What a waste

Hot here too but not that hot .Sorry no suggestions

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

i put porches for shade at the sunny side , it cools down the air before it gets into the shop .
any thing you can do in that line , even temporarily for the summer can help ,
until you can get shade on that side permanently .
more fans too .

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

If you bought an air conditioner it may just take a while for it to blow the cold air. Turn it on for an hour and see what happens. If you’ve done that then I don’t know what to tell you either. I run regular fans and it seems to help a bit, but it’s still hot. Good luck

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

is your garage insulated?

Thank you for all your help. To be honest, I really am not sure if the garage is insulated.and if so how much. I recently bought the house new so I am not sure. It is dry walled. I also bought a garage insulation kit that consisted of foam panals you place in the doors. Maybe kolwdwrker is right and I need to let it run longer! It’s just frustrating. I will also buy some more fans like Patron said and try that. Thanks all

-- “Who wants an orange whip? Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips.” John Candy, Blues Brothers

I live in sunny FL inland where it’s frequently above 100 with the heat index. Basically I just about shut down for the summer months at least June through August. I only do what I have to and wait for the fall or winter for my projects. I take up half the garage and keep all my big tools on rollers so I can roll them out onto the driveway that’s partially shaded. My real problem down here is 100% humidity. I mean, I have to change shirts every hour if I want to maintain a semblance of dryness on my person. That said, I haven’t done dick for woodworking since the middle of May.

See you in September. Good luck.

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

I ran some duct work from my A/C and heat ducts in my attic….and ran two over to my Garage. Insulated my garage door and of course made sure the vents into my garage can be turned on and off. Here in South East OK…it gets between 105 and a 110 all the time during the summer. With a heat index of 115 and above all the time (VERY humid here).

To be honest, this has only raised my elec bill for A/C and Gas bill for heat about ten dollars a month. With the thermostat in the house, it (Heat and air unit) still runs about he same amount as it did before I did this last summer.

If the vents have been shut off for awhile…or I have to open the over head door to bring in material…it takes about a day to get the temp back down to a livable temp (Since the thermostat is in the house)...but once it is there…it makes a world of difference.

-- Don S.E. OK

I’m in South Louisiana, and I put the foam insulation on my garage door, and insulation in the ceiling above the garage. Then I installed a mini split a/c unit and keep it at 74. Even with a dog door leading outside, you wouldn’t know it’s over 100 degrees…. Best shop investment I’ve made.

-- Jeremy, Baton Rouge, LA - rayburnfinefurniture.com

Hot in Sacramento too. I’ve got a portable heater/airconditioner/dehumidifier and it actually works pretty good. It is rated for 500 sq ft but I don’t believe it. I added the foam insulators to my garage doors and the attic is also insulated. On 100 plus degree days like today it will not cool the entire garage shop below 80, but it is quite a bit cooler than outside. I have the unit on a wheeled cabinet with an exaust hose to the attic. Anyway, I just move it around so it is blowing on me or pointed in my direction and that works just fine.

My cooler has two setups. One where it pulls fresh air into the cooler, blows it into the shop, sucks hot air out, and exhausts it. The other setup uses room air to feed the cooler. It still exhausts hot air. Like me I guess. It usually doesn’t take but a few seconds to begin to blow colder air.

Next to injuries, I hate to hear about lost shop time. Hope you get it worked out.

“Its a dry heat, so’s my oven, but you don’t see me sticking my head in there.” Anonymous

-- tim hill www.newcalshop.com

I worked at a shop in Ga that had a sprinkler system made out of pvc pipe on the tin roof. Worked pretty good as i recall.

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

Mely5862 , my shop is very close to you and we have the same problem 110 to 115 yesterday inside .We just keep working and drink lots of water. We also operate a giant fan at the end of the building and keep our shirts wet . Conversely in winter the high in the shop is around 37 without the stove going and maybe 50 at peak with it blazing ! Constant glue-ups and finishing are a challenge to say the least.

maybe if you have the space on a wall..install a automatic ceiling vent fan. the kind that you usually use on your roof. it has a temp setting… mine is installed on the roof and kicks in at 90. keeps the heat down when i have the garage door open… creates a cross flow from the door to the ceiling…

If it were that hot here in MS, I would seek out some of the guys coming back from Iraq. They gotta know how to endure that kind of heat. I think 114 is a nice spring day in Bagdad.

In MS, it gets hot but it’s humid. I find an old t-shirt fashioned around the head soaks up the sweat and the evaporation of the sweat has a cooling effect. I do have a couple of fans going too. Drink lots of water and cotton clothing. I have heard of “old timers” wearing long sleeves and long pants to stay cool. Same science as above.

My dad had a man that worked for him around the house and old Riley only want hot coffee to drink in the summertime. He said, “It kept him cool.” He also insisted on wearing long blue clothing. I wondered about Riley but I never disputed him.

-- Makin' Sawdust!!!

i think you need to find out for sure whether you have insulation or not before doing anything else, especially in the ceilings

110 degrees in the shop today measured .A wet shirt worked fine -

I am new to the desert and this is the first summer that I am trying to deal with the heat in the garage. I see that most of you mentioned insulation on the garage door. I think that may be the next step and a bigger fan. Yesterday it was 109 outside and 106 in the garage….too hot for me, but I did manage to stay long enough to help cut some plywood sheets :)

-- -Willing to try

I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think a swamp cooler might be a good idea.. it doesn’t cost anywhere nears an A/C unit, but it’s what they use in Arizona in homes..

-- Randall Child

101 in the shop today -

Why not move up here in the Northeast we are having the coldest July on record. It’s like we have had no summer at all. I have a pool in the backyard and have only been in it once, it’s too cold.

-- Tom D

Move to canada. It’s a really cold summer this year. Yeah, sorry. Not a constructive suggestion!!! We have the opposite problem in the winter.

More trees, if that’s an option.

I would not be able to bear the temperatures that you guys are describing.

Heat index was 115 yesterday with 90% humidity. Thought I was gong to die in the shop…shut the doors and opened the A/C vents…just started to feel cool in there this afternoon.

-- Don S.E. OK

I thought if you had a “dry” heat, you cooled off by adding moisture to the air. Mini fog misters would help here. Try using an inexpensive room humidifier and have a fan blow the mist around. Cool off the surrounding outdoor area of the house. Use the technology the adobe homes use. Thick walls. Insulation to cool off is as important as for heating. Can you add shade cloth over the roof, about a foot above it so it allows air to flow/cool off?

The portable A/C is probably over taxed by the square footage and high temps. Reduce the amount of SqFt. needed by enclosing the area (plastic sheeting?). Add an extra fan to help move the air around.

Build a basement. The earth is a natural insulation, at 65F you will be nice and comfy underground.

Hope this helps.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe