A/C Size for Shipping container?

[Stuka]

Thanks for the helpful comments and suggestions, guys!

Sounds like around 5000 btus is the way to go, especially considering the humidity factor and giving the unit time to dry the air. I'm on the Gulf Coast in Texas, about an hour south of Houston, so this summer heat and humidity will play a big role in my decision. I wish I could insulate the whole container but closed cell foam is expen$ive.

I'm looking for 76 degrees on a 100 degree day. It is pretty much uncovered and will get a lot of sunlight. Gary, I am not expecting the overflow from the interior door to do much cooling the storage area of the container, but I'm thinking any dry air that "leaks" by the door will go towards reducing condensation. The big question for now: should I seal off the insulated living space and use an AC that fits 100 sq ft, and use fresh air vents as pictured on one end of the storage section to flow air through to the solar powered roof vent, to keep the temps and humidity in that section comparable to the outside, to avoid condensation...

I'll check into roof AC units, that would be nice and tidy looking.

I have read about shipping container flooring and the pesticides used. I don't have a manufacturer's label but there is no strong odor coming from the floor in my shipping container (which I refer to as my "bunker", easier to say in casual conversation ). I have laid down some vinyl tiles in the section I will be using as living quarters, that should seal off some of any possible vapors.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think I would try to seal off the storage space completely. A little bit of cold air from under the door might be doing just the opposite of what you want and cause condensation or mold problems especially in the really moist air around Houston just like an iced tea glass "sweating". I would put in some vents at the floor level and again at ceiling height so there is natural circulation sucking in the cool air at the floor and venting hot air out the top. I wouldn't mess with putting anything thru the ceiling due to the corrugated construction of those containers it is very hard to get a good seal on those flat roofs which have to channel the water to the edge and depending on how you set it, it could hold some water on top. I like to set them lower on one side by about 1" so they drain well.

 

[Stuka]

I think you're right, Gary, it makes more sense to seal off the living quarters and use ambient venting on the storage area.

I've modified my floor plan, per your suggestion, may as well use the futon as a sofa and a bed, since that is what it's designed for

 

[EddieWalker]

Why do you need a door to get to the storage area from the living area? Why not just go through the existing doors and not have that door taking up wall space?

Or if you keep the door, why not put a bathroom there?

Eddie

 

[Diamondpilot]

Going from what I know about boats and campers I think 5000 btu ' s is too small for daytime use in you area. You need to double that.

Chris

 

[lutt]

I agree with DP, living in Northeast Arkansas I would want a 14000 btu, I believe that is what's on our 33 ft travel trailer and it's not enough some times! And that's the least I would go with! LUTT

 

[kenmac]

Heat gain inside that all steel container is going to be very high. I don't think you can maintain 76* inside with 100* ambient with that 5 K unit. I would suggest at least 1 ton (12,000 BUT) of cooling

 

[EddieWalker]

How many square feet are you considering when you say he needs more then a 5K unit? I'm thinking that it might be on the big side due to the small size of the room he is wanting to make a living area. But since it's so difficult to insulate a container without building additional walls and a ceiling, I figured to oversize it to make up for minimal insulation.

As for using a ceiling or RV unit, I've never found one that cooled all that well. My experience with RV's is that they are also poorly insulated and you rely more on the dash AC system to keep cool then the roof unit. The ones I've been in also had separate propane heaters near the floor.

The cost of an AC only window unit is just a couple hundred bucks. Add heat to that and it triples. I suggest a window unit and a separate, plug in space heater. I like the tall, ceramic ones, but there are too many out there to say for sure what is the best.

Eddie

 

[murphy1244]

1 ton of a/c to 600 sq ft. 12,000 btu per ton as we were taught.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I'm not sure what you hope to achieve. Cooling or dehumidification? I got a forty foot container a few years back and was really dismayed about the water dripping down from the ceiling when conditions were right. As it was, I built a drive shed and relegated the container to storage of things that should just be out of the sun, away from animals and pine needles. But, my thought at the time was just to install a dehumidifier.