Portable Evaporative Coolers/Portacool/Big ass coolers/What else for garage coolers/AC

[Cdog]

Hey y'all Im looking for some advice on what's the best way to go. I'm out in Scottsdale and have to do work in the garage on race car stuff and whatever. I have had two of the smaller portacool units so far. The first one crapped out on me within a year and the second was marginal (Cyclone 120). It worked when it's pointed at you anyway but not enough to cool the garage. I just sold the second one and am ready to give something else a try.

I was planning on buying the Home Depot Cyclone 140 3900 CFM Single-Speed

PORTACOOL Cyclone 140 3900 CFM Single-Speed Portable Evaporative Cooler for 900 sq. ft. PACCY140GA1 - The Home Depot

Cool down your patio, garage or favorite outdoor space with the unique PORTACOOL Cyclone 140. Standing nearly 5 ft. tall, this energy-efficient evaporative cooler elevates its airflow to provide maximum

www.homedepot.com

My garage is a tad over 1000 sqft. This one might be marginal but the price is attractive and it won't take up too much space when not in use. It's a consumer unit and doesn't have as good of a warranty as the next product line up from portacool.

Then there's the Jetstream 240 portacool. It has 600 more CFM and covers my garage sqft +

Portacool Jetstream 240 Portable Evaporative Cooler | PACJS240

This evaporative cooler is easy to move and it fits in the tightest of spaces. Liquid level indicator and intuitive control panel make operation a breeze.

portacool.com

Amazon.com: Portacool PACJS2401A1 Jetstream 240 Portable Evaporative Cooler: Industrial & Scientific

Buy Portacool PACJS2401A1 Jetstream 240 Portable Evaporative Cooler: Portable - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Then there's this brand called Big Ass Fans. 5 yr warranty, digital controls, interesting cooling media. Cool name haha! Little cheaper than the equal Jetstream 240 portacool.

Evaporative Coolers

Our line of fast-acting, quiet, evaporative coolers keep your indoor and outdoor spaces cool and comfortable.

www.bigassfans.com

I'm also considering the Mr. Cool mini splits but I might plan to add one of these next year. I think I'll still need a fan to move air around in the garage anyway.

MRCOOL DIY Gen-3 34,400 BTU 16 SEER Smart Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner and Heat Pump with 25 ft. Install Kit 230-Volt DIY36-HP-230B25 - The Home Depot

The MrCool DIY 3rd Generation 16 SEER 24,000 BTU/h ENERGY STAR Ductless Heat Pump is designed for simple, amateur installation. Using pre-charged R410A Quick Connect Linesets, anyone with a few common

www.homedepot.com

What's everyone thoughts? Experiences? The Portacool is a more well known brand but I've had some quality issues on their lower tier stuff.

 

[CigAjerk]

I would just plan on the mini split.

Swamp cooler and air movers....good only a % of the time. Don't get me wrong, couple times a year they are badass. but.....

Mini split, happy days all year long.

 

[Cole 392]

X2 0n Mini Split

 

[Cdog]

I would just plan on the mini split.

Swamp cooler and air movers....good only a % of the time. Don't get me wrong, couple times a year they are badass. but.....

Mini split, happy days all year long.

I agree that's where I'll end up at but I'm not sure if that the answer for a quick 30 min to 1 hour job in the garage. If I know I have some serious work to do I can lock the place up with the mini split, give it a couple of hours and cool it down where a Evap will at least do something on demand.

 

[boatdoc55]

Mini splits are so efficient there's almost no reason to turn them off!!!!

 

[Fastdadtsmith]

Do your projects require leaving the door open? If not, mini split is your best choice. They can move quite a bit of air. Just be wise in the mounting location that suits your needs.

 

[yz450mm]

It really depends on whether you want to work in the garage with the doors shut, or open. The Evap cooler will need to have air in/out, the mini split will only work with the doors shut. I spend a lot of time in the garage on the weekends, and during the summer I have to have the doors at least partially open to run the big PortaCool. After a couple of incidents of unknown vehicles coming into the driveway late at night, it makes me nervous to have doors open at night.

Also, if you're doing any work that produces fumes/dust, then the evap cooler is a good way to get rid of them pretty quickly. The ideal setup would be to have a mini split with heat pump for when you want to work with the doors closed (and provide heat in the winter), and an evap cooler for working with doors open.

 

[Wheeler]

Here's a brand that RiverBound recomends.

