Help cooling Train Room

I suggest that you ask you HVAC contractor about designing a system to handle just that. Ceiling fans, with adjustable speeds work will in our up-stairs layout room.

Add in some vent fans, to vent to the outside for running trains with smoke.  What floor is your train room on?

Don't install South facing windows and not a lot of windows at all. My train room is a garage loft 24' x 32' with 5' knee walls and 8' ceiling in the center. I only have 3 windows, East and West facing. It has been very warm here in NH this year. I have a single 5000 BTU window air conditioner set at maybe 76F. This morning the room was at 70F, so the AC almost never runs. Of course, if you live farther south, you may not get the cool nights. I have ductless mini-split AC in my house. These systems are great, especially if you don't have duct work. If I had money to burn, I'd put one in the train room, primarily for winter heating.

J Daddy posted:

Add in some vent fans, to vent to the outside for running trains with smoke.  What floor is your train room on?

I forgot to mention the trainroom is in the basement.

George

G3750 posted:

J Daddy posted:

Add in some vent fans, to vent to the outside for running trains with smoke.  What floor is your train room on?

I forgot to mention the trainroom is in the basement.

George

Put in one of those DHW (domestic hot water) heat pumps. They take the heat out of the room they are in to heat the water that you wash dishes, bathe and shower.

Don't know where you live but when I hear basement I think humidity.  As in a dehumidifier.  As in moisture, mold and smells and damage.

woojr posted:

Don't know where you live but when I hear basement I think humidity.  As in a dehumidifier.  As in moisture, mold and smells and damage.

Thanks.

Both a humidifier and a de-humidifier are in the plans.

George

From your description it sound like you are looking to boost cooling during high occupancy times--a secondary cooling system (like a split ductless unit) for use during high occupancy times may be the most economical.  

Orind posted:

From your description it sound like you are looking to boost cooling during high occupancy times--a secondary cooling system (like a split ductless unit) for use during high occupancy times may be the most economical.  

That is exactly what I'm trying to accomplish.  Can you give me some links or pointers towards suppliers / vendors?

Thanks,

George

I assume the basement shares the AC with the main floor.  Does it also share it with a second floor of a two story house?   We have a friend that uses one large heat pump for his 2-story house and basement in southern Maryland and it does not work well on hot/humid days.  He should have put in a split system, one for upstairs and one for the main floor and basement.

You are a little farther north so your basement should stay somewhat cool.  Ours stay cool to almost cold and we keep several of the AC vents closed.  We have no windows and one stairwell with a sliding glass door that is protected from the sun.  Our main concern is flooding/moisture so we have two completely separate sump pump systems with battery back up, and a dehumidifier.

You have good ceiling height, so Hot Water's suggestion for ceiling fans is good.  They are inexpensive and the air movement makes the body feel 4-6 degrees cooler.  Vents are great to get rid of the smoke, but a simple system that vents to the outside also vents your cool air out (more of an issue in winter with venting the heat out).  Some recommend a good filtration system installed as part of the HVAC as a better choice.

only commenting but I think a separate ac/heat system for basement only with its own thermostat is best choice as you then have total comfort control when 20 or more are in train room.

as to ceiling fans good idea too and paint them black prior to install then will blend in with black ceiling!

have you thought about installing thermal cooling& heating just thinking is all.

G3750 posted:

Orind posted:

From your description it sound like you are looking to boost cooling during high occupancy times--a secondary cooling system (like a split ductless unit) for use during high occupancy times may be the most economical.  

That is exactly what I'm trying to accomplish.  Can you give me some links or pointers towards suppliers / vendors?

Thanks,

George

http://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/

woojr posted:

Don't know where you live but when I hear basement I think humidity.  As in a dehumidifier.  As in moisture, mold and smells and damage.

Dehumidifier is mandantory in our basement layout room with no windows.  Have a wall fan heater if it gets cool, which it has not.  Stays about 66-68 year round ... usually.  On a really hot day it will get up to 75* with people working on the layout, but still okay.  The humidity was the big layout killer so we resolved that issue .. no more rusty wheels, etc. with the humidity about 50-54%.

G3750 posted:

J Daddy posted:

Add in some vent fans, to vent to the outside for running trains with smoke.  What floor is your train room on?

I forgot to mention the trainroom is in the basement.

George

Ok,  and what state is your new home in?

George:  Your topic took me by surprise.  I have a layout in my basement in central Indiana and cooling is NOT an issue.  Even when it's 100 degrees outside I've never seen the basement reach more than 75 degrees.  I have to close off my one single vent in the Summer while our central AC is on or we could hang beef down there!  Really.

