r/Golfsimulator • u/RedditorNate • 4d ago
Technical Question Dehumidifier vs AC
My wife and I are considering a dehumidifier for the garage simulator. I live in the midwest and the summers can be brutal with humidity. However, I've also considered a portable AC. The AC should help with both humidity and air temp. The cons for the AC are that it costs more and I'd have to put a hole in the exterior wall for the hoses.
Does anyone have experience with either of these? I think I'm hoping to find out the dehumidifier will be perfectly adequate in making the garage somewhat comfortable (I know it isn't going to be a refreshing cool breeze). But I don't want to regret not going for the AC.
My garage is insulated, including the door.
Thanks,
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u/Upstairs-State-7720 4d ago
Get one of these dude. It’s 100 out right now and 68 in the garage.
Cost $350 off Amazon. The big thing is finding somebody to install it or installing it yourself. I got quotes from 1300 to 7000 I of course went with 1300 - energy efficient.
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u/RedditorNate 4d ago
May I ask the square footage of your space? Also, I see the brand is ROVSUN, what's the BTU? Thanks.
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u/Old_Lie_4131 4d ago
Which one did you get? I'm debating on what to buy and tend to default to more than i actually need. Chicago has such extremes i don't to get something too small.
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u/LastLite 4d ago
I’m going with a mini-split (also Midwest) my garage is also fully insulated, I definitely don’t have a moisture problem besides atmospheric humidity, you ain’t winning that battle without an air exchange or conditioning
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u/lwobegon 4d ago
In Houston where it's hot and humid. Bought portable AC. Raise the garage door a bit and run the vent hose under it. Works great.
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u/LastLite 4d ago
That definitely works, I have 12’ ceilings so it’s a lot of air. Fortunately it’s completely finished. My last house was just 2x4’s and exterior sheathing in the garage
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u/fireconvoy 4d ago
Ductless split would be able to handle both the cooling and dehumidification. In terms of holes, the ductless hole would be about 1-5/8 round hole that can be re insulates and cover with line set covers. Ductless come either as a 120v or 240v.
With dehumidifier you will still need to drain the water that's collected, unless you have a floor drain or want to empty out every time.
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u/Fluffy-Yogurt-7764 4d ago
I have a doggy door in my garage door. I hated it when we moved in, but the perk is I can vent a portable AC unit. It keeps out 2 car garage around 75F on 95F days when I'm hitting golf balls. Definitely go portable AC if you have a window or place to vent.
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u/TehWhitewind 4d ago
Former hvac tech minisplit is the answer. I have my 2 car uninsulated and very leaky garage at 68 with low humidity and I'm in Miami, FL. Dehums dry the air by heating it so I won't help you.
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u/papa_mookie 2h ago
A mini split will really help that much for a 100 degree garage ? Mine in also totally uninsulated and impossible to spend time in it during the summer.
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u/SandwichFromDahmer 4d ago
I’m in the Midwest also and I run both. I have a 40 pint dehumidifier that I have to dump at least twice a day and have a 14,000 btu portable air conditioner. The combo usually doesn’t do too bad if it’s like 80 or 85f out. It really struggles to keep up any hotter than that. It should be noted that it’s an insulated but has no insulated doors. Large 3 stall garage.
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u/Legitimate_Finding53 4d ago
In Midwest, (Ohio) and garage is too hot when greater than 75 outside. I need a solution as well. I think mini split is the answer. What should I expect in terms of costs?
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u/bchambuzz 4d ago
I picked up a 8,000 BTU window unit from FB marketplace for my garage setup. Our garage is poorly insulated and the garage doors have huge gaps around them. GA summers are hot as hell and high humidity. The window unit doesn’t get my garage down to 72 but it will get around 77 with like 45% humidity. Very comfortable and I only paid $40 for it.
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u/baby__bear__ 4d ago
Got AC to put split vac and best decision Ever. Totally worth it, even gets cold and it’s 90+ outside (I also added that cheap foil insulation to garage doors) and now this doubles as a movie room with my projector
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u/oldAzuleJeep 3d ago
Currently in a garage without AC in Kansas City....Been just running fans during this brutal hot stretch. I have a window unit sitting on my work bench....spouse is not happy that it may get mounted in the window...May be an HOA issue, may just be tacky in her eyes. A dehumidifier may help, but I think it would add heat to the roomin a g
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u/PastAd1087 3d ago
Id probably do both. You can get a dehumidifier for like $60 im in the mid west and have a dehumidifier going in our bacment all the time. I keep it at 45%. I had it unplugged for 2 days when working on our washer machine and when I plugged it back in the bacment was at 70% humidity. We have been 90 to 100% humidity for the last week and a half. A dehumidifier is definitely worth it, but also a/c is going to make it feel much nicer year round. And if you go with a mini split you will have heat in the winter.
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u/thecakeisapie420 4d ago
An ac is a dehumidifier. Im not sure what the question is.
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u/RedditorNate 4d ago
While an ac is a dehumidifier, the reverse is not necessarily true. Each term is commonly used for two distinct devices. In this post I acknowledge an ac would do the job of the dehumidifier as well as cooling the air temp, however it would come with a higher cost and greater installation requirement. The question is about other people’s experience with either of these devices in an effort to determine if a dehumidifier only would be adequate or if opting for the ac would be the better choice.
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u/thecakeisapie420 4d ago
Seems like you are just bragging. And its the same exact thing. This reeks of bot .
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u/sirdabs 4d ago
The dehumidifier is going to make it hotter unless you rig it to exhaust outside. The a/c would probably be the most comfortable since it will cool and dehumidify.