Keeping the workshop cool

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

If you live in a stone walled house, that is the old tech version of the wax balls.

Regards Ian.

[mgnbukParticipant @mgnbuk]

You might consider those ice-cooler machines from on Amazon

Two main issues with evaporative coolers – they don't work well when the ambient humidity is high & they increase the humidity if they are working. Do you want to raise the humidity in your workshop ?

Nigel B.

[ChrisBParticipant @chrisb35596]

If you spend enough time in the shop you might even get used to the heat! Joking apart, I'm from Malta, current shade temperatures are in the mid to high 30s, a couple of weeks ago temps went up to 43 deg…infernal heat which is really uncomfortable to work in. I would suggest good ventilation as a starter, my workshop is a garage with two opposite doors and with the draft created I can stand 35deg. If ventilation is not possible I would invest in an ac. I intend to install one at some point, but I keep on buying tooling instead!

[martin haysomParticipant @martinhaysom48469]

i put a ceiling and insulation in my workshop/ garage mainly to keep it warmer in winter it also keeps it cooler in summer. also reduces condensation. well worth the time and expence of doing it.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

My workshop is well insulated in the walls and roof but has a large window facing south so problems with heat when the temp is over 20 degrees. To combat any heat buildup I shade the window and open it and place a small box type fan I the doorway which is left open, the resulting current of air keeps the inside cool enough to work comfortably. An aside to the workshop heat problem, we have a large conservatory which faces South West and was getting unbearably hot in the afternoons, so much so that it was uncomfortable to use then. We bit the bullet and earlier this year the polycarbonate roof was replaced with a white UPVC panelling which is insulated internally with polystyrene, the difference is amazing and the conservatory is now usable all the time, the underside of the roof panels are always cool to touch. Dave W

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

My workshop has a max-min hygrometer/thermometer just about central.

It is a fully insulated workshop, and for the last week and a half or so, the temperature range has remained between 17 and 19. Not a lot done in there machinery-wise, but I did put the dehumidifier on when there was a surplus of power available (no more than 750W, for a couple of hours at a time). So as Martin, above – insulation rules!

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

What are grass lawn type roofs like ? The old camping cool boxes worked by evaporating water from a plaster type of material.

if you watered the roof, would the evaporating water cool the roof. Can't say how you would apply that to walls and doors though !

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Posted by Calum Galleitch on 22/07/2021 14:07:31:

You might consider those ice-cooler machines from on Amazon – if you search for air conditioning and look at the ones that are far to cheap to believe, most of them work by cooling air in melting ice, and you can usually acquire sacks of ice from a supermarket for a pound or two. Probably the cheapest solution for a few days a year; if you're overheated all summer then a proper AC unit would be the way to go. I wonder if you could get one from a scrapped vehicle? Those are designed to cool smallish spaces, but with much more heat input, so might be quite efficient.

I bought one of those and it was a total failure. Complete waste of time. At 25C outside temp I could not get it down more than 1 degree. Gave to a friend to try out and he had the exact same problem. I also bought a small 12v model for the caravan and that too was a waste of around £200 a few years ago at Crick boat show.

regards

[Roger BestParticipant @rogerbest89007]

Another vote for expensive insulation here!

A trick often forgotten is "free cooling" running a small fan overnight to draw in cool air and draw down the interior temperature. The same trick can be achieved with a "chimney" through the roof, just block it off in winter.

I use this in my extensions slope-insulated roof, it lets the heat gained during the day out so it stays temperate all summer and winter.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by Jon Lawes on 22/07/2021 10:21:22:

…It's a high tile-roofed single garage in a block of other garages. No door other than the main one. The rear wall faces out onto a domestic garden so I can't easily put ventilation in…

[Roger BestParticipant @rogerbest89007]

Jon, exactly how simple does it have to be to be within your threshold of acceptably easy?

Pitched roof vents

Nothing that works is very cheap, we are talking a lot of energy here, but a lot of the solutions are readily doable.

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