is greatly reduced.Yeah swamp coolers work OK temporarily but long term use in hi humidity areas will do quite a number on your tools. Be careful.
Yep. Spot cooling is about the best you're gonna do unless you want to spend real money on insulation and HVAC.Something similar to this. Sits about 2 feet from me pointed right at my face. If you are inside your airplane, you can keep the cockpit very cold actually.
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Totally agree. Unfortunately, the cheap ones at the big box stores don’t last more than a year or two in my experience, doesn’t seem to matter the brand.Perhaps something that is less expensive that would really help is controlling the humidity. Getting a portable dehumidifier and attaching a garden hose to take the water outside is an inexpensive way to improve comfort. While I have a 3 ton mini-split for my shop, before I installed it I used a dehumidifier to help with comfort. It was surprisingly comfortable up to about 85 - 90 degrees. A medium quality unit will get the humidity down to about 30%. Note that like any system that conditions the air, the tighter the space the better it will work. Not sure a T-hangar would be tight enough. On the other hand, with multiple units you might be surprised.
Today, I still use a dehumidifier in conjunction with my air conditioning. The result is greater comfort at a higher temp.
Years ago when I was ddoing alot of work in the shop, Suzanne insisted that I put a 15000BTU window unit in. Actually worked pretty well.Neck wraps you soak in water and a fan. Might allow you to work a bit but 104 is dangerous to your health.
Insulation is the key. Any AC is a waste of time in most open ceiling T and steel walls and door hangars so a fan is the only viable option.
20 degrees is a lot. I don't think even a large window unit in a non-insulated hangar is going to do that.So no options for me to go buy something today and expect it to knock 20 degrees off the top? Seems like the portable AC units just don't work well enough in non-insulated environments to be worth it?
The metal roofs of the typical hangar get HOT. And then that hot metal re-radiates heat downward. Yes it will be hotter higher up. Like 120F near the ceiling. Oftentimes these roofs have a peak and the heat doesn't escape out the roof. Typically no vents up there, so no escape route.I wonder why... Heat, I agree, in an open hangar will just rise and escape out the roof. Cool air, however, is more dense and collects near the floor naturally. If you have a well sealed set of walls and doors around the bottom perimeter, if you cool the air it should stay there.
I would think a couple portable units from you local home improvement store would get you from heat stroke zone to ugly sweating. Maybe not 20 degrees but seriously noticeable. and you can stand in front of them occasionally to cool down.So no options for me to go buy something today and expect it to knock 20 degrees off the top? Seems like the portable AC units just don't work well enough in non-insulated environments to be worth it?
Evaporative coolers work well when you live in a DRY climate like the desert Southwest USA. I have a friend that has one like in the link but may be a different company but he is in the Mojave Desert and it works great.I just ordered one of these after talking to the rep, anyone else have one that can report their results?
Cool-Space 300 Evaporative Cooler
Cooling power that actually works for your budget. When it comes to productivity, hot, humid working conditions may be your worst enemy. That’s where Cool-Space quiet evaporative coolers save the day by delivering energy-efficient cooling to keep your working environments safe and comfortable...store.bigassfans.com
Pricey but it's hot. Real hot. And humid. So humid we're just going to swim to the field today.
So humid you'll be working on your float rating...Pricey but it's hot. Real hot. And humid. So humid we're just going to swim to the field today.
We use tons of those in the plants and they are pretty effective. Not as great on the humid gulf coast, but still better than nothing.I just ordered one of these after talking to the rep, anyone else have one that can report their results?
Cool-Space 300 Evaporative Cooler
Cooling power that actually works for your budget. When it comes to productivity, hot, humid working conditions may be your worst enemy. That’s where Cool-Space quiet evaporative coolers save the day by delivering energy-efficient cooling to keep your working environments safe and comfortable...store.bigassfans.com
Pricey but it's hot. Real hot. And humid. So humid we're just going to swim to the field today.
Having built a few hundred way more than normal energy efficient homes in my home building career I have a bit of information to help.What are you guys using to cool your hangers? It's 104 degrees here today.
Not expecting 65 degrees but perhaps there's a way to drop it 20-30 degrees?
I'm looking at portable ACs, but out of my area of expertise or experience.
Advice appreciated and welcome!
What is the constrcution of your hangar? metal T-Hangar with gravel floors? Concrete bliock hanar attached toa home with concrete floors.... What power do you have available? 110/220 how many amps can we add?What are you guys using to cool your hangers? It's 104 degrees here today.
Not expecting 65 degrees but perhaps there's a way to drop it 20-30 degrees?
I'm looking at portable ACs, but out of my area of expertise or experience.
Advice appreciated and welcome!
It’s a T hangar Art. No place to put an ac unit,even a mini split.Having built a few hundred way more than normal energy efficient homes in my home building career I have a bit of information to help.
Ya I'm spoiled with a fully sheet rocked insulated heat pumped hangar. It wasn't when I bought it though.
The most important thing you can do is """STOP""" the heat/cool from escaping.
I would start with sealing up any air leak you can find with caulking weather-stripping or what ever.
I built homes in 6 energy efficient government programs where the homes were tested for leakage and overall performance
Air leakage is the predominant problem. And no you won't suffer with moisture either. In houses the humans create all the moisture.
So after you tackle the leakage problem you might think of getting a Daikin mini split zonal system. You can even buy a preset up system off Amazon.
It's just money But it's nice to be cool
My luck varies FIXIT
Let us know how it works out for you.I just ordered one of these after talking to the rep, anyone else have one that can report their results?
I use a cooling vest (the kind that you soak with water) on my motorcycle, and have used one in a car without A/C. They work fine with the humidity below about 30% with good airflow. If you head east from Salt Lake, as soon as you start to see cornfields (indicating a much more humid climate), they quit working.Anybody ever use a cooling vest?
I have a much higher capacity evaporative cooler in my hangar. It puts out about 20 * cooler air if the humidity is 20%. The hangar door must be open quite a bit for it to work. If the door is closed, the temp drops about a degree and the humidity approaches 100%. See this chart :I just ordered one of these after talking to the rep, anyone else have one that can report their results?
Cool-Space 300 Evaporative Cooler
Cooling power that actually works for your budget. When it comes to productivity, hot, humid working conditions may be your worst enemy. That’s where Cool-Space quiet evaporative coolers save the day by delivering energy-efficient cooling to keep your working environments safe and comfortable...store.bigassfans.com
Pricey but it's hot. Real hot. And humid. So humid we're just going to swim to the field today.
You can mount the outside unit on the roof..... Works just fine.It’s a T hangar Art. No place to put an ac unit, even a mini split.