So my apartment has an attached garage and I love having it, but I also live in Las Vegas where, today, it was over 100F outside. I have been considering air conditioning the garage, or even just a corner of it for a workshop with a cool breeze, but I have a little problem - since it's an apartment I can't modify the garage in any way to vent hot air outside. I've considered portable evaporative coolers, and while I've got one and it works, it only works for a little while - since the garage is so enclosed the evaporative cooler eventually humidifies the air to the point where it stops working. This also creates problems with condensation and since my hobby space in the garage is to be used for electronics, radio and various other electricity-friendly pursuits, condensing water droplets is a very bad thing. What can I do? Is there any way to lower the temperature of the garage air without somehow venting hot air back to the outside world? Would combining an evaporative cooler and a dehumidifier work?

If so, how should I arrange them for optimal cooling? Unless you can insulate, it will cost a ton of money. I get that it's a rental, but maybe the landlord won't mind if you insulate the garage. Having done that, get one of these AC units that only require you to make a 6" hole through the wall: Talk to your landlord, they may not mind these slight mods, especially if you pay for the insulation. However, if you really can't modify anything, another option is to build a smaller insulated shack in the garage, and AC that. Or, build a temporary wall to isolate part of the garage as an insulated and AC'ed space. A evaporative cooler and a dehumidifier together would likely just end up heating the garage. Consider any sort of heat pump however. The pipes can go under garage door, with just a little temporary gasket to keep it sealed. The room-inside-the-garage idea sounds best to me, but here are a couple other crazy ideas. The basic problem is you need to push heat out of the garage.

You either need a thermal barrier to keep it from coming back too fast, or you need to move out a lot of heat faster than it races back in. The room-inside-the-garage idea solves this by creating a thermal barrier between the room and the rest of the garage and pushing the heat from the room out into the garage. As an alternative, use the garage as a room inside your residence, and push the heat from the garage to the residence. Run an air conditioning unit and pipe the hot air into your main residence, where that region's AC can handle restoring a more reasonable temperature. You'd want to circulate the air throughout the apartment so that you don't end up with a hot spot right by the exhaust, and you're going to be spending a lot of money fighting against the lack of garage insulation. You could also consider insulating in such a way that you can remove the insulation when you vacate the apartment. I'm thinking exposed batts of insulation placed against the exterior walls and particularly against the back of the garage door panels.

You will doubtless need some sort of bracing to keep them up against the wall. home ac units canadaThere might be a better product for this sort of removable insulation that I don't know about, as well.ac unit for van Along the same lines, you might be able to get away with venting a portable AC unit outside through a small hole or holes in the wall. window bars for ac unitsPatch those holes when you leave. Or maybe there's a window in the garage that you can open, fit with a wood piece the same size as the bottom half of the now open window to plug the hole, and then cut a hole in that wood piece to run the exhaust pipe to the outside. I know that this thread was a long time ago, but here is a possible solution for other people. If your garage door is the typical multi-hinged garage door that "rolls" up into the area above the garage space, you can replace one of the panels and make a hole in it to accept the exhaust tube.

Disconnect the tube to go in and out of the garage and fashion some sort of plug for the hole while the tube is disconnected. I would also create some sort of screen to go over the end of the tube while in use to keep bugs out of the machinery. Then, when you are ready to vacate your apartment, replace the original garage door panel and take the one with a hole with you, along with your AC. I own my home and plan to put a pet door into the lowest garage door panel. I will then make a panel to fit in the pet door and make my hole in that panel to accommodate the AC tube. If we ever sell the house, we will just have a garage door with a pet door in it, or we can replace the door panel at that time.Browse other questions tagged air-conditioning garage or ask your own question.For homeowners that are thinking of converting their garage into a comfortable living space, air conditioning should be at top of mind. An efficient cooling option not only keeps the converted space at a consistent and comfortable temperature, but also prevents refrigerators, freezers, and other appliances from overheating on sweltering summer days.

Preparation to Install Cooling Equipment Before running out to install an air conditioning unit for a garage conversion, the converted space must be insulated properly. Without adequate insulation any air conditioning unit that is installed will not work at maximum efficiency. Insulation keeps the conditioned air within a confined space instead of letting it escape through gaps or openings in the building like garage doors or windows. Furthermore, energy bills will rise if the system works harder to cool a room. For homes that are directly attached to a garage, expanding on the existing ductwork could be the best cooling option. The idea is to connect the home's ductwork to a wall in the converted garage. Though this may be an appropriate option for some, it does require the services of a trained and certified HVAC technician. The technician will ensure that all new ductwork is installed and connected properly. Sometimes, it is simply not feasible to connect one part of an existing ductwork to an added living space.

If a converted garage is small enough, however, a window air conditioning unit could meet all of its cooling needs. Though this may be the most affordable and convenient option, it comes with plenty of downsides. To begin, homeowners need a window opening to mount the air conditioner. If there is not one present, a hole must be made which could be expensive and time-consuming. On top of that, it is not the most energy-efficient of the cooling options. Also known as a ductless unit, a mini-split system does not require a direct duct connection to a home's ductwork. With a condenser installed right outside the garage and the indoor unit mounted in the garage on the wall, homeowners get maximum space efficiency. While the price may seem higher than expected, the initial cost is quickly offset by tax credits for an energy-efficient install. Moreover, installing a mini-split system does not require an additional ductwork extension and mini-split systems are usually rated very high for efficiency.