A/C
 

Anybody familiar with free-standing (portable) A/C units? I need one for a vending storage that measures 12' x 16' x 8'. Any thoughts on size and brand? Thanks

Nothing? :eek: :cool: :rolleyes:

Hey Salty, i own a A/C buisness over here around Lake Charles, I don't know alot about the portable units. My sister has one for a room in her house that isn't fed by her central. It works pretty good. i would suggest getting the largest 115 volt they offer. She got a smaller one and brought it back for the larger one.

i don't remember the brand name but my wife and I used one last summer when our A/C went out. I can tell you that is was unable to keep our bedroom below 86 degrees. It was 103 in the rest of the house so that may have had something to do with it. :rolleyes:

Salty........let me check in the morning. Got a buddy that is in sales with a/c rental company, he may be able to point you in the right direction.

How many BTU's to cool 200 sq. ft.?

Good deal, thanks.

There are a lot of vairables.....is the building insulated, is the inside wall "finished"? Is the building located on concrete or grass? Is there any shade?

vending storage use.......is that for something like drink machines or just "dry" goods? Will the door or window be left open?

Will this building generally be empty or will there be several people going in and out often?

Salty, It will depend on what ya got going on in the space. If I remember right, the largest portable was only around 8,000, maybe 10,000 btu's. If you have to go with the portable, go with the largest. You may want to check on a " Mini Split ", these units work really well for small or large areas. They do cost more, but do a great job! Get in touch with a Goodman or Amana dealer in your area if your intrested in learning more on this. The Goodman Mini split will be the best price.

I saw some that were 14K BTU.

That should be plenty big enough! Is the space insulated pretty good?

insulation is key.

thank you old wise one...... who says alcohol doesn't create a false sense of self. You drink three beers and you are "Captain Obvious".

Your Catch Phrase:

"HERE I COME TO SAY WHAT EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS!"

Yeah get a big one. Gotta keep it full of water or it craps out. But they work pretty well. They have em at lowes.

member how hot it was at my house during gustav!!! but we ate like kings!

Salty,

In a perfect world, you could get away with an 8,000 btu unit for 192 sq. ft., but since it's (i guess) a metal storage unit I would go with 10,000 btu. I would go with Haier (but thats all I have direct experience with). Make sure, what ever the brand, it uses the self-evaporation technology.

Here's a couple links

http://www.haieramerica.com/en/product/CPR10XC6


Good luck

:rotfl::*****::cheers:

It's not a metal unit. I closed in and insulated the rear of my boat shed. I've decided just to go with a window unit since my carpenter said it won't be a problem with framing it...even though the sheetrock is finished.

I've heard A/C guys say that your home can have too much air conditioning. They say, because the unit does not run enough, condensation builds up in the ducts. I want to get a size that is adequate for the area.

Thanks to you guys for your input.

Salty from what I remember from Drafting in High school, BTU's are figured out by the volume of the room and the r factor. Did you insulate your storage room?

Yes, I even put more than I was supposed to.

Salty........if the vending machines are just being stored and not running [ie. putting out heat], get a small A/C unit.

A 1/2 ton [6000 BTU] should be plenty big enough. Something smaller could keep it cool.....but would need better discription / information. If the vending machines are running.....then I would need more info.

Yes, too big is not good. The unit needs to run long enough to remove the humidity from the air......not just cool the building quickly.

Mr. Gerald, the storage is for the products....chips, candy, soda, ice cream, etc. The only heat generated inside the room will come from a commercial freezer. I need a unit with a de-humidifier. Heat is not that important. The A/C is mainly for the candy but the room will have to be dry for the chips, cookies, etc.

With a commercial freezer running......6000 BTU may not be big enough.

If this "storage room" is something you are going to use for a long time, you might consider putting some kind of simple partition to seperate the area where the candy/chips are stored from the freezer. Maybe just hang a tarp....this would help keep the candy area a little cooler than the freezer area. This is assuming the A/C unit is closer to where the candy is stored.

I suggested this to my wife in the beginning but "The Boss" said it was not necessary. Now, it's too friggin' late. Good point, tho. Guess I'll just have to see how much exhaust the freezer puts out.