My shop is HOT. My techs are dying. We have had about 20 days at 85+ degrees here with high humidity! A/C for a 7,000+ sq. ft shop is out of the question. Has anyone used a evaporative cooler set-up on a large scale? Comments/experiences welcome. FYI. Est to install A/C with upgraded wiring etc. was over $80,000!!!! And that was 3 years ago.... :shock: You see my problem.
Hot huh? I know what you mean, I guess. Down here it is usually high 90's or better and being right near the coast the humidity is up there. Now with the huricanes it seems to rain a buch adding to the humidity. Some of the shops I deal with have a big fan that has a water hose hooked to it. It sprays a very fine mist into the air and seems to cool pretty well. These are in the $800-1600 range but seem to work for less than the a/c. rich
Evap coolers are a cheap way to cool large areas but you have to consider the effects of the increased water vapor in the space. A/C systems typically dry the air during the cooling process while a evap cooler will increase humidity. You have to carefully evaluate the effect on products, tools, and equipment. Not just the employee.
In a high humidity area in the first place I would say it would be a very, very bad idea. The added humidity could play havoc with a lot of equipment, as well as adding to the humidex, as they say "It's the heat, it's the humidity" I always thought The evap A/C worked best in a low humidity place, such as Nevada.
Ditto....whay Trevor said. These only work well in low humidity areas.... Here's a great chart from: http://energyoutlet.com/res/cooling/evap_coolers/ On the left column, is the incoming air temperature. Across the top is the relative humidity....temps in the middle are the resulting, cooled air temps.
I think you need to shop around. $80k to A/C a 7000 square foot shop is psychotic! I just got a $3400 quote to HVAC a 2200 square foot house with a 12 seer 4 ton unit... And it's a brand new house, so that price includes the trunk plenum and vent lines. I think you need to find a friend in the HVAC business. At the very worst, triple my cost to run 3 units like mine to cool your shop. As for your original question about evap coolers, avoid them. I'm here in Louisville, and have the same god-awfull humidity as you, and went into a wharehouse that had one of those evaps, and it was like walking into a sauna.... Not worth it.
I think I'd get a second opinion. Just like going to a doctor. $80k sound a little high to me to cool 7000 sq ft.
7000 sq. ft. building with 16 ft. ceilings would need approx. a 25 -27 ton a/c capacity. A rooftop DX airhandler would be less than 50% of your quote installed. Somebody be jerkin yer gerkin!
Thanks for the responces so far guys. Our shop has 20' ceilings, and services over 80 cars a day. The doors would be going up and down all day long too. The A/C units would require power system upgrades as the shop is maxed out with what we currently have (25 year old shop). The units would need to be huge, nothing like the small home units. Our showroom unit was replaced last year, and it's a 20 ton unit....cha ching! There is alot more involved to install an A/C system than meets the eye here. This is why I am looking for an alternative to make the guys more comfortable. The humidity is so high here that it feels like you are being slapped in the face with a hot, wet washcloth. I don't think it can get worse some days. Even at $40,000, the cost doesn't stop there. Major increases in power bills, and maintenance too. I just want the guys to be a little more comfortable, and the the OK from the big boss to get something done.
if you open and close the doors often you may want or need to add air curtains. these are a wall of air that keeps air from escaping from the open doors. when you open an 8' to 16' wide door it lets out tons of cool air. check em out. there are other compaines that do them too. http://www.marsair.com/dynafrce/products.html
Probably not cost effective unless you were into new construction, however I know some of the large factories here are cooling the floors instead of the air. I know what you mean about the heat. It's been the same here in Southwestern Ontario with no end in sight. I don't remember a summer with this many hot days in a row. My 100 year old house doesnt have central air and the upstairs is brutal! :af: I manage a much smaller shop (6 techs) and we have been handing out a lot of water and popsicles! Todd
You can't cool the floor for the exact same reason. It works in low humidity but in high humidity places the floor begins to "sweat" like a toilet.
Port A Cool The port a Cool look like the ticket We just order a 36 high performance model 2012.40 shipped it say up to 2,500 sq ft. My buddy just ordered the 48 it was 2,660 something with shipping, They are selling them at dealer prices because they are up to two weeks out. I thank for the price that the setup they make some smaller ones as well check out the Port A Cool web page they have 1-800 number
