Hot workshop

Hi,

My workshop is a big timber built structure like many others but has some very large south facing windows on 1 side, with no other windows on the other walls and a couple of tiny vents. I've obviously tried using it with the windows all open but without any wind it doesn't help much.

All this good weather is making it hot to the point of nigh unbearable to work in there, I need a solution to cool it down but maybe someone has been through this before and found a good big "workshop fan" or air conditioning unit that did the trick?

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 20/04/2016 12:14:39

Carefully design a roof extension to give shade from this time of year sun angle onwards but let it in in winter. Increase thermal mass of building by installing large cast iron blocks in the shape of mills, lathes etc.

Semi transparent roller blinds are pretty effective. Plain ones are relatively cheap but do think about colour as it will put a slight cast on. I have two windows with them on, more to combat glare than heat in my case. One a sort of beige and one a light yellow which don't, to my eyes, make much difference for normal activities but I have clear windows on the other walls. Probably not good if you have to match paint colours tho'. Free from the "too good to bin" shop.

What insulation do you have in your roof! Its counter intuitive but insulation in the roof and ceiling, if you have one, makes a difference in this sort of situation. Most especially if its a simple metal roof.

Clive.

I had a shed once and used the semi see through film some people apply to car windows. It was gold coloured rather than black and reflected a fair amount of light so should reflect the heat as well.

I used it to prevent marauders from seeing what was in the shed.

Might work I don;t know how well but it should help.

Edit. An opening skylight will help if the windows are open as hot air rises so will bring in the cooler stuff from outside. Works well in caravans but a shed might need something bigger than these usually use.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 20/04/2016 13:05:54

Not knowing what is outside the shed may make this suggestion redundant but what about some sort of pergola outside the window. Think slatted roof supported on legs. If you are intelligent with the angle of the slats you can create shade when the sun is at it's highest and hottest and still allow prenty of light into the workshop without spoiling the view.

Failing that you could just block the windows up and use the wall space.

Or pivot the slats to either shade, or allow the sunshine.

Ian S C

Thanks for the suggestions although some of them maybe rather radical, I'm not prepared or able to (by orders of herr commandant) carve up or make any serious modifications to the shed itself. Maybe the blinds would help, problem is it gets rather stuffy. It's like a dark cave with panes of glass at the front, The roof itself has no insulation, it's just clad with shingles.

So yes, the blinds maybe a good solution, all i have are some black curtains which can make matters worse.

Has anyone tried big fans or small air conditioning units? do they have a tendency to just blow air thats already stuffy around the room?

My first suggestion was actually to put slatted wooden frames over the windows that can be closed/opened. But that was thrown out by my familial planning committee.

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 20/04/2016 14:45:55

Stick a decent sized extractor fan as high up on wall as you can, it'll expel the higher warmer air and draw cooler in either through the door or a low fitted vent. I haven't got an actual fitted extractor but put a normal fan in front of a high air vent which though it isn't efficient as a proper fitted extractor does a half decent job of lowering the temperature and gives a bit of airfow

I'll swap you mine- N Scotland. Well somebody had to be first.

I have an extractor and a 'blow he air and all your loose objects around the workshop' fan.

What I really need is roof insulation.

Neil

Michael - My shop sounds much like yours. The floor to roof glass windows are on south side of the building. On the inside of the building this expanse of glass is masked with several layers of decorators dust sheets which cut down on the glare. During hot weather both south facing doors are opened, and the two narrow vent windows on the back wall are also opened which makes for a nice through draught. I spent some valuable beer tokens on aluminium chain screens for the two open doors, this cuts down on direct sunlight and keeps the critters at bay. All of this means that the shop remains reasonably comfortable except for when it is extreme scorchio and if it gets THAT hot I tend not to want to do much at all other than raise a cool glass to my parched lips - cheers old chap.

Rik

Hi Michael,

I have vertical blinds in my kitchen which are opaque but allow loads of light through the fabric. Very handy for directing sun light away and still allowing air to circulate.

Ed.

If possible, insulate the roof and walls. My shop has a black rubber roof, over 12mm ply, 50mm Glassfibre and 12mm ply. (Walls ditto, but 19mm external cladding, no windows). Keeps reasonably warm in winter, (needs minimal heating) and reasonably cool in summer Location: East Anglia, UK.

Howard

Portable aircon does work but you need a dedciated vent or seal up around the hose out of a window very effciiently.. they're not as powerful as 'real' wall mounted aircon systems with external compressors.

I hame one here from some years ago before we installed the real deal in a couple of rooms. Noisier too.

A lot of years ago I used to operate in a converted garden shed..correctly lines and sealed etc but with it's original tar roof above the uninsulated liner. One summer we recorded 112F inside. You could see the patient's fat crinkling as I cut the skin unless kept flooded with fluids and more than a 20min op and I needed another pint of fluids to drink. At my head height the temp would have been even hgher.

Hi Michael, before investing in air con, insulate the roof really well, and the walls also if you can, makes it better in wintertime too as less heating is required to maintain a comfortable temp. Are the windows opening type or sealed shut? If sealed shut then add an inner DIY layer of film or perspex to create a double glazed effect - you might be able to do that on opening windows too. Years ago I used like a film taped all round some large bay windows and then shrunk tight with a hair dryer, cut the heat loos and cold areas adjacent to the windows dramatically. You could also use blinds and that greenhouse shading you 'paint' on the outside of greenhouse glass in summer on the windows outside, although eventually rain washes it off, if you didn't want the view. A roof mounted slow moving long bladed fan would not cost much to run and would stir the air (think motorised punkah fans from India!), or get a more normal room fan.

All this is to try and keeping your running costs down as well as having a more even temperature in your shed winter and summer. Air con can be expensive, noisy and intrusive in space to install and run, you need to cure the causes not the symptoms!

Chris

Edited By DMB on 21/04/2016 09:17:11

alos consider the position of ceiling fans with overhead lighting or risk stroboscopic headaches

I use a pair of 60cm pedestal stand fans. One in the doorway blowing cool air into the workshop and the other blowing directly on to me wherever I am working.

Aircon is going to be expensive to run if you have no insulation in the shed.

I've got hazel trees partially shading my south facing workshop in the summer when they are in leaf and the sun is hottest and I still get any sunshine on offer in the winter when the leaves have fallen and it's most needed. When autumn arrives the local squirrels grab all the nuts before they ripen. In the winter I get a few replacement runner bean poles so if I can win the battle for some nuts it all works out to my advantage. At all times plenty of good daylight is welcome. I am very satisfied with a south facing workshop. Colin