@@illiniwood absolutely, but it will look better, be more efficient and also have a Heat pump. Also, since he seems handy he can install it himself and save a shit ton on everything. Including electricity.
Everyone is saying mini split but after installing and replacing a few of those I can say a dual hose portable AC is a better idea for a garage. Unfortunately everyone buys the cheap single hose making them popular enough for some companies to stop making them. It's far more energy efficient to use the outside air to cool the outdoor coil than use inside air that has used energy to become cool and then cool the outdoor coil with it causing an imbalance in pressure thus pulling in outside hot air.
Solid advice… thank you… the only way I’m thinking is to cut a hole and route the exhaust hose from the portable ac out there into the exhaust hose I already have.. and make a drain system for the water..
Take it to the next level by adding a fantech inline fan for the exhaust, and use a current sensing relay to power on the fan via the compressor power feed, so that when ever the compressor is running the inline fan kicks on to boos exhaust ability. This will greatly increase your loss of capacity, due to long exhaust pipe.
And then, go to homedepot and grab yourself a washing machine pan, and place it under the back of the AC unit that's gonna leak water on the floor, because it's meant to hang out of a window. Then get a 3/4" Threaded adaptor, 3/4" Electrical backing nut, 3/4" rubber washer, place it in the center of the washing machine pan, and place a condensate pump underneath the 3/4" threaded adaptor, with the help of a 5" Piece of 3/4" PVC. Take 4 or so 6" x6"x6" cinder blocks to support the washing machine pan. Then run 3/8" Plastic Vinyl tubing to the drain of your choosing from your condensate pump. Plug in the condensate pump and you're good to go.
This creates a negative pressure space in your home that causes hot air from outside to come in. Worst case it may cause exhaust draft piping from things like your water heater or old furnace to fail filling your house up with carbon monoxide
With the garage door up like it is that should be plenty of air exchange. If he puts the boards in like he said, then he could have a negative pressure problem. His best bet is to put several round soffit or crawlspace vents in the boards he plans to use. I'm more concerned about the head pressure on the compressor from too long of a duct run, especially with two 90 degree bends. The shedding of heat from the condenser coil is a calculated process. Also, the duct boot he's using on the condenser coil is far too small. Also, the outer duct foil he's using is too restrictive. There's most likely a buildup of heat around the outside of the boot under the foil. Though there is some breathing on the sides, the coil fins are still regurgitating restricted heat. He needs an inline exhaust fan placed beyond the two 90"s to get his air draw up. I just don't think the condenser coil fan is strong enough on its own. If he's willing to buy the tools and do a little sheet metal work he can build the proper sized condenser coil plenum for this project. I hope this works out for him to his satisfaction. I have the utmost respect for people who deep think and act on projects like this.....Cheers!
Wow.. I truly appreciate you.. this is smart talk.. I love it.. I’m going to try and implement this… Hopefully it helps people who read that response..💯
This is exactly what I’ve been searching for. Here’s my idea, I want to duct the heat into my attic, the attic is a smaller closed off space with a heat vent already cut in the actual roof. Will this be suitable ?
Don't do this! The evaporator coil takes moisture out of the conditioned room where condensation then drains back to the condenser fan to where it is collected in the tray for added cooling of the condenser coil(efficiency). If you duct this exhaust to your attic, you will introduce moisture into your attic. The heat vent isn't going to be able to draw the moisture out fast enough before it has a chance to collect onto the rafters and into the attic insulation. There's just no way everything is going to stay dry when being fed moist air at such a high rate, even on the hottest of days and especially at night. You will end up with black mold growing everywhere in your attic, of which will also make it into the walls of your home. To make this project happen, you would need to vent insulated ducting right out through the roof, and you would also need an inline high CFM exhaust assist fan($$$) to make that happen. Also, At your first 90 degree bend, you would need a weep hole for the excess water to drain out as it builds up in the a/c/s tray and moisture buildup that collects in the exhaust duct going vertical up into the ceiling. Whatever you do, don't drill a drain hole in the a/c unit's water tray. It needs that water for the condenser coil, unless this is a really, really old (1980ish) A/c unit you're using. If you do this, buy ducting tools and fabricate a condenser coil plenum that fits properly over the a/c outer enclosure. The foil tape and duct boot method shown here is too restrictive and excess heat will raise the head pressure on the compressor, thus will shorten the life of the compressor. Honestly, If I were you, I'd consult a local commercial HVAC tech and strike up a solid plan he/she could stand behind before taking this on. Good luck, and I hope this works out for you.....Cheers!
