Hath Hell Frozen Over: Cooling a Windowless Garage Part II
by Patrick Harper - Blood, Sweat, and Sawdust
It seems that way…for now. I would love to install a ductless mini split in the garage. I have a limited budget, so I figured I would give a small portable air conditioner first. If it doesn’t adequately cool the space, I will return it.
So far, it is working pretty well. It cooled down the garage from 82 degrees to 75 degrees in a couple of hours. I will insulate the exhaust hose, which will make the small unit more efficient.
Speaking of the exhaust hose. I decided to exhaust it into the small attic space above the garage. I purchased a 6-inch dryer vent and some 6-inch flexible duct work. I cut a hole through the drywall and connected everything. It took less than half an hour. As you can see, my drywall skills need some work.
The weather is cool at the moment. Highs are only in the mid 80’s. I will have to wait until next week to see if this small LG portable air conditioner can keep up. At the very least, it blows a nice cool breeze across the workshop without disturbing too much dust. I will be happy if it can get me through the rest of this summer. Perhaps I can save up for a mini-split by next spring.
Click here for my first post about cooling a windowless garage
Blood, Sweat, and Sawdust 
Now you’re making me jealous! 😉
After I do some re-configuring in my shop i have got to find a way to cool it down. Something like this might be the ticket.
Is your garage insulated?
Well, sorta. It’s attached to the house, so the space above the garage is paneled and insulated (It’s a two care garage completely paneled in knotty pine) the walls, however, are just paneled up against the brick exterior wall. I’m probably just going to have to find a couple of big shop fans for the time being.