Daikin FTX30NVJU-RK30NMVJU - 30k BTU Cooling + Heating - Wall Mounted Air Conditioning System - 17.5 SEER

The Daikin - 30k BTU Cooling + Heating - Wall Mounted Air Conditioning System - 17.5 SEER FTX30NVJU-RK30NMVJU has been discontinued. Check out Expert's recommended alternatives for another top mini split system.

www.acwholesalers.com

 

[RadMan]

Ive had 2 of the Portacool Cyclones for a 3.5 years now, in a big hot warehouse in Texas, if focused on your work area it takes unbearable heat to good enough to work. No way to ever cool the whole space, it’s giant. Hi/low speed fan, water flow control and run with or without the pump, 2000cfm, can also deflect air up or down. $599.00. The only compliant is having to tweak it to keep the water from splashing on the floor, I used some tape as an additional splash Guard.

Portacool Cyclone Portable Evaporative Cooler 2,000 CFM, Model# PACCY120GA1 | Northern Tool

The Portacool Cyclone 120 is perfect for smaller settings, yet still delivers an impressive amount of air output. The Cyclone 120 provide...

m.northerntool.com

 

[Cdog]

I just got off the phone with my bro Sean who runs an AC company in Anaheim. We did my 5 ton HP system last year for the S side of the house and plan to do my 4 ton North side system later this year. He did the calcs and as it turns out I've got .50 ton excess on my N system that I plan to replace. So we're going to do another 5 ton and run a switched split system to run 1.5 tons on AC to the garage. It might steal a little tonnage while in use in the garage but it will only be an issue while I'm out there.

In the meantime I'll buy the cheaper Portacool at Home Depot for 1k and use that to get through the summer and move around air in the garage.

 

[Cdog]

Ive had 2 of the Portacool Cyclones for a 3.5 years now, in a big hot warehouse in Texas, if focused on your work area it takes unbearable heat to good enough to work. No way to ever cool the whole space, it’s giant. Hi/low speed fan, water flow control and run with or without the pump, 2000cfm, can also deflect air up or down. $599.00. The only compliant is having to tweak it to keep the water from splashing on the floor, I used some tape as an additional splash Guard.

Portacool Cyclone Portable Evaporative Cooler 2,000 CFM, Model# PACCY120GA1 | Northern Tool

The Portacool Cyclone 120 is perfect for smaller settings, yet still delivers an impressive amount of air output. The Cyclone 120 provide...

m.northerntool.com

Thats the one I had and just sold. It was Okay while right on you. I'm looking at the next size up now.

 

[Cdog]

It really depends on whether you want to work in the garage with the doors shut, or open. The Evap cooler will need to have air in/out, the mini split will only work with the doors shut. I spend a lot of time in the garage on the weekends, and during the summer I have to have the doors at least partially open to run the big PortaCool. After a couple of incidents of unknown vehicles coming into the driveway late at night, it makes me nervous to have doors open at night.

Also, if you're doing any work that produces fumes/dust, then the evap cooler is a good way to get rid of them pretty quickly. The ideal setup would be to have a mini split with heat pump for when you want to work with the doors closed (and provide heat in the winter), and an evap cooler for working with doors open.

Pretty sure I'm headed this direction.

 

[69GS]

Mini Split, getting ready to add one using solar as soon as we figure it all out.

 

[Riverhound]

I bought the Cyclone 140 for my 750 sqft. garage and it does really well until the monsoons hit in late summer. Looked into a mini split system and everyone wanted 5k or more. I picked mine up on sale at Ace Hardware for $900 and haven't looked back.

 

[mesquito_creek]

I don't think 3900 CFM is enough... I am running 6000 CFM ducted mastercool on a 900 sq ft shop. It 108 in chandler and putting out 82 degrees,... thats 26 degrees of delta. This time of the year the evap is at its best...

 

[jones performance]

i tried an evap cooler in my garage in havasu. it wasnt very effective in reducing the temps. it was probably sized too small. i put in one 2 ton mini split last summer and it works awesome. my bill is acutally less with the mini split than it was with the swamper.

 

[rampster]

Following.

 

[rrrr]

Running 3900 (or 6000!) CFM in a small shop would drive me nuts. Check out these specs on the Jetstream 240:

Air Delivery
4,500 CFM / 7,646 m3/hr
Velocity
29 mph / 47 kph

That's almost enough air to blow wrenches off of your workbench.

If an 80° environment is acceptable, the cost of running the 30,000 BTU mini split compared to the tower of power evap wont be much. Going with a lower temp will obviously use a bit more electricity, but even at a 100% duty cycle, it's only using 3.2 kW/hr. That's less than 30¢/hr at the rate I pay. Not to mention the size of the evap cooler and the water hose will always be in the way.

You're working on a race car. Be comfortable, take your time. Nothing's more important than doing it correctly.

