Mini split HVAC in shop

Blaze

Blaze

The Jeeper Reaper
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Location
Wake Forest, NC
So right now in my shop, 26x40 with 8ft ceilings, I have a window AC unit on one side and a portable AC unit on the other side for the summers. Keeps it pretty cool. Well, I've been trying to keep the shop conditioned year round, so I've been running the heaters in there. I usually only run them when I'm working in there but since I work from home now and pop out there for a bit now and then to get a break, I just leave them running. I have a smaller plug in unit heater and then a bigger 220 wall mounted unit heater I got out of the old Nazareth Speedway. Well, apparently that 220V unit will suck some power because my power bill last month...woof.

Thinking of looking at one of the mini splits for HVAC all year. without having to run the two separate units. Something really cheap. I mean, right now I am running a window unit that they left in the house when we bought it and a portable unit I bought at a yard sale for $25. Plus a cheapo Amazon unit heater and an ancient one that is probably full of burned piss.

Any advice here? I don't need it to stay 72 degrees, just want it to be where I don't freeze my balls off in winter or sweat my balls off in summer. It was nice the other night when it was like 25 degrees pulling my truck into the shop to change the oil and being comfortable in a hoodie.
 
Mini-splits work great in a clean area...I.E. for storage of vehicles ONLY. They have a pathetic excuse for a "screen" on the top, and no filter media. If you do any grinding, painting, or anything that produces "nasty" you won't get much life out of one.

I wouldn't recommend a ductless split in your application.

I would honestly put a properly sized conventional Split system with a short run of ductwork on a plenum frame and rock out. Any good HVAC mechanic could do that on a saturday working a side hussle from their day job for relatively cheap.
 
No real advice to give other than that two of my neighbors installed their own mini splits in their garages that they bought off amazon. They've been working flawlessly in the three years they've been in there.
 
Installing 2 24k btu units in my shop now. Overkill for the size but figured with the ceiling height and thin insulation it will help to have the extra capacity. No real help to add since I just got the first one installed Saturday but to Troy's point, I will say I see a potential issue with the filter screen. I plan to add some sort of filter material to the top to help catch more contaminants. They are Senville Leto series units off Amazon that do heat and air. Heat actually worked better than expected and think the price was like $1200 each so I think I'll be happy with them.
 
Silverado_Express said:
Installing 2 24k btu units in my shop now. Overkill for the size but figured with the ceiling height and thin insulation it will help to have the extra capacity. No real help to add since I just got the first one installed Saturday but to Troy's point, I will say I see a potential issue with the filter screen. I plan to add some sort of filter material to the top to help catch more contaminants. They are Senville Leto series units off Amazon that do heat and air. Heat actually worked better than expected and think the price was like $1200 each so I think I'll be happy with them.
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To your and Troy's point. I wonder if adding filtering material would change the life expectancy of the equipment? I know that the fan would have to work harder to pull air through.

Im thinking, what if you built box around the indoor unit that was essentially just air filters?
 
Our stick built shop (4' cinderblock lower & 14' ceilings) is decently insulated... has a "Hired Hand" propane fired livestock heater that absolutely rocks.
We keep it set it on 40* (a little insurance since plumbing is in the slab) when not there and will take it to bikini weather 75*-80* in <12 mins

Oddly, the 120VAC window unit will keep it between 70*-72* in the hottest of summer...
 
Holy static pressure!

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CasterTroy said:
Compared to the factory it was designed for.....
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Hey guru, did you ever think what my shop would benefit from.

I remember a rather dark or was it sadistically sarcastic answer on the lines of.....good luck!
 
CasterTroy said:
Compared to the factory it was designed for.....
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You're assuming it was actually designed, and not just copied from something else ;)
 
jeepinmatt said:
You're assuming it was actually designed, and not just copied from something else ;)
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Look..I TOLD you it was just a simple mistake. I copied the specs for Iredell county and used them in Guilford and THOUGHT I changed all the references...but I missed a few..sheesh.
WARRIORWELDING said:
Hey guru, did you ever think what my shop would benefit from.

I remember a rather dark or was it sadistically sarcastic answer on the lines of.....good luck!
Click to expand...
I thought we were going to build a flat roofed extension down one side the entire length but 5ft shorter, then run a 10 ton rooftop thru the sidewall and hang a duct sock?!?!

Or was $30k a bit too much for heat and AC :laughing:
 
CasterTroy said:
Look..I TOLD you it was just a simple mistake. I copied the specs for Iredell county and used them in Guilford and THOUGHT I changed all the references...but I missed a few..sheesh.

I thought we were going to build a flat roofed extension down one side the entire length but 5ft shorter, then run a 10 ton rooftop thru the sidewall and hang a duct sock?!?!

Or was $30k a bit too much for heat and AC :laughing:
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I'm ok with the shed roof, I need the space......but the conditioned air. Yep that was along the lines of your statement previous.
 
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