Unlimited access >

Heat and A/C for tack room?

What do you recommend? Ive been looking online at the ductless mini split, hotel type units.

Room is insulated and roughly 300 sq ft.

Zoneline by GE has been around for over fifty years normally available at around $900 to $1100 depending on model. Others are less expensive.

here is a buying guide

http://www.geappliances.com/ge/room-air-conditioner/air-conditioner-buyers-guide.htm

That’s what use

Mini-split ductless is a great solution for this application and you don’t need a very large unit for a space that small. You can keep the cost of the install down, by doing the physical placement yourself and just getting a qualified HVAC contractor to charge the system, etc. (consumers can’t do that)

I have a mini split in my tack room, does a great job of heating and cooling. The only thing it doesn’t do well is get the humidity out. We’re in the Deep South so very humid, so I run a dehumidifier during the day. We did have ours installed so cost was around $3,000 I think.

Mini split is what we are putting in, was recommended as best by anyone that has one in their tack room.

Funny story, servicemen came install after framing, that we used 6x for.
They drilled big holes all along, ran their tubing, main serviceman came check on them, found out we were insulating with foam, told them to take it all out.
They needed to run tubes outside, not where foam insulation was.

So, they carefully removed all they had installed.
That left those big holes, the round wood pieces that came out were still laying around.
I teased them that now the framing looked like a crazy woodpecker went nuts in there, they had to put those pieces back in there.
As I came by later, they had put ever one of those back in the holes and left.

100 years from now, when someone gets into those walls, they will wonder why those holes are there and why they plugged them back.

Moral of that story, don’t let them run lines if you are insulating with foam and don’t tease!

1 Like

Actually it’s probably a good thing that you did tease them since they did put the wood pieces back. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

If your tack room has windows you can get a window air conditioner that also has heat for around $300.

2 Likes

That’s what we use.

The window unit lets me use the window for fresh air 9 mths of the year. I use a temp controlled window fan until the heat/humidity requires me to slap the AC unit in.

In the winter, I just use an oil filled heater on the floor. The tack room is so well insulated that I never have it off the lowest setting. I am also anal about the tack room being dust & hair free, and vacuum it constantly, so I have no fire concerns with the heater.

We have a mini-split in our house here in MD. We are on our 2nd one in 7 years. First was a Mitsubishi (lasted 4 years), the one we installed 2 years ago is a Fujitsu. I haven’t been impressed with either one. Very tempermental, never cools/heats to the temp we want, often won’t dehumidify (which it is supposed to do!). The digital thermostat/current temp on both NEVER EVER EVER matches the good old thermometer on the wall…

Both the Mitsubishi and Fujitsu were super expensive - $5-7k including install. Neither were big units - I will dig up the stats, they are only “responsible” for a master bedroom - bathroom - closet addition that covers ~600 ft.

Really?? I can add a window for that price!

1 Like

People here that have window units say for here, they don’t really work too well.
We don’t have humidity, but we have lizard weather and dust and those window units don’t seem to work quite as well or long in that environment?
Plus you have to put them in and take them out.

Then, at that price, it may be worth trying, can always replace them with other later.
Those mini-splits can be added to any existing structure after it is in use, unlike duct systems, that are best installed when building.

I would say, it may be best to ask around where you are and check out what others there use that works best.

I have an A/C window unit that works quite well. I got it for 100 bucks at lowes. For heat I have a floor heater but I only run it when I am in the barn for safety reasons. If I lived somewhere colder I would consider installing a real heater. I know someone who put a HVAC system in their barn and loves it, but she also has a huge tack room and a small barn apartment. I don’t think she paid over 10k for the install though.

1 Like

You don’t even need to add a window! I have a wall unit in my tack room - cost around $300 and it just needs an outlet and a square cut out to mount it!

ETA - Mine is heat and A/C…it has an auto setting so I just leave it set at 72 year round.

2 Likes

Depends on how much money you want to throw at it. I installed 220 electric baseboard on a programmable thermostat. In the summer I have a small efficient window AC, that has programmable temp and settings. The whole install cost a few hundred. The hardest part was running the wire from the Tack Room to the barn breaker panel.

We have very hot humid summers and what most would consider very cold winters. Everything works great. The AC unit is light weight,very easy to take out and put back in.

1 Like

We cut a hole in the wall and use a window unit that heats and cools. I have no idea how much it cost, but the walls are quite tall so the unit is up high. I wanted it out of the way, but it is still easy enough to climb a ladder to clean the filter. We have had it since 2012 and haven’t had any issues thus far.

1 Like

In our old house we put in an AC unit through the wall for the main part of the house. It was a big one and cooled about 1100 square feet. You don’t need a window.
There are plenty of safe space heaters such as the oil filled plug in ones or you can add a strip heater to the room. DH does all our own handyman work so I have no idea how much most installations cost.

I have electric baseboard I my tack room, but I wish I’d used electric cove heaters like I have in the house. If I had an outside wall I’d use a $100 window air unit, but I don’t, so we cut a small exhaust opening into the barn aisle for a free-standing unit.