 

[mesquito_creek]

My 6000 cfm is ducted through 4 large registers and into the bath room so I have never blown any tools off the bench? But I also have mini split AC installed... AC doesnt work with an open door or even opening the garage door a couple times... I pull a 200 degree motor in a truck and who knows how much heat in the rest of the truck coming off the street! I don’t think mini splits could pull the heat out of a hot vehicle and be cost effective. But the Evap with all that air makes my truck a comfortable 80 degrees in no time at all. If you want extended living/work space then close it up and get the ac working. but I can’t pull my truck in and wash it 3/4 of the way in the shade with Evap like I do now. 5 months of this 100 degree heat needs a open working space for me, I can’t imagine prepping or detailing my boat with the door closed after the sun is down when I can open things up... summer cabin fever after 30 years in Az is real for me. I hardly use my mini splits..

 

[Bobby V]

My 6000 cfm is ducted through 4 large registers and into the bath room so I have never blown any tools off the bench? But I also have mini split AC installed... AC doesnt work with an open door or even opening the garage door a couple times... I pull a 200 degree motor in a truck and who knows how much heat in the rest of the truck coming off the street! I don’t think mini splits could pull the heat out of a hot vehicle and be cost effective. But the Evap with all that air makes my truck a comfortable 80 degrees in no time at all. If you want extended living/work space then I close it up my ac working. but I can’t pull my truck in and wash it 3/4 of the way in the shade with Evap like I do now. 5 months of this 100 degree heat needs a open working space for me, I can’t imagine prepping or detailing my boat with the door closed after the sun is down when I can open things up... summer cabin fever after 30 years in Az is real for me. I hardly use my mini splits..

Thanks. You just saved me 5K for a new mini split. lol I always have the garage doors open. I do have a portable EVAP that is pointed in my direction when I'm sitting in the garage watching a game. Maybe if I lived in Havasu full time I would get one.

 

[River Runnin]

A friend has the Portacool 160 (8000cfm). Outside under awning every weekend. It works awesome!

 

[mesquito_creek]

In order for mini splits to have a chance you need to have a fully insulated garage/shop. All the walls and attic would need to be at an R19 or better out in AZ when it’s 110 all summer. My garage/shop is a detached slump block building with front and rear drive through garage doors. Block without any interior treatment is like a R6 or something. So one solution isn’t going to work for everyone. April through the July 4 my Evap works great. Then it turns into a simulated Florida vacation from july 4 to Labor Day weekend. Kicks ass again mid sept through November. I am cheap and too Arizona to ever bother with my mini splits. If my wife has a party or something and I want a space for guys to hang out I have to close it all up and run them for about 24 hours to pull the heat out of everything.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

I'd suggest to get a mastercool window mounted swamper. It's not that much money (about $400 and works really well in a moderate sized space. It's a little loud but not unreasonable

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk

 

[guest hs]

In my shop I have 3 really large roll around swampers and 1 on the roof and it was pretty miserable today. I think my shop space is around 1500 sq foot I need to do something to old for this.

 

[Wheeler]

In my shop I have 3 really large roll around swampers and 1 on the roof and it was pretty miserable today. I think my shop space is around 1500 sq foot I need to do something to old for this.

Where are you venting the discharge?

 

[Wheeler]

In order for mini splits to have a chance you need to have a fully insulated garage/shop. All the walls and attic would need to be at an R19 or better out in AZ when it’s 110 all summer. My garage/shop is a detached slump block building with front and rear drive through garage doors. Block without any interior treatment is like a R6 or something. So one solution isn’t going to work for everyone. April through the July 4 my Evap works great. Then it turns into a simulated Florida vacation from july 4 to Labor Day weekend. Kicks ass again mid sept through November. I am cheap and too Arizona to ever bother with my mini splits. If my wife has a party or something and I want a space for guys to hang out I have to close it all up and run them for about 24 hours to pull the heat out of everything.

RD has no insulation in the attic of his garage and he keeps it at 73 deg. or so.
I'm glad I don't pay his electric bill!
@RiverDave

 

[mesquito_creek]

I vent my Evap through the attic and out the attic vents... even in the monsoon my thermostat on my attic fans doesn’t turn on.

 

[guest hs]

Where are you venting the discharge?

They are portable units on wheels all self contained so just right back into the shop which I know is not great

 

[Bowtiepower00]

Great thread. I’m on the same page. Not ready to shell out the money for A/C. No idea on CFM but had a huge roof mount unit on the ADOT shop I used to work in. It would cool great for a few hours, then would have to open the doors for a few and let the process start over again. Keeping the doors cracked helped a bit, but it seemed to help more to just purge the shop air once it started to heat up.

