I do my handloading in my garage here in Florida. The heat is a major issue during the summertime. Any of you using a portable A/C unit to cool your loading area (or any room for that matter)? How well do they work? Any tips? Pro's or con's? I have a basic 2-car garage, any size recommendations? Thanks for your inputs.
Your loading room
- Thread starter MislMan
- Start date
If you have a window or can mount it through the wall, about a 12,000+ BTU window air conditioner will work. 220v cost less to run, 110v is cheaper to buy and hookup. You may have to cool the garage down and turn it off while reloading. When it cycles it will pull extra current and may effect your scales if they are electronic. Insulation in the garage would help. Another option is to make a small sectioned off area for reloading, maybe plastic walls that you can slide out of the way or take down.
hoz53
Gold $$ Contributor
you need a place to get and run the condenser air on the ones ive seen. (hot air). how would you do that? also i would think as t shooter says you could buy a window ac much cheaper if you shop around. can you cut a hole or do you have a window for a window ac?
I gave up on the idea of using the garage, just too much heat here in Arizona. Took a bedroom and converted it to my reloading room. One of the advantages of being single/divorced, you can do what you want with the rooms in your house- I don't need two guest rooms.
Shynloco
You can lead a horse to water, but ........
Mislman,
I'm out in CA and live in the High Desert, where temps have been getting up in the 100 daily category. I also have my reloading Bench in the garage which allows me to ONLY reload in either the early morning hours or late evening due to trapped heat. I use a floor fan to help move the air when I open the garage door. But you have a few considerations that may or may not help you solve your heat issue. If I were going to employ the use of any A/C Unit, I'd SERIOUSLY consider closing off the one garage from the others simply so that heat from the second garage doesn't stymie your attempts to cool your reloading room. That means dry walling off your reloading room with a door for access. The next concern is how you get the exhaust hot air OUT of the reloading room. Not sure it would look very cosmetically nice to have the back side of an A/C unit sticking out your garage door, not to mention you couldn't open the damn thing. SO you need access to air where the back side of the A/C isn't visually offensive, especially if you have a wife. Now I have seen portable A/C units on a cart which you stick in a room and it filters and cools the air within a small room. That might be a better idea than cutting holes in walls or doors for a A/C Unit. Just some food for thought. Good luck in any case.
Alex
I'm out in CA and live in the High Desert, where temps have been getting up in the 100 daily category. I also have my reloading Bench in the garage which allows me to ONLY reload in either the early morning hours or late evening due to trapped heat. I use a floor fan to help move the air when I open the garage door. But you have a few considerations that may or may not help you solve your heat issue. If I were going to employ the use of any A/C Unit, I'd SERIOUSLY consider closing off the one garage from the others simply so that heat from the second garage doesn't stymie your attempts to cool your reloading room. That means dry walling off your reloading room with a door for access. The next concern is how you get the exhaust hot air OUT of the reloading room. Not sure it would look very cosmetically nice to have the back side of an A/C unit sticking out your garage door, not to mention you couldn't open the damn thing. SO you need access to air where the back side of the A/C isn't visually offensive, especially if you have a wife. Now I have seen portable A/C units on a cart which you stick in a room and it filters and cools the air within a small room. That might be a better idea than cutting holes in walls or doors for a A/C Unit. Just some food for thought. Good luck in any case.
Alex
If you go window A/C definitely spend the extra on 220 you will save money in the long run.. Once the wall socket is installed it will be there forever...
Here in Texas it is to hot and humid to many months a year.. I did like one last shot and took over a spare room and use extremely good housekeeping on the bench.. If there is a spill I clean it up right then...
Here in Texas it is to hot and humid to many months a year.. I did like one last shot and took over a spare room and use extremely good housekeeping on the bench.. If there is a spill I clean it up right then...
Raythemanroe
Bullet Whisperer
I do my brass prep and sizing in the shop.. Measure and load inside, a walk in closet is now a locking gun room...
Ray
Ray
The biggest enemy to gunpowder is heat. During the summer months, storage of gunpowder in a garage is just not advantageous to shelf life.
I use my island in the kitchen for charging cases and set up my portable reloading bench in my living room for using my reloading press.
Of course that is in my camper. Can't do that at home. I am a construction superintendent and spend most of my time out of town. My camper is my man cave.
Of course that is in my camper. Can't do that at home. I am a construction superintendent and spend most of my time out of town. My camper is my man cave.
Dont believe what you read portable A/C units are marginal at best, I had one for a year before it shot craps, it did me a favor.
If you have the room wall off a small loading room in your garage insulate and put up a vapor barrier (4mil plastic) then buy a thru wall heat pump (looks like widow A/C unit). Mine is a Frigadaire unit got it online from Compact Appliance works great for heat and A/C cheap to operate.
It is pretty simple use an AC or get out of the garage.
I live in Texas and even had a house with a garage that faced west into the setting sun. There were not many days a year when it was comfortable to load in that garage. Comfort is not the only issue. If the relative humidity starts staying above 55% your tools will rust. Below 50% RH you will have almost no rust.
I built a an aluminum press stand that was portable and began reloading in a spare room in the house. As my kids moved out I moved into the house and found that I had much more time to enjoy the process so my hobby grew about 10 X its original size.
