Can the Leaf air condition my garage?

[svBackstreets]

I live in Tucson and my garage gets hot in the summer. I'm thinking of running the climate control with the Leaf windows open and a circulation fan running. It is a three car garage with a fairly high ceiling.

Does anyone think this might be a bad idea?

 

[Jimmydreams]

I live in Tucson and my garage gets hot in the summer. I'm thinking of running the climate control with the Leaf windows open and a circulation fan running. It is a three car garage with a fairly high ceiling.

Does anyone think this might be a bad idea?

I think it's a bad idea.

The Leaf's a/c will take the heat out of the air it pumps into the cabin, but that heat has to go somewhere, so the cooling fans will blow it back into the very garage you're trying to cool. Besides, the Leaf a/c is designed to cool the, what, 8 square feet of inside car space? How huge is your 3 car 'high ceiling' garage? Buy a cheap floor a/c unit from Home Depot that vents outside and you should be able to keep the heat down to a manageable level.

 

[svBackstreets]

JimmyDreams,

Of course you are right. I've been using a hose connected portable swamp cooler but I should get an air conditioner as you suggest.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

If you back the car in only half way and carefully seal up around the garage door with the car sticking out and the windows open in the garage it should work great... :lol:

 

[scottysize]

It won't work, but good try. The AC doesn't blow full blast in climate control mode. It only blows half way and if your car sits in the sun does no good at all. It's for when your car is in the garage and still plugged in to cool it down before unplugging. It only gets the car so cool, and could never cool the garage. Nice idea though... I'd say pick up a cheap swap cooler as well.

 

[Electric4Me]

If you have a fridge or freezer in the garage and leave the door open it will work just as "well". :lol:

Like the others have said, an A/C unit or fridge work the same to pump heat from one place to another, using energy in the process, which is released as heat.

 

[DaveEV]

Get a heat-pump water heater. That way you'll get some useful work done (heating up your hot water) the same time you cool off your garage.

It's a no brainer if your current water heater is electric...

If you do install any sort of AC - spend the time/money to make sure your garage is well insulated first. Otherwise I wouldn't bother with anything besides trying to get it to vent better so at least it cools down at night.

 

[LEAFfan]

Get a heat-pump water heater. That way you'll get some useful work done (heating up your hot water) the same time you cool off your garage.

That's exactly what we're going to do this week since we need a new water heater anyway. We're buying the GE GeoSpring, but the tech guy said it will only cool our 100* garage a few degrees. We'll see.