 

[guest hs]

Would this unit suit a 2500 cubic foot shop?

 

[Wheeler]

For anyone considering a mini split you need to read this post along with what ever is related to it.

A day in the life of an HVAC technician

There is always this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0jISldCulEk

www.riverdavesplace.com

@530RL

 

[CarolynandBob]

Ive had 2 of the Portacool Cyclones for a 3.5 years now, in a big hot warehouse in Texas, if focused on your work area it takes unbearable heat to good enough to work. No way to ever cool the whole space, it’s giant. Hi/low speed fan, water flow control and run with or without the pump, 2000cfm, can also deflect air up or down. $599.00. The only compliant is having to tweak it to keep the water from splashing on the floor, I used some tape as an additional splash Guard.

Portacool Cyclone Portable Evaporative Cooler 2,000 CFM, Model# PACCY120GA1 | Northern Tool

The Portacool Cyclone 120 is perfect for smaller settings, yet still delivers an impressive amount of air output. The Cyclone 120 provide...

m.northerntool.com

I do not have a water supply yet. Do you know how fast it goes through the 10 gal water reservoir ?

 

[mesquito_creek]

Between my pool, Evap cooler and deep watering 3 trees. In May versus April I used 3000 more gallons and my bill was 7 dollars higher. Hard to know how much was evaporated cooler versus pool, by I would guess the pool is the higher of the two.

 

[RadMan]

I do not have a water supply yet. Do you know how fast it goes through the 10 gal water reservoir ?

About 2 hours on high in high heat.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

They are portable units on wheels all self contained so just right back into the shop which I know is not great

With swamp coolers you HAVE to exhaust the air as well. Once the air reaches a certain humidity point it'll stop cooling and just get more and more humid.

How many roll up doors do you have in your shop?

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk

 

[guest hs]

1 door I leave it up a little

 

[mesquito_creek]

The problem with the portable ones is that you are not exclusively pulling in hot dry air from the outside and putting it into the building to be vented out in a manner that doesn't reprocess the humid cooler air you just used to lower the temp. The portable ones are recirculating the humid cooler air and continuing to add humidity. Its really not much different than if you had your AC exterior coil blowing heat back into the building you just tried to cool. Traditional residential evap style coolers on their best day might blow 30 degree cooler air and drop the ambient temp 25 degrees. Having a pretty good system in my shop I only see that in the perfect conditions where relative humidity is less than 10% and thats not very often.

This morning out here in chandler AZ we are at 88 degrees and my 2 speed evap is running on low putting out 71 degrees. That is very comfortable but its only 17 degrees delta versus what I was advertising early in this thread of 26 degrees delta....

Relative humidity is up today at 24% lowering my evaps effectiveness...

At the same time my boat interior is staying nice and supple, clean and dry!

 

[mesquito_creek]

 

[2Driver]

Do a quality mini split cory it is negligible more energy than a big swamper and youll be happy every day of the year.

We had a lg mini on the river guest house and it pulled just slightly more than the state of the art evap Careys guy installed on the main house. it was amazing how fast the mini split cooled the guest house and it would be an oven when got there

 

[Cdog]

I'm doing a switched split Zone for the garage off the N House AC system when I put it in later this year. Easily controlled by the Ecobee's I already have. I'll only use it when I know I'll be out there for a while and this route will run me and extra $500 when I install the new system.

In the meantime I bought the Cyclone 140 with a 15% off coupon. So far so good.
PORTACOOL Cyclone 140 3900 CFM Single-Speed Portable Evaporative Cooler for 900 sq. ft.-PACCY140GA1 - The Home Depot

Here's what I do. Go to https://quik-coupons.com. use VIP40 for 40% off the coupons. The local Home Depots take the Lowes 10% off coupons too. You must print them on paper for the retailer.

I think I paid $920 OTD for the Cyclone 140

At the end of the day I do have a need for both systems. I use brake clean by the case on race car stuff so ventilation is a bid deal. Other times I can work around that and use the AC zone.

 

[mesquito_creek]

At the end of the day I do have a need for both systems. I use brake clean by the case on race car stuff so ventilation is a bid deal. Other times I can work around that and use the AC zone.

This is RDP, where you are allowed to have 2 or more boats. In this case if one is good two is better! I start my boats/truck in the garage all the time also. All I have to do it open the garage door a foot and allow the evap blower to vent the whole building.

 

[2Driver]

Shake and bake.

