Active cooling a small room in garage.

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JaBZ

404 posts

Ultimate Geek

#280285 6-Dec-2020 13:31

Need to cool a small enclosed room that’s in a brick garage. Room is used for storage but more importantly houses networking switch, gateway, NAS and fibre connection etc.
Gets to 48°+ during a few months in summer. I don’t think air exchange with a extractor fan is going to cut it and need an active cooling solution.
Was hesitant about aircon due to work and expense required to install.

I have seen these evaporative coolers which work by cooling a water tank and blowing cold air. However I asked the sales guys wouldn’t that humidify the air and basically transport the water into moisture within the room. They said no, and the units also work as a dehumidifier.. however I remain skeptical. Thoughts on these?

My opinions and ideas expressed in posts are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer in any way..

elpenguino

3419 posts

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#2616976 6-Dec-2020 13:41

Evaporative cooler = heat pump.
Only difference might be they're not selling a closed system.

Depending on your local climate and room structure, using ambient air will be the lowest cost option.

If your local climate is 30 degrees year round, that is still 20 degrees lower than your current equipment maximum.

What's the equipment rating?

Might be cheaper to replace the gear more often than to actively cool it.

Have you calculated maximum power load to use in your estimate of cooling requirements?

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

timmmay

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#2616977 6-Dec-2020 13:42

Pulling air through would probably reduce temperature by at least 10 degrees, maybe 20 degrees, which is likely to be sufficient. Given the relative lack of expense I would probably do that first. A mains thermostat timer is about $30 from the hardware store then a simple heat transfer kit or fan with a bit of ducting might be $100. If you want higher volume air transfer the fan units can cost more, have a look at Ming fans website.

I have a burglar alarm central units in my ceiling cavity which gets up to similar temperatures and I don't bother trying to cool it. It's been up there for at least 5 years with no issues including the battery, though I do replace the battery every 3-5 years.

Jase2985

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#2617019 6-Dec-2020 15:32

look at why its getting so hot, is it just the network equipment doing that or the room getting hot because the walls are radiating in heat? if so could you insulate to slow the transfer of heat? that way a small fan will have more of an impact on the temperature

robjg63

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#2617046 6-Dec-2020 16:41

elpenguino: Evaporative cooler = heat pump.

Huh?

They aren't the same at all. Have I misunderstood what you mean?

Evaporative cooler is a fan blowing over some wet soggy substance (fibres/fabric). Giving a very localised feel of a slightly cool breeze - and a lot of extra moisture in the air. They call them "swamp coolers in the USA". It wont actually change the temperature in the room.

This video from 'Technology Connections" youtube channel shows you how they 'work'.

Personal "air conditioners" aren't what they seem

A heat pump (or air conditioner as they would be wanting to use it) actually extracts the heat from the air and pumps it outside - and controls the humidity.

If you want the room properly cooled you need a Heatpump/Air conditioner - unless as mentioned in the OP maybe an extractor fan might be able to remove some of the hot air enough to achieve the desired result.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

JaBZ

404 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2617112 6-Dec-2020 19:46

It gets hot in the room due to being heated via the Sun, its a room within a Garage with its own walls so enclosed in. The equipment would be adding its own heat, but not as much as the Sun. I just need to cool it between 12pm to 5pm when it's at its hottest in the summer months.

The evaporative cooler I was looking at was large, not a personal cooler, looks more like a portable aircon, and they have a refillable tank of water.

I will try the fan option first, if its not adequate I'll get a portable aircon as the duct will already be there from the fan install.

My opinions and ideas expressed in posts are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer in any way..

elpenguino

3419 posts

Uber Geek

#2617117 6-Dec-2020 20:08

If solar gain is the main heat source I suggest it will be cheaper in the long run to insulate the room, rather than tack on active cooling.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

SomeoneSomewhere

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#2617163 6-Dec-2020 23:43

elpenguino: If solar gain is the main heat source I suggest it will be cheaper in the long run to insulate the room, rather than tack on active cooling.

There's still heat being produced in the room, so insulation is only going to go so far. You still need to get the heat out.