If you are unable to move out of the garage you might wall off a small area of the garage using the white plastic political campaign signs. Duct tape the joints to keep the dust out. You can AC the smaller space and be a little more comfortable. My garage was not insulated except on the wall shared by the living space of the house so I never thought that I could keep the whole thing cool in the summer.
I live in Texas and even had a house with a garage that faced west into the setting sun. There were not many days a year when it was comfortable to load in that garage. Comfort is not the only issue. If the relative humidity starts staying above 55% your tools will rust. Below 50% RH you will have almost no rust.
I built a an aluminum press stand that was portable and began reloading in a spare room in the house. As my kids moved out I moved into the house and found that I had much more time to enjoy the process so my hobby grew about 10 X its original size.
If you are unable to move out of the garage you might wall off a small area of the garage using the white plastic political campaign signs. Duct tape the joints to keep the dust out. You can AC the smaller space and be a little more comfortable. My garage was not insulated except on the wall shared by the living space of the house so I never thought that I could keep the whole thing cool in the summer.
Raythemanroe
Bullet Whisperer
Rust is a problem I have, moisture is high..
Ray
Ray
I moved out to the garage many yrs ago, WY, right now it is 94 deg in here, I did have to powder cases yesterday at 4:30 in the aft, you could tell being shut up the moisture was rising, and relative humidity is not bad here. I will process brass up to 88 deg, if you break a sweat, take a shower, but powdering another issue.
I have a good size attic fan through the roof to keep it cooler, at night I crack the garage door 2", open the pull down ladder hatch and block it open, every morning when I do this, it's 70 or below, and I can load a lot of ammo in 3 hours before it get's much over 80.
My wife says no hole through the wall either, I do have a gun room and reloading bench downstairs, just like it out here better.
I have a good size attic fan through the roof to keep it cooler, at night I crack the garage door 2", open the pull down ladder hatch and block it open, every morning when I do this, it's 70 or below, and I can load a lot of ammo in 3 hours before it get's much over 80.
My wife says no hole through the wall either, I do have a gun room and reloading bench downstairs, just like it out here better.
Shynloco
You can lead a horse to water, but ........
GREAT POINT!...........Additionally, nobody I know or shoot with, is DUMB enough to store their Gunpowder or Primers in a HOT garage. The potential explosive power should be obvious to anyone who reloads. I have my reloading bench in the garage, but store my powders and primers SEPARATELY in the house where we have climate controls and temps never exceed 79 degrees and that very rarely. To me, that distinct of storing vs reloading is a very important consideration, not to mention the danger factor. And I have signs attached to each container inside the storage room giving anyone notice of the content of the container and the potential danger should it be necessary for fire personnel to enter that area.
Alex
Linko
Silver $$ Contributor
Reloading shouldn't take up much room if done right.
I would forget the garage for powder and bullet loading, and work inside using some creative solutions.
You can resize the brass outside. Press, lube and some buckets. I tumble outside because of the dust.
I would forget the garage for powder and bullet loading, and work inside using some creative solutions.
You can resize the brass outside. Press, lube and some buckets. I tumble outside because of the dust.
Last edited:
I enjoy reloading. It is a very important part of my life. As a vagabond living in my camper much of the time i have come up with creative solutions. I have to have my creature comforts.
I use the island in my kitchen for charging cases and seating bullets with my arbor press. I have a workmate that i set up like a TV table in front of the couch where i set up my co-ax. I am always nice and comfortable in my reloading room. No way reloading.would be relegated to a hot or cold garage in my house.
I use the island in my kitchen for charging cases and seating bullets with my arbor press. I have a workmate that i set up like a TV table in front of the couch where i set up my co-ax. I am always nice and comfortable in my reloading room. No way reloading.would be relegated to a hot or cold garage in my house.
I sympathize with you guys in that hot climate. I'm in northern Wisconsin and have a dedicated room in my basement for reloading and component storage. Temperature stays around 70 with humidity at 50% year round. I run central air when it's hot and I heated with wood for 36 years, but last year went to natural gas. I just can't tolerate the heat some of guys put up with. Barlow
rkittine
Gold $$ Contributor
Here in New York it is pretty warm for much of the summer and pretty cold for much of the winter. When I had my garage built, I had a separate room make on the back for my Ham Radio station and for that ran a full electric panel to the garage. Also had the walls / ceilings of the garage and radio room, insulated, sheet rocked, taped and painted. The outside of the garage is cedar, a natural insulator and the garage doors are cedar lined to match. Stays decent in both the summer and winter. I did put a through the wall Heat / AC unit in the Radio room. So once I decided to load in the garage, what made the most sense to me, was one of the European Style Ductless HVAC units. Mitsubishi, Panasonic, etc. Takes care of fully heating or air-conditioning the whole garage. They have come down in price and if I ever decided to really finish off the garage as more living space, I am ready to go.
Bob
Bob
If you are a retiree I'd seriously consider leaving Fl. ..... That's what I did 
Best move I ever made. Not trying to be a smart aleck. A friend of mine and our wives retired to Homosassa Springs. After 18 mos. we'd had enough heat, Monsoon rains, hurricane fears, love bugs, old foggies and both of us moved back to N. Ga. .................. How sweet it is 
Best move I ever made. Not trying to be a smart aleck. A friend of mine and our wives retired to Homosassa Springs. After 18 mos. we'd had enough heat, Monsoon rains, hurricane fears, love bugs, old foggies and both of us moved back to N. Ga. .................. How sweet it is 
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.