 

[STV_Keith]

I had a old Tradewinds 7k swamper in my shop. The shop is 1680sf, insulated walls but not ceiling (other than heat rejection), 13' to the rafters, peaked roof, open on the inside. The swamper did a good job, but it was a 15 y/o unit and used the old style fiber (Aspen Cool) pads which had to be changed at least once from April to September. Kind of a PITA to winterize, de-winterize, and maintain. I let it run on low all the time (no t-stat), so in April/Sept when the temps got down in the 70's or low 80's it was 55 in the shop. During the heat of the summer, it would be in the mid 80's.

I was looking to replace it with a new unit...basically the one Wheeler just posted for sale in another thread...7k Mastercool with the new type media. Best of the best. $1500. There's another thread I started about this and someone mentioned a window unit. I didn't know they offered window units that big, but they do. Up to 35k BTU these days. I ended up with a 28k BTU Frigidaire window unit, mounted it in the wall where the swamper was, and now can set the temp and let it do it's thing. I've got it set for 85* all the time now, and if I want to go work in there, I'll just turn it down a few hours before or in the am that day. Has worked well so far, even when it was 109 out last week. I'm hoping for it to do well this summer, but time will tell. Paid $780 for it, delivered, from Grainger.

 

[ssc]

Some years back, I bought a portacool cyclone 3000. It was fine as long as it was blowing on you. As far as cooling down the garage during the summer, it is lacking. Made a call to Carey a couple of years ago and had a split unit installed. Kicked myself for not doing it earlier. Anyone want a portacool cyclone 3000 for $50, come get it.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Flying_Lavey]

1 door I leave it up a little

The problem with the portable ones is that you are not exclusively pulling in hot dry air from the outside and putting it into the building to be vented out in a manner that doesn't reprocess the humid cooler air you just used to lower the temp. The portable ones are recirculating the humid cooler air and continuing to add humidity. Its really not much different than if you had your AC exterior coil blowing heat back into the building you just tried to cool. Traditional residential evap style coolers on their best day might blow 30 degree cooler air and drop the ambient temp 25 degrees. Having a pretty good system in my shop I only see that in the perfect conditions where relative humidity is less than 10% and thats not very often.

This morning out here in chandler AZ we are at 88 degrees and my 2 speed evap is running on low putting out 71 degrees. That is very comfortable but its only 17 degrees delta versus what I was advertising early in this thread of 26 degrees delta....

Relative humidity is up today at 24% lowering my evaps effectiveness...

At the same time my boat interior is staying nice and supple, clean and dry!

Mesquito_creek is right. You're just circulating the same air. Swampers need to constantly bring in outside air and that air needs to exhaust. One of the reasons why ducted swampers work SO MUCH better than portables.

You'd be better off opening the door high enough to roll the cooler under it so it's pulling in outside air exclusively and then blocking off SOME of the opening next to it. How much to block off is kinda a variable thing though.

Sent from my LM-G710VM using Tapatalk

 

[Wheeler]

Anyone want a portacool cyclone 3000 for $50, come get it.

Cheers, Steve

I could use a portable, Where is the unit located?

 

[DRYHEAT]

Swamp coolers work great when properly maintained.

The biggest problem out here in Lake Havasu is the hard water deposits clog up the entire works and need to be cleaned periodically to make sure the pads are wetted down completely.

As a general rule once I turn the swamp cooler on when it gets hot they stay on 24/7. The constant cycling of a thermostatically controlled swamp cooler causes buildup. Every time that pad dries out more buildup occurs.

In my opinion the best install for a garage is one single outlet coming out at the rear of the garage. Personally I cut a hole in the rear garage wall and it shoots forward, no diffuser or grill as that only interrupts airflow. I can have the small garage door open and still be cool. This does not work on a hot windy day but then again neither will your mini split.

I think everyone knows they don’t work especially well once the humidity starts going up.
The Portacools have their place but are never going to work anywhere as well as a permanent mount system that is properly vented.

For you Ballers that can afford both, more power to you. For poor white trash like me I just can’t see spending $10,000 on a system will only need to use a couple of months out of the year if that.

sorry for the long rambling post, must be my inner snowflake showing, I think I need to go to a protest march.

 

[Wheeler]

Some years back, I bought a portacool cyclone 3000. It was fine as long as it was blowing on you. As far as cooling down the garage during the summer, it is lacking. Made a call to Carey a couple of years ago and had a split unit installed. Kicked myself for not doing it earlier. Anyone want a portacool cyclone 3000 for $50, come get it.

Cheers, Steve

Steve, thanks for the great deal on such a nice cooler!

Now I'll need to come up with some new excuses why I can't work on my boat.

 

[ssc]

Glad it worked out. It was great to meet you in person.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Wheeler]

Glad it worked out. It was great to meet you in person.

Cheers, Steve

Used it all day long while working on a trailer.

Thanks again!!