Shop AC Sizing

[dstig1]

Kinda like how they call what the TSA does in airports "security theater" I think of bubble wrap as Insulation Theater... It might be removing the condensing surface for you, as you say it stops the dripping, but it really has almost no insulation value.

I'm in a way different climate zone so my shop is fully insulated and sealed to be heated in the winter, but I do not have AC. It would be nice but I just can't justify it here. What I have done is add a dehumidifier and keep the shop sealed up as much as possible in the summer. It does get hot in there as the dehumidifier is dumping that heat back in, but the reduction in humidity actually makes it feel a lot nicer, plus eliminates the minor surface rusting I would see on some tools. So that is one potential thought...

But what Sig and Eddie said is what will make the real difference: you need to insulate first. Otherwise you are just blowing money out the door in excessive electricity use and it still probably won't keep up.

 

[FPGT72]

My building is your size, but with 24' side walls, so REAL TALL.

I have a single 240v "window" unit. 28k BTU. I will run it when I am in there. I am in MO so summers are usually in the 90's with humidity about the same or higher.

In the heat of the day I will start it up for about 30min before I plan on going out there. That will take the edge off. The humidity is the real killer. It will be comfortable to work in there with the AC on in pants and a Tshirt.

If you want to go to the up stairs it is VERY different, I have thermometers up there and temps over 100F are real common. That hot air just hangs out up there with no place to go. When going up you can feel a BIG difference at about 8' off the ground.

Plans are to put a few gable fans in there to give that hot air a way out. I think that will really help. Till those get installed I have two fairly large floor fans that I will turn on and then point up to where I am. It does make a difference, but it will make down stairs much warmer as the air moves. I will also turn on the ceiling fan, that helps as well. I run the ceiling fan more in the winter to move that warm air back down to the ground. I have also taken the floor fans up stairs and pointed them down to move the hot air down.

It is really amazing at how that temp changes at around 8'. In the winter it can be just livable down stairs, but you need shorts and a tshirt up stairs.