got a mini-split!

[HowardH]

After sweating out Summer after Summer, I bit the bullet and ordered a 18KBTU Daikin mini split for my 3 car garage. First thing I did before the install was to insulate the garage doors and then blew in insulation in the attic everywhere I could reach.  I don't know why I waited this long to do this.  Summers in Dallas are long and very hot.  This evening, it was in the high 80's and I cranked it up for the first time.  My son and I replaced the fence on the SS with an Incra LS and it took a little less than 2 hours to complete.  However, it was in the mid to low 70's in the garage.  It was so nice to have a dry, comfortable shop for the very first time this time of year.  No excuses now to get my butt out there and start making sawdust again instead of waiting until October.  If you have ever thought about adding one, my vote is you won't regret it. 

 

[Bob D.]

Yes, I have been using one for a few years now in my shop. For me it also provides heat in the winter, but keeping the shop cool and dry in the summer is the best.

I programmed my thermostat to come on for an hour each afternoon and have it set to Auto so it will swap from heating to cooling depending on the temp of the room. My 24x24 shop is insulated but it will still warm up or get cold if I don't get out in the shop and run the HVAC all week. So I have it set to run for an hour each day, this is enough to keep the temp down around 75 in the Summer and above freezing in the Winter. Then when I do get out there it's comfortable right from the start. If you're out there every day maybe not something you have to deal with, but for me woodworking is not my livelihood so I only get out there when I have time.

 

[RKA]

I put one in my garage years ago so I could work on the cars in comfort without planning around the weather. A luxury considering the relatively mild weather.  If I lived in TX, I would say it’s far beyond a luxury and an absolute necessity for me!  How you got this far is beyond me.  [smile]  And the price is relatively approachable if you’re DIYing. 

 

[Dick Mahany]

Congrats with the mini split.  I had my shop/garage insulated and installed a mini-split in 2016. In my desert climate it has been a great addition.

If you are interested in home automation, Intesis Home make a universal IR/WiFi remote that works with nearly all mini splits that use a wireless IR remote.  It can be used to remotely turn the unit on/off, set temperature and fan speed.  It works from a phone app, and just recently added connectivity to Amazon devices.  It is super convenient and I never have to remember to turn the AC off at night.  Enjoy.

 

[Bob D.]

Congrats with the mini split.  I had my shop/garage insulated and installed a mini-split in 2016. In my desert climate it has been a great addition.

If you are interested in home automation, Intesis Home make an IR/WiFi remote that works with nearly all mini splits.  It can be used to remotely turn the unit on/off, set temperature and fan speed.  It works from a phone app, and just recently added connectivity to Amazon devices.  It is super convenient and I never have to remember to turn the AC off at night.  Enjoy.

Interesting as I have two Sanyo mini splits, one in the garage shop and one in the sunroom. I will have to look into this. Thanks for posting about the Intesis remote.

Here's a link to the IntesisHome User Manual for those interested. It's a cloud-based system from what I see so an internet connection is required for the interface to work. Which makes me wonder what happens if your internet connection is lost in a situation where say you have the unit set to run for a certain time and/or mode.
https://www.intesishome.com/docs/User-Manual-IntesisHome.pdf