In the winter, we have four large "fireplace" space heaters which do an excellent job.  I'm curious where approximately is your new basement to be located?

It has been 13 years since I last purchased a unit, but I purchased through Amazon--free shipping was a bonus.  A web search on Split Ductless Air conditioning will start you out.  

Bought mine through an internet store, but it was installed by a general contractor and commissioned by a licensed HVAC guy. These are not suited for handyman installation. Commissioning requires specialized equipment, starting with a line vacuum and test gauges.

We will be north of Pittsburgh, PA.

I recently bought an 8,000 BTU indoor ac unit with a vent out the window and it is very effective in cooling my room down and removing humidity. Bought it at Home Depot for $300. 

About AC in a Train Room ...

I recently installed a 8,000 BTU window unit in a L-shaped Train Room; it was formerly an addition made to the house by the previous owner and used as a home office. The AC unit does the job and reduces humidity too.  Unfortunately, this room has eight windows which was probably great for natural light in a home office, but not so great for a train room. I keep the Venetian blinds closed all the time to reflect sunlight away; however, four of the windows face the south.  Further, the previous owner installed two wall-mounted electric heaters, attached to thermostats.

Mike

John C. posted:

George:  Your topic took me by surprise.  I have a layout in my basement in central Indiana and cooling is NOT an issue.  Even when it's 100 degrees outside I've never seen the basement reach more than 75 degrees.  I have to close off my one single vent in the Summer while our central AC is on or we could hang beef down there!  Really.

In the winter, we have four large "fireplace" space heaters which do an excellent job.  I'm curious where approximately is your new basement to be located?

John,

In my present location (near Hershey, PA) I held an open house.  The basement, which is captive and has 1 small window, became quite warm with 20 people in the room.  This was in January.  We would have been better off in summer with the A/C functioning, but my concern is really winter gatherings in a basement trainroom.

George

For those with layouts in existing construction above ground: If you have a lot of south-facing Windows and don't want the heat, window film will help. (This Apple product insists on capitalizing Windows. Hmm.)

Otherwise, your HVAC contractor is the go-to here. With a new house, you don't have to work around anything. It may be that you won't need anything extra, or that a small window unit or ceiling fan would give you the boost you might need. Much also depends on how deeply dug in your basement is, whether you get any outdoor light, etc. 

I have central HVAC forced air unit that heats and cools my attic room in New Hampshire on its own thermostat. It keeps the room perfect during the 4 seasons. It's a more expensive way to go but worth it if you can afford it.

G3750 posted:

John C. posted:

George:  Your topic took me by surprise.  I have a layout in my basement in central Indiana and cooling is NOT an issue.  Even when it's 100 degrees outside I've never seen the basement reach more than 75 degrees.  I have to close off my one single vent in the Summer while our central AC is on or we could hang beef down there!  Really.

In the winter, we have four large "fireplace" space heaters which do an excellent job.  I'm curious where approximately is your new basement to be located?

John,

In my present location (near Hershey, PA) I held an open house.  The basement, which is captive and has 1 small window, became quite warm with 20 people in the room.  This was in January.  We would have been better off in summer with the A/C functioning, but my concern is really winter gatherings in a basement trainroom.

George

easy fix in winter time large crowds vent cool air from small window inside basement when icicles start forming on noses close window!

We ran a duct off the main central air heating/air conditioning unit into the train room and it works fine.  We have

a separate heating unit to deal with the downstairs train room, family room, bathroom, and bedroom  in the winter.

Lew Schneider

Using two furnaces and two a/c units, one set per floor, is the best and most flexible way to go.  Any single set system will entail compromises.

Basements because they are below grade tend to stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter, assuming there are no air leaks and such (my basement used to be pretty cold in winter, once I insulated it and found all these places cold air was coming in and sealed them, it is much warmer).  That is a pretty good sized space, but if it stays in a certain band you could cool it and heat it potentially using one of the portable AC units that vents out a window, some of them have the ability to heat as well. The downside of that is they aren't going to be particularly energy efficient, but they also likely won't be working all that hard if your basement is like many that I have been in, and it would be the cheapest initial outlay, might use a bit more electricity, though. A lot of them also have a dehumidifier mode as well, so when it doesn't need to heat or cool it helps maintain the humidity level. 

If the main hvac unit is big enough, a contractor might be able to zone it so the basement would be a zone on it and you wouldn't need a seperate unit. If you do that, you might want to have a dehumidifier in the basement, your central hvac unit might not be that great at keeping the humidity levels good.