Hi All,
I just put an AC system in my office and shop, 2-zone split system. I have questions for those of you that have done this…
My first shop day with AC was great, my new favorite “tool”. I cranked it to the highest (lowest?) setting and let it run. About 4 hours in I noticed that all of the tools were uncomfortably COLD. Have any of you had condensation issues on cast iron when opening outside doors to hot & humid weather?
What setting have you arrived at for temperature vs comfort on the cold tools side?
Replies
Watch the forecast for the dew point of the outdoor air, and don't set your AC lower than that. And try and set up the AC so it doesn't blow directly on the tools - the air coming out of with will be 55-60F and that's below the dew point for much of the eastern US for a lot of the summer.
And/or don't open the doors on humid days if the AC has been running - give things a few hours to warm up.
Cold tools in dry air are going to attract all that moisture if you expose them to moist hot air. As said above, it's best just to not expose them suddenly.
My mini split has a "Dry" setting, where it is not trying to cool the air, but just keep it dehumidified. That might help.
For what it's worth - my mini-split's lowest setting for AC is 61°F, which, for me, would be uncomfortably cold. I keep mine around 72-74°F, which is comfortable for me and doesn't seem to cause any problems with my tools.
I have a split unit as well and keep the temp 76-78 degrees. My wife insists on parking her car in my shop so trying to keep it cooler is pointless. I've had no issues with rust since putting the unit in. The big comfort difference for me is controlling the humidity which the unit is great at.
Thanks all, I have settled in at setting the unit at 72. I had a small patch of flash rust on a sander closest to the door but to be honest itmay have been there forever. I will keep an eye on it.
I actually started running ac in my shop to combat the rust issue. When I insulated my shop my tools stayed cool, but the humid air would settle and rust my tools.
Ac units pull a lot of humidity out of the air.
I don't open my shop doors more than needed, I suppose it helps with the humidity, but I also don't want to let the air I paid to condition getting out.
I just set my window unit to 73 degrees and forget it. Fan runs non stop and the compressor cycles on and off as needed. No rust and I only get hot when hand planing or if I run the shop vac (dust collection) for a long time.
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