# A/C Suggestions



## DAStone (Oct 20, 2013)

We are just starting our Home Theater build, converting a 20 X 20 garage into a family room that will house our theater, a dart board and probably a bar. The walls and ceiling are bare studs at this point, so I have plenty of time to do all the needed wiring, move electrical outlets, running speaker wires, lighting, etc. 

The garage is not connected to the house. I live in south Texas, just south of San Antonio, so Air Conditioning is mandatory. My first thought was to purchase one of these mobile A/C units, but run the vent through the wall and add a drain line, thus making it permanent. It would probably seem a lot easier to just install a through the wall unit (and maybe cheaper) but I am concerned about the noise. 

I'm hoping for some advice from others. I can't afford the expense of installing a central unit with duct work in the ceiling when this was supposed to be just a fairly inexpensive conversion, but I'd also like to do this in a way that will offer us the best comfort without ruining the sound. Any suggestions on placement of the A/C? Any pros/cons on the mobile A/C versus a through the wall unit?

Also, I'm open to suggestions on brands/make/models.

Thanks!


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

DAStone said:


> We are just starting our Home Theater build, converting a 20 X 20 garage into a family room that will house our theater, a dart board and probably a bar. The walls and ceiling are bare studs at this point, so I have plenty of time to do all the needed wiring, move electrical outlets, running speaker wires, lighting, etc. The garage is not connected to the house. I live in south Texas, just south of San Antonio, so Air Conditioning is mandatory. My first thought was to purchase one of these mobile A/C units, but run the vent through the wall and add a drain line, thus making it permanent. It would probably seem a lot easier to just install a through the wall unit (and maybe cheaper) but I am concerned about the noise. I'm hoping for some advice from others. I can't afford the expense of installing a central unit with duct work in the ceiling when this was supposed to be just a fairly inexpensive conversion, but I'd also like to do this in a way that will offer us the best comfort without ruining the sound. Any suggestions on placement of the A/C? Any pros/cons on the mobile A/C versus a through the wall unit? Also, I'm open to suggestions on brands/make/models. Thanks!


Mitsubishi and Fujitsu have ductless systems that seem to work well. I've seen them in a few client's homes and they seemed quiet enough. That said id probably put to unit to the back and use a good quiet ceiling fan (provided your picture solution doesn't require that ceiling space). 

Happy thanksgiving.


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## DAStone (Oct 20, 2013)

Thank you for the response. I am doing some research on both the Mitsubishi and Fujitsu. I do think that we may be able to put in ceiling fans offset to avoid the projector. Hadn't even thought of that.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

I would probably look at a mini-split type unit but being in Texas, probably go up a bit in terms of tonnage from what the square footage would normally require. You'd want something < 30db inside.

Not an HVAC expert by any stretch but from my research, normally for the 400 Sq Ft you'd use a 1 Tonne unit. I'd probably do 1.5 just to be safe.

Bryan


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

Are you up for moving a wall? I only ask because your room is a perfect square. Moving one wall in a few feet could help our your room's interaction with whatever audio you put into it.

bpape can go into much more detail then I on this.


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## DAStone (Oct 20, 2013)

rab-byte said:


> Are you up for moving a wall? I only ask because your room is a perfect square. Moving one wall in a few feet could help our your room's interaction with whatever audio you put into it.


Wow, I hadn't even thought of that. I was honestly hoping that once everything was set-up, I would use that little audio microphone that came with the Theater Receiver and let it do all the sound adjustments on its own. I don't think it would be a huge expense to create a wall along the side to bring the room in, maybe use it for storage or build in a closet, but just didn't think it would be that much of a problem. I'll do some more research.

Thank you! The more I learn before I start putting up sheetrock, the better.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I am with the other guys - after extensive research on how to cool my room, I had a 240 service wired so that I could do a ductless mini split system. The db ratings that I saw were south of 30 db, and they were not terribly expensive and the install does not seem too bad.

Fortunately for me, I am in Wisconsin and my room is in the basement so I did not need one in the end, but if I did, a mini split was the way I was going.


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## DAStone (Oct 20, 2013)

ALMFamily said:


> I am with the other guys - after extensive research on how to cool my room, I had a 240 service wired so that I could do a ductless mini split system. The db ratings that I saw were south of 30 db, and they were not terribly expensive and the install does not seem too bad.
> 
> Fortunately for me, I am in Wisconsin and my room is in the basement so I did not need one in the end, but if I did, a mini split was the way I was going.


Thanks for the reply - yes, my research seems to be taking me that way. Appreciate everyone's comments.


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## kevin360 (Oct 4, 2012)

Trust me; if you purchase a Mitsubishi Mr Slim, you won't have any regrets. Bryan's suggestion is a good one. I went with a 2 ton unit for a ~600sq' room over a garage (in the deep south:sn. It's quiet. It's efficient. It's effective. In short, it's perfect.


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## phazewolf (Feb 5, 2012)

Loom up how to do what is called a Manual J calculation that will tell you how large of a ac unit you will need. Last thing you want to do is install a oversized unit.

If you install too large of a unit it will run drop the temp too fast and then shut off which will leave the the room humid but cold. What you want is more run time so that it dehumidifiers the more run time the less sticky things will be.

Pick a temp you want to keep the room at and put that into the manual J as that will also play a factor. Also you need to tell it what kind of insulation your going to go with. Good programs will let you play with the values and see how they effect the size of the unit. The seer rating also plays a roll.

Good luck.


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## kevin360 (Oct 4, 2012)

phazewolf said:


> Loom up how to do what is called a Manual J calculation that will tell you how large of a ac unit you will need. Last thing you want to do is install a oversized unit.
> 
> If you install too large of a unit it will run drop the temp too fast and then shut off which will leave the the room humid but cold. What you want is more run time so that it dehumidifiers the more run time the less sticky things will be.
> 
> ...


Yep, this is exactly the discussion I had with an AC guy. My argument was, and continues to be, that the rules are different for a unit with various fan speeds. I nearly always run my unit at the lowest speed because the whole point is that I don't want to hear it. I selected a unit that was a half ton oversized, according to the calculators. The unit has nice, long run times and I haven't experienced the first moisture problem in 3.5 years. The room is very well insulated.


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## DAStone (Oct 20, 2013)

Thanks for the replies and info. I think I need to call my regular A/C guy and see if he does this sort of install.


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## phazewolf (Feb 5, 2012)

The rules are the same fan speed by slowing it down allows for less airflow but more dehumidification. Oversizing a small amount is fine depending on other factors and can be a good thing with a high seer unit.


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