How much cooling power can I expect from a mini split ac unit?

[jrwalkerpa1]

So I致e got a 30x40x11 high woodworking shop. The building is well insulated and doesn稚 get terribly hot. The humidity is the real killer. It痴 unenjoyable to work in in the summer months so it痴 pretty much only used over the winter. So if I had a mini split unit and a smart thermostat that I could turn on an hour before I planned on working would it make a big difference in that timeframe? I致e tried a dehumidifier but the heat off the unit raises the temperature in the sealed building more than it helps.

One thing to keep in mind with a mini-split and dehumidifying......a common mistake is to oversize, not undersize the unit. If they are oversized, it cools too quickly before the humidity is reduced enough. The units need to be sized so they run most of the time. They are much more efficient running nearly continuously as well.

In heating mode, being oversized is less of a concern, but in cooling it's huge.

 

[searcyfarms]

id go with a ptac they are great and even make them in heat pumps

 

[Milo]

One thing to keep in mind with a mini-split and dehumidifying......a common mistake is to oversize, not undersize the unit. If they are oversized, it cools too quickly before the humidity is reduced enough. The units need to be sized so they run most of the time. They are much more efficient running nearly continuously as well.

In heating mode, being oversized is less of a concern, but in cooling it's huge.

Some mini splits, at least my Carrier, have a dehumidify mode where basically it operates continuously as a very small AC so it is producing some cooling but not nearly as much as in cool mode. Basically the same as a dehumidifier that would have its heat produced outside.

 

[mcfarmall]

One thing to keep in mind with a mini-split and dehumidifying......a common mistake is to oversize, not undersize the unit. If they are oversized, it cools too quickly before the humidity is reduced enough. The units need to be sized so they run most of the time. They are much more efficient running nearly continuously as well.

In heating mode, being oversized is less of a concern, but in cooling it's huge.

You are 100% correct. My house had a WAAAY oversized A/C when I bought it (spec house). The unit was so big that it would only run for about 10 minutes, pull temperature and then shut off. The house was cool but clammy. I forced the contractor to replace the unit with one roughly half the size and now she will run continuously on very hot days, pull temp AND humidity...no more clammy feeling.

On an 85F day it will run for 30 minutes or so and then shut off with a steady stream of condensate going to the drain.

Right now I have a 18k btu Daikin mini split heat pump on my shop room that measures 22x36x12 with 9" fiberglass on 2 exterior walls, 3.5" R13 on the interior walls and 16" cellulose in the ceiling. No shade on the building and a southern exposure on the long wall with 2) 4x4 windows to boot. The Daikin keeps it plenty cool with ease. Probably a bit oversized but the whole unit was FREE from my work, so what the heck.