For many families, the garage becomes a multi-use facility. Whether you use it as a workshop, place to restore your dream car or practice space for your band, summer brings one common problem: soaring temperatures.
Despite the heat, there’s no reason to list your car for sale or break up the band; instead, try out a garage portable air conditioner. It will add instant cooling to your garage, regardless of what you use it for. Keep reading to find out more about the challenges of cooling garages, how portable air conditioners can help, and how to find the best one for your space.
Challenges with Cooling Garages
A garage is a unique area of your house when it comes to keeping it comfortable. Unfortunately, many garages just aren't designed with comfort in mind, and they present a number of challenges.
- Lack of Insulation: Typically, garages aren't insulated, meaning that much of the energy used to cool the space will escape through walls and garage doors into the air outside. This causes your cooling system to have to work harder to keep your indoor air cool.
- Open Space: Since garages are typically large open spaces, you're going to need a unit with higher BTUs in order to achieve a comfortable temperature. Our Introducing New Portable AC BTU Guidelines post gives you all the info on understanding how portable air conditioners are rated.
- High Temperatures: Garages quickly heat up. Add to it that you're probably using the garage during the hottest part of the days and you're looking at an area that's going to be extremely uncomfortable.
The right portable air conditioner can help reduce or eliminate some of these problems.
Features to Look For
When it comes to finding the perfect portable AC for your garage, your first question may be which features to look for? The following are some of the top capabilities you need to make sure your new air conditioner includes:
- Compact: Most portable ACs take up very little space, so you’ll have room for your tools and other storage items. Look for a compact model that easily fits your garage.
- Powerful: Garages get super-hot since they don't have good insulation. It’s important to get a portable AC that’s powerful and rugged enough to cool you down. Most residential portable ACs get as powerful as 14,000 BTUs, and customers prefer these models to really cut through the summer heat.
- Multiple Modes: Areas that get hot in the summer probably get really cold in the winter. Look for a portable AC with a heat mode to avoid having to buy a heater in a few months.
- Wheels: Portable ACs can get pretty heavy, and handles usually aren't enough. Look for a model with wheels and just roll it into place and then store it away when you don’t need it.
Keep in Mind
If your garage has a window, venting a portable AC is simple using its window kit. If not, you’ll have to vent through a wall or out the main garage door—but either way, all portable ACs need to be vented.
Check out our How to Vent Your Portable AC article for more info. With our selection of portable air conditioner accessories, we make finding the right window kit and other replacement parts easy.
Best Portable ACs For Workshops and Garages
Whynter ARC-14SH Portable Air Conditioner
One of our top picks for immediately cooling your workspace or garage is the Whynter ARC-14SH Eco-Friendly Portable Air Conditioner. It meets every requirement listed above: It’s easy to move into place and set up, is extremely powerful and durable, and has 4 operating modes. Here are some other key features:
- Year-Round Use: Not only does it feature 14,000 BTUs (ASHRAE)/8,500 BTUs (DOE Standard) of cooling power during the summer, but 13,000 BTUs of heat will keep you comfortable when winter temperatures strike.
- Environmentally Friendly: This portable AC uses a CFC-free refrigerant and contains lead-free RoHS compliant components for ecological cooling.
- Odor Removal: With its two included filter, a pre-filter to catch dust and other particles and an activated carbon filter for removing odors, it keeps your space's air clean.
Toyotomi TAD-T40LW Portable Air Conditioner
Another great garage AC is the Toyotomi 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner. It's designed for spaces up to 500 square feet and is packed with powerful user-friendly features to keep you comfortable all year long.
- Unrivaled Performance: Not only does this Toyotomi PAC feature 14,000 BTUs (ASHRAE)/8,000 BTUs (DOE Standard) of cooling power, but its 3 fan speeds makes finding summer cooling a breeze.
- Winter Heat: You don't have to give up working in the garage when winter temperatures drop. Its built-in heat pump is designed to provide 11,000 BTUs of supplemental warmth.
- Self-Evaporating: This AC has a self-evaporating system that evaporates nearly all condensate, so you don't have to worry about manually emptying the water tank.
The Bottom Line
Portable air conditioners are ideal for cooling your work and hobby areas without breaking the bank. Keeping your garage cool isn’t as hard as you may think—you just need to find the right product. And since you won't be sweating through practice, the band will be back together again in no time.
Contact Us with Any Questions
Before you purchase, learn more about portable ACs by reading our Portable Air Conditioner Buying Guide. Then, give one of our product experts a call at 1-800-934-9194. They're waiting to answer your questions, walk you through the buying process, and help you find the best portable air conditioner for you. Has a portable AC improved the working conditions in your garage? Tell us about it in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter!
