Air conditioner window unit question

[holleegee]

I have a 24X24 garage that I need to keep cool in the summer (80 or below)
The window units I have been looking at don't say how big of a room they are for. Would a 8,000 BTU air conditioner work or would I need to get a 12,000 BTU. I don't need it cold in there just below 80.

The garage is insulated and has a concrete floor. It stays cool in there most of the time but in the summer it can get hot. I raise angora rabbits and need to keep them cool. I can't put a frozen water bottle in their cages because their wool would matt up. (they are show rabbits) Last summer I kept them in our basement and they were fine but now I have a few more and my husband said no, they have to stay in the garage.

What size unit would I need to keep it at 80?
Thanks for your help

[uncle Will in In.]

If it is insulated including the ceiling which is very important plus the door The 8000 would probably work ok. One that runs on 220 volt will opperate more efficiently than a 120 unit.

[trixiwick]

I would also think the 800 would work fine for a single large room, but to some extent it depends on just how much summer heat you'll be fighting. Are you in Minnesota or Texas??

[holleegee]

Originally Posted by trixiwick

I would also think the 800 would work fine for a single large room, but to some extent it depends on just how much summer heat you'll be fighting. Are you in Minnesota or Texas??

Missouri

[trixiwick]

Missouri's not too bad - I would think an 8,000 BTU would do the job (I omitted a zero in my last post, but I bet you figured that out!).

Angora rabbits are gorgeous!

[Fire-Man]

I would use a 12,000 or larger. A 8,000 would have to run all the time if it get's hot outside. I had a 24,000 in my 24x36 shop and it worked good till I went to a central unit!. Randy

Originally Posted by holleegee

I have a 24X24 garage that I need to keep cool in the summer (80 or below)
The window units I have been looking at don't say how big of a room they are for. Would a 8,000 BTU air conditioner work or would I need to get a 12,000 BTU. I don't need it cold in there just below 80.

The garage is insulated and has a concrete floor. It stays cool in there most of the time but in the summer it can get hot. I raise angora rabbits and need to keep them cool. I can't put a frozen water bottle in their cages because their wool would matt up. (they are show rabbits) Last summer I kept them in our basement and they were fine but now I have a few more and my husband said no, they have to stay in the garage.

What size unit would I need to keep it at 80?
Thanks for your help

[Jack in VA]

Figure 12000 btu per 500 sq. ft. I'll let you do the math.

[insanity]

http://www.frigidaire.com/products/roomair_howtobuy.asp

[clovis]

Does the garage have a ceiling? You are really going to need to install a ceiling if you don't have one already. I would go ahead an install roll insulation in the ceiling. Why waste the energy if you don't have to????

The sun really heats up the roof, and then the garage, so I am afraid without a ceiling in the garage, you will be running an AC unit all the time with no avail. My point is that it is going to be really really hard, if not impossible, to cool a garage with no uninsulated ceiling in the dead of summer.

Any chance you could build a small room in the garage, and just cool it?
clove

[Dubai Vol]

Originally Posted by clovis

Does the garage have a ceiling? You are really going to need to install a ceiling if you don't have one already. I would go ahead an install roll insulation in the ceiling. Why waste the energy if you don't have to????

The sun really heats up the roof, and then the garage, so I am afraid without a ceiling in the garage, you will be running an AC unit all the time with no avail. My point is that it is going to be really really hard, if not impossible, to cool a garage with no uninsulated ceiling in the dead of summer.

Any chance you could build a small room in the garage, and just cool it?
clove

Agree. To put a ceiling in you are talking about 18 sheets of particle board or whatever, and it will make a huge difference. Not only are you insulating from the heat of the roof but you are reducing the volume of air that needs to be cooled. Even stapling up a layer of plastic and throwing shredded newspaper on top of it would help a LOT. Also put the A/C in a north-facing window to keep it out of the sun if possible.

[Wayne02]

I've found the advertised air conditioning btu ratings are a lot like tent ratings. I.E. a "3 man tent" is really only a 1.5 man tent. I would rather overshoot capacity a bit than have a unit that was strained and worked hard all the time. I choose 12K btu for that sized room.

If you put an 8k in there and come to find out it's having to cycle all the time just to barely keep the room at the temp you want, you will not be a happy camper. However, if you put a 12K in there and find out it keeps the room comfortable and doesn't have to cycle as much, it won't take long to forget the few dollars it takes to ge from an 8K unit to a 12K unit.

Wayne