Air Conditioner for Studio
#11
When we bought the new place here, we bought a nice outbuilding for Tina's hobby studio, sewing, quilting, crochet, etc.  It was delivered wired and insulated... But they did a crap job at both.  If I had known, WE would have done both.  Rather than secure the insulation between the studs, they stapled the tabs from each section on the edge of each stud with eleventy hundred staples.  Had to go thru and pound in half the staples to get the paneling to lay flat.

I installed a window ac unit in the building, bought new at home depot.  A compact little Toshiba, highly rated.  It ran for 45 days this summer, then died, the same day Miss T finished painting the walls. 
Upset. That meant pulling the trim around the ac unit, returning it, and reconsidering the hvac for the building.

It's 12 x 24 and the calculator on line recommends 9,000 btus for heat and air.  I have heard about mini heat pumps, or should we look at a larger wall ac unit and an electric heater of some sort for the winter.  Open to suggestions, no rush, summer is over and we have two small electric units she used in her old hobby hut in VA.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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#12
I like mini splits as they are very efficient and quiet but they have their drawbacks. 
 
        1)They are the most expensive equipment you can buy. 
        2) No filter. By no filter I mean they have that window unit filter that can keep birds out.
        3) No parts. Except for a few there are no parts available
        4) HVAC companies don't want to install them and don't want to service them many don't know how to is why


    So basically most any mini split is always a DIY job.  


      If you go mini split and don't have the tools or know how I suggest going with a Mr Cool system. They use marine connectors on their units and line sets so everything is sealed and no don't need gauges or a vacuum pump or any of that. Once you thread it together the fittings open on their own and allow refrigerant to flow. 

      
      As for window units they are hard to beat for price and they are far more efficient now than they used to be. I have a 2 ton on my 20x40 insulated metal shop. It is nowhere near enough to cool it since metal buildings are incredibly hard to heat and cool unless you have a blanket of foam before the steel is put on. It's been in there for 10 years and is still chugging along. It's an LG and yes as usual the front cover has fallen off like all window units.... 
       
              One tip for window units. Many have an economy mode which turns the fan on and off like a house unit. Don't use it as it will break the fan. The fan is plastic and that repeated start and stop of the fan stresses the plastic and will break it.




            As for your sizing. Those calculators all assume you are living in that space and will size the unit to where it can MAINTAIN temperature. Any time you have a shop or hobby building you will only be cooling it when you want to use it so you will need a MUCH LARGER unit to quickly cool it down. Use the calculators and Manual J as your starting point then go bigger.
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#13
Undersized units that have to run full time will not last as long as larger ones that can cycle off occasionally. That pretty much sums up my knowledge on the subject.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#14
These are decent little inexpensive units. Not hard to install. I have to log the age of any HVAC system during a home inspection and see lots of these 10+ years old.

Daikin 9,000 btu Mini Split
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


... Kizar Sosay





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#15
Try this link
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


... Kizar Sosay





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#16
I had a Daikin 12,000 btu mini split in the dream shop in VA, and it was great.  It cycled on and off as needed, kept the temp at 68 degrees year round and cost me about 15 bucks a month to run.  If we had stayed, it would have offset that initial cost with that savings in about five or six years.... It had two removable screen filters on the front you could wash if they were nasty, and my HVAC guy serviced it twice a year when he did the semi annual pms on the heat pump and gas furnace.  I was sorry to lose them, they were great to work with. 
Big Grin

We just put in a call to see what it will cost to have the hvac guys add a minisplit for tinas shop to the work order when they do my shop. 
Cool. I'll keep y'all posted.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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#17
(10-13-2020, 08:38 AM)BrokenOlMarine Wrote: When we bought the new place here, we bought a nice outbuilding for Tina's hobby studio, sewing, quilting, crochet, etc.  It was delivered wired and insulated... But they did a crap job at both.  If I had known, WE would have done both.  Rather than secure the insulation between the studs, they stapled the tabs from each section on the edge of each stud with eleventy hundred staples.  Had to go thru and pound in half the staples to get the paneling to lay flat.

I installed a window ac unit in the building, bought new at home depot.  A compact little Toshiba, highly rated.  It ran for 45 days this summer, then died, the same day Miss T finished painting the walls. 
Upset. That meant pulling the trim around the ac unit, returning it, and reconsidering the hvac for the building.

It's 12 x 24 and the calculator on line recommends 9,000 btus for heat and air.  I have heard about mini heat pumps, or should we look at a larger wall ac unit and an electric heater of some sort for the winter.  Open to suggestions, no rush, summer is over and we have two small electric units she used in her old hobby hut in VA.

I can't remember the BTU (12,000?), but I had a GE through-the-wall unit in our country house that did a fine job for the 11 years or so we were there.  Thermostat settings worked as advertised.  Bought a smaller one for a finished one-car garage in the next house.
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#18
(10-13-2020, 09:08 AM)Snipe Hunter Wrote: Try this link

UNAVAILABLE
VH07V  
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#19
(10-14-2020, 03:02 AM)EightFingers Wrote: UNAVAILABLE

It says "In Stock". But just about all HVAC equipment and alliances are unavailable right now.

[Image: gRyKvKH.png]
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


... Kizar Sosay





Reply
#20
A mini split would be the cat's meow for your purpose, IMHO.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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