If you can get a rough number on the room size and plug load in watts, someone might be able to tell you how much air you need to move. It should be pretty feasible up to and a bit past 500W.

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Jase2985

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#2617174 7-Dec-2020 05:33

SomeoneSomewhere:

elpenguino: If solar gain is the main heat source I suggest it will be cheaper in the long run to insulate the room, rather than tack on active cooling.

There's still heat being produced in the room, so insulation is only going to go so far. You still need to get the heat out.

If you can get a rough number on the room size and plug load in watts, someone might be able to tell you how much air you need to move. It should be pretty feasible up to and a bit past 500W.

yes but its much easier to deal with 0.5kw than it is to deal with 5kw+ from solar gain.

Insulating will help significantly. my lounge with all the doors closed gets uo to the low 30's at the moment, due to a 4mx1.5m window. my garage, and doors (4.8m and 2.4m) with the same orientation barely gets past 20, because the doors and walls are insulated.

IMO you attack the problem at the source, not try and put a band aid on it.

where are you going to be pulling air from/to?

cyril7

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#2617177 7-Dec-2020 06:46

As others have said, insulate to isolate the major heat source, ie the sun. I cannot understand why this is not your first line of action, strange.

Cyril

andrewNZ

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#2617183 7-Dec-2020 07:19

What about one of those nasty portable heatpumps. They have a piece of ducting to poke out the window so the hot air goes outside.

No matter what you use, if it doesn't push waste heat out of the room, it's heating the room.

Ge0rge

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#2617311 7-Dec-2020 09:59

I've been down this road myself recently.

Typical farm pole shed, corrugated iron roof and cladding with three bays about 6m x 7m each. One bay was enclosed when we purchased the property - lined with 9mm ply, no insulation and a couple of clears in the roof for light. This room also had the ETP for our copper line, so made for the perfect server room - except for the temperature swings. It broke 50C last summer, and overnight would easily get down to single digits.

Replaced the clears with bronze shaded plastic instead, to no avail - temps still in the high 40s. I tried a bathroom extractor fan, installed in the wall at the highest point, as well as putting a grill in the wall on the opposite side (permanently shaded spot, so a good source of cool air. That made precisely zero difference, except perhaps to the power bill.

Finally convinced the accountant that we should put a dividing wall in, and that she could have the other half for her tools. I put battons up around the inside of my half, and screwed 21mm ply to the walls. The roof of the entire bay had R3.6 bats put in the cavities and then 21mm ply as a ceiling on my side, 12mm on hers. The dividing wall I put up has 21mm ply on my side, more bats (I forget the rating) and then 12mm ply on her side. I also got rid of the extractor fan.

The results were fantastic. I have yet to see the temps go over 30C (although the hottest part of summer is still to come, I have temperature data from this time last year for both inside and outside, and the outside temps now are roughly the same as last year, and inside is 15C cooler still). Overnight temps are sitting around 20C, so yes I'm still getting a 10C swing each day - but that's much better than a 40C swing! The humidity is much more stable now too - between 45-50%rH, which makes for a virtually rust free environment to boot.

This summer's job will be to take the iron off the NW side of the shed and put insulation in there, as that's the external wall to the server room.

I was worried that I would have to put some sort of active cooling in, but even after just lining the room and insulating the roof, the difference has been so stark that I don't think I will need to now.

JaBZ

404 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2617844 7-Dec-2020 22:29

Thanks for the detailed write up. Yes seems like insulting is the way, bit of an undertaking right now so will be the longer term goal.

My opinions and ideas expressed in posts are solely my own and do not reflect the views of my employer in any way..

Jase2985

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#2617870 8-Dec-2020 05:20

Start with the roof and the side that gets the most sun from midday inwards. that will give you the most benefit straight away. it will also help make your garage more usable.

linw

2849 posts

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#2617938 8-Dec-2020 10:05

Don't think 'insulting' it is going to help😉

wellygary

8312 posts

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#2617943 8-Dec-2020 10:11

JaBZ: Thanks for the detailed write up. Yes seems like insulting is the way, bit of an undertaking right now so will be the longer term goal.

A partial stop gap solution could be to paint the roof of the garage white.....