a/c in the garage man cave? (1 Viewer)

Nice, any links to the unit for 1k? I would like to see what size it is .... what size do you use for 1200 sq ft.

My current unit is either a 18k or 24k unit - can't remember - I wish I would have gotten one unit bigger, the far side of my garage is warmer then the other side, this only matters during poker nights in the summer - if I'm woodworking, this doesn't matter b/c i'm not on that side, all my tools are on the other side.

Here's a unit less then $1K. Typical garage is only 400 sq ft. so this unit would be fine if you insulated everything and your garage did not face west.

Running a new 240 volt line for the unit is what is $$$$$$ - if you know what you're doing you can save $1K right here.

I hired a local A/C company to make up the connections & release my freon - they also run a vacuum test to make sure there are no leaks - that was $300 - money well spent.

https://www.amazon.com/PIONEER-Air-...646&s=gateway&sprefix=mini+spl,aps,153&sr=8-3
 
I think I've given up on trying to host any games in the garage during the warmer months. I host once a month, maybe twice. I wouldn't need the a/c for 5 months because it's cool enough. I can't justify the cost of purchasing and installing a minisplit unit, especially when I'm only intending to turn on the unit for 7 days/nights throughout the year. (And I don't have any plans on using the garage as a workshop or a home-gym.)

Ugh.
 
(And if you're curious, my garage is attached to the house... 18x18... and I'd have my guests walk in/out through the front door
I think I've given up on trying to host any games in the garage during the warmer months.
I think I've given up on trying to host any games in the garage during the warmer months. I host once a month, maybe twice. I wouldn't need the a/c for 5 months because it's cool enough. I can't justify the cost of purchasing and installing a minisplit unit, especially when I'm only intending to turn on the unit for 7 days/nights throughout the year. (And I don't have any plans on using the garage as a workshop or a home-gym.)

Ugh.
Just a thought, but if your house has central AC you could try leaving the door connecting your garage and house open, say open it overnight or early morning, before it gets too hot, and try to see if the AC from the house will help cool the garage down by the time you'd have a game. A fan could be used to help circulate air to and from the garage.

I am limited to hosting poker nights in the garage. Because it feels like a sauna when the garage door is closed,
Also, if your garage door has windows that get direct sunlight, cover them with something like white posterboard that reflects the sun (use painters tape, so you can reuse the boards) to keep the heat out that day. I used to live in a south-facing apartment with a lot of windows getting direct sunlight, and the difference in temperature would be about 5-10 degrees cooler if I blocked out the sun all day.
 
Hey folks, I figured I'd provide a quick update. I ended up purchasing this dual-hose portable air conditioner from Home Depot.
I then created some holes in a 2x12 to vent out the exhaust under my garage door. I also cut out some cardboard to block the couple inches of opening at the top of the garage door.

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(I painted the wood and the cardboard white so it would blend in a little bit.)

And then this past Friday, on an 88 degree day, I flipped on the a/c unit at 4pm, and set it to 70 degrees. We started playing at 9pm... had a full table of 9 guys... and played till 2am. The a/c unit worked perfectly! (I have no idea if it'll affect my energy bill, but on Friday, I was loving being able to host during the summer!)

Will I keep the unit? I'm still unsure. It only takes 5-10 minutes to get it all set up. And then another 5-10 minutes to take it all down once everyone left. But since I only need to do this 6 nights a year I'm unsure if I want to spend $500 for the unit. (I wish I was able to find a used unit on Craigslist!) Plus, I don't have a lot of space to keep it stored in the corner of the garage. So I may end up returning this thing back to HD and just go poker-less in the summer.

Thanks for all the helpful insights and suggestions!
 

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