What is the best air handler system in detached?

[*89x2*]

Currently, I do not have heat or AC in my garage - it is a detached 26x34 and I was wondering what my options are and what I would need to power the various units.

Also, what do you use to control humidity , etc in the garage's air?

Thanks in Advance


ohh - is it absolute that I have insulated doors or are my seals enough??

 

[corvettecrazy]

personally i wouldn't build a gaurage w/o insulated doors, my room is poorly insulated and its not fun having the temp change with outside, also it will be harder to keep warm in the winter if not insulated

 

[*89x2*]

Garage is built - doors are 5 years old so if I need to replace them, I will (but would rather not... )
Thanks

 

[JohnZ]

In Michigan, the insulated doors are a must for the winter, and they eliminate any condensation you might get on the inside of a plain steel door. My garage is attached, and is insulated just like the house is - R-28 in the (2x6-framed finished) walls, and R-58 in the finished ceiling. It's 44'x 60'x 12', and I have a 125,000-BTU Reznor ceiling-mounted power-vented forced-air gas unit heater with electronic ignition (no pilot flame); In single-digit winter weather, I run it for about 45 minutes in the morning to bring the garage up from 55 to 75, then I only need it about once every four hours for 10 minutes at a time to bring it back up to 75. From 10 at night 'til 9 in the morning with no heat on, my garage has never gone below 55 degrees, even in zero weather. Don't have A/C in the main work area for the summer - just use fans; A/C all summer for 2600 sq. ft. would be kinda pricey :cry

 

[John Mcgraw]

The answer to that question lies primarily in your climate and your needs. If heating is your primary focus than an insulated door is a necessity. You could probably insulate your existing door with foam board insulation if it is a steel door. many manufacturers make a post insulation kit for their steel sectional doors. A wood door would probably be much harder to do and make it look nice. In any event, you could probably repalce your door with the tracks for less than $500 if you shop around.
Put the new style of jamb-up weatherstrip with the flexible vinyl sweep on it and your door will be pretty air tight.

If cooling is the issue, then the door becomes less important as the major heat gain issue is the ceiling. I air condition my shop in the heat of Texas and manage to keep the electric bill acceptable.
I have R58 ceiling insulation, R25 walls, and an insulated 18x8 sectonal door as well as double pane windows and an insulated walk door.
That being said the advantage of the insulation in the walls and doors, pales in comparison to the ceiling!

I have a 1.5 ton A/C unit with a horizontal air handling unit in the attic. This gets all of the heater and air conditioning equipment out of the shop proper where accidental igniton of vapors from gas or lacquer thinner is not an issue.
I have become spoiled on the A/C and do not know how I could go back to working in the 100 degree heat ever again. My shop is almost 1000 square feet and the 1.5 tons is more than adequate given the construction of the shop.
Unlike Mr. Hinkley, our winters are mild and heating is almost a non-issue given the insulation.
I find my work expanding to my other shop in the cooler months, but it has just become a 3 bay storage building during the hot months. Every thing that is not currently being worked on gets moved to the non-conditioned shop during the summer months!

Regards, John McGraw

 

[*89x2*]

Garage is in VA - Hot Hazy & Humid from May until Sept Fridgid from Dec - Feb
I love it here

Wood doors - I know - too tough to post - insulate , am willing to accept new doors but would have to change the door on the house to match so prob 2500 bux for all the doors (at least)

ceiling has "Blown" insulation and it has substantial insulation in the walls

Would a good epoxy floor coating control moisture from beneath??

Thanks for all the help

 

[John Mcgraw]

I am not aware of any epoxy coatings that will properly bond to any floor that does not already have a vapor barrier under it . Every time I have seen it tried, it blistered and peeled off.
Have you done a patch test yet to verify that your slab does not have a vapor barrier under it already? If not, tape a couple of square feet of poly down to the floor. Tape it tightly around the edges and leave it for a day or so. When you pull it up, if the back of the plastic is dripping wet, then there is no vapor barrier. Just because the floor sweats sometimes, does not necessarily mean that there is no vapor barrier. When the air temp increases and gets more humid the ground temp lags behind and will often cause the slab to sweat from the colder slab causing the mositure in the air to condense out on it like a cold glass of iced tea in the summer!
There are very few solutions for a floor which does not have a vapor barrier underneath.

