In a Panic....I Won't be Allowed to Air Condition my Garage???????

[alex grams]

I am in the same boat as John McCaskill. Northwest Houston with a 15,000 btu window AC unit I rigged up into the overhead of my garage. I have ported ducts through the attic the the awning outside the house (one each for supply and discharge air). It works great, not visible from outside the garage, and in about 30 minutes it makes the garage much more tolerable to work in on a hot day.

I have however insulated the ceiling in the garage, and I have a radiant barrier and foam board insulation on the garage door (which faces west and catches a good amount of sun)

[Jerome Stanek]

have you looked at the portable air conditioners. You can get a 12,000 BTU unit and roll it over to the window when you are working out there.

[Justin M Rovang]

I would call a local HVAC place and see what they've done in the city to provide air conditioning for garage.

[Phil Thien]

Phil,

If it violates code and he could pay a fine or be taken to court and forced to bring it up to code....that violates a regulation or law and is illegal.

I don't see it as a gray area or political. Obey the law.

(1) I don't know that a window unit that doesn't face the street would violate any laws. Not enough information here. I do think the advice to contact HVAC contractors familiar with the codes is the smart move. I sure wouldn't march into the building inspector's office without doing some research first.

(2) I politely indicated I'd rather not go any deeper into the discussion about observing laws as my statements may be construed as political. I can't be any more clear than that.

[Jesse Wilson]

I have one of these and it works like a dream. Dehumidifies as well if you need that.

http://www.sharpsdss.com/ForHome/Hom...rs/CV10NH.aspx

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Phil,

I would politely suggest that choosing to selectively ignore a law or regulation is a moral decision not a politcal one.

I would suggest a little more research with the local building code office might result in a suitable method to reach an accomodation.

[Darius Ferlas]

I use a 14,000 BTU portable A/C in a server room.

Without it, the computers bring up the temperature in the 500sq feet room up to 95 degrees. The A/C keeps it constant at 74 degrees. All temps. are measured at 6 feet from the floor.

[Phil Thien]

Phil,

I would politely suggest that choosing to selectively ignore a law or regulation is a moral decision not a politcal one.

You can't separate the two. Ignoring a law has both political and moral implications.

LOL, you just aren't going to let this go, are you? Anyone interested in discussing it with me further is welcome to PM/E-Mail me. But it is not a topic that suits a woodworking site.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You can't separate the two. Ignoring a law has both political and moral implications.

LOL, you just aren't going to let this go, are you? Anyone interested in discussing it with me further is welcome to PM/E-Mail me. But it is not a topic that suits a woodworking site.

Would you say this is the pot calling the kettle black?

[Steve Milito]

Any follow-up or resolution from the OP.

[Glen Blanchard]

Any follow-up or resolution from the OP.

We closed on the house Friday of last week and spent the whole weekend cleaning the house, my wife never getting out of the kitchen. I am currently in the process of getting electrical and A/C bids for the shop. We have to get some of the new house painted, carpets cleaned, some carpet replaced, the wood floors refinished, resolve some plumbing issues, etc, etc, etc. We have not yet put our current house on the market, so when we finish getting the new place ready, we will paint the current house and finish our packing. So, needless to say, lots of work ahead. As a result, although I am compiling bids for the new shop, I am uncertain exactly when I will pull the trigger, and all associated decision-making regarding the shop is on the back burner for a while.

Whew!!! I'll be glad when it's over and the current house has been sold!!!!

[Nathan Palenski]

If that is what I have to do, that is what I have to do. However, there are reasons I would prefer not to go to the trouble.

1. cost to close the opening
2. cost of removing the wall to restore it to a garage upon selling the house
3. Whenever possible, I work with the garage door open (weather and temperatures permitting)

I'm not a pro at this by any means but having seen this before I have a couple of observations.

I know that here swamp coolers are exempt from a lot of these regulations. I had never seen one until one of my father's neighbors bought one due to similar regulations. He also had to seal his garage up and ended up using semipermanent heat shrink plastic.