Regards, John McGraw

 

[*89x2*]

Thanks -
Plastic is on top of a 4-6" bed of gravel w/ the slab poured on top of that.
Vapor barrier is there

I am still gonna try that tape and plastic thing

 

[JohnZ]

When we built the new house/garage three years ago, I put down a 10-mil poly vapor barrier, then 1-1/2"-thick 4'x 8' tongue-and-groove sheets of high-density closed-cell foam with heavy foil on both sides, then poured the floor over that. Zero moisture migration. Then had Home Pro Floor Coatings (www.homeprofloors.com) steel shot-blast the cured floor and apply two coats (24 hours apart) of 2-part industrial epoxy resin, with the final coat tinted light gray and sprinkled lightly with fine silica sand for anti-slip when it's wet. Dry, warm floor that's absolutely indestructible and easy to keep clean.

 

[*89x2*]

Have you done a patch test yet to verify that your slab does not have a vapor barrier under it already? If not, tape a couple of square feet of poly down to the floor. Tape it tightly around the edges and leave it for a day or so. When you pull it up, if the back of the plastic is dripping wet, then there is no vapor barrier. Just because the floor sweats sometimes, does not necessarily mean that there is no vapor barrier. When the air temp increases and gets more humid the ground temp lags behind and will often cause the slab to sweat from the colder slab causing the mositure in the air to condense out on it like a cold glass of iced tea in the summer!
Regards, John McGraw

John, Taped clear plastic down on the floor - airtight Been there 3 days, no condensation at all - floor has barrier per installer / builder - if I recall, I have a pic of the construction (somewhere)

I guess I am in decent shape as it is HUMID as he11 and wet / rainy - but where isn't it

Thanks.

 

[8388]

You can't beat a well insulated garage. This last winter was the first test for mine. We had a week with temperatures in the mid to low 20's, and my garage never got lower than 56 degrees. Now it's summer and we're in the 90's duing the day,and low 70's overnite, and it's stays around 78 degrees during the warmest part of the day. It's also important to have a good ventilation system in the attic, this helps with the heat in the summer, and humidity during the winter. I went overkill with two over size electric attic fans. I have a 5 ton central unit in the garage and I have yet to use it. Maybe when we get those 100 plus days, and even then I don't think it will take that much to keep it comfortable. In my book, all the extra $$ I spent on over kill insulation, will be saving lots more over the years. Premium insulated garage doors, are a very important part of this. I was told that the same process that's used to insulate commercial freezers was used in the manufacturing of my garage doors.

 

[*89x2*]

Still no moisture built up inside plastic taped to the floor - Floor feels cool and although not damp, it just feels - cool, too cool compared to the floor on the house...

I suppose an epoxy floor paint would also act as a moisture sealer and keep the garage from feeling so cool...

Anyone try a de-humidifier??? Model, size??

Thanks - just trying to find balance

 

[John Mcgraw]

Epoxy paint will add no appreciable R value to the floor and will not add any more moisture resistance since it appears that you already have a moisture barrier. The floor will still sweat when the concrete temp is cooler than the dew point of the surrounding air such as in the spring and fall. A dehumidifier is nothing but an air conditioner that reheats the air with waste heat from the compressor to avoid any cooling effect. I would just put in a cooling unit and gain the added comfort of cool air. The winter will not usually be a problem since any heating of the garage will drive the relative humidity to almost non-existent levels.
Regards, John McGraw

 

[*89x2*]

I figured the de- humidifier would be most cost effective for what I am looking to achieve...

here are some links I found:
http://www.meaco.com/guide.html
http://deloreanparts.com/zilla_019.htm
http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/compare-dehumidifiers.html

Let me know what you think - the input is appreciated

 

[*89x2*]

Any thoughts on the above units?????????????????????

Thanks