So, when I built out my studio last year by enclosing one of our garages, we decided not to add ducting for the central air from the house to that space. Our thought was, since we didn’t pull permits and have this done “BY CODE”, we are just going to rip down the wall we added when we are ready to move out and call it a day. That ‘day’ is no sooner than 9 years away, but I am kind of a “live in the moment” kind of guy. To start with, I thought a fan would be good enough. I was wrong. Then I bought a portable AC unit and used that and the fan together. It is cool enough on most days (when is is not 120˚c degrees outside). The problem is, I built a recording studio….you know, to record stuff….audio stuff…..like with microphones…and a mixer….and sound software…and, as it turns out…a portable AC unit and a fan are not quiet. And did I mention this is an audio recording type situation? I think I might have, but I am not sure.
I present the DeLonghi Portable Air Conditioner 12,500 BTU’s. It is rated for rooms up to 400 sq. feet. DeLonghi says:
Cools Any Room
Window-mounted air conditioners can help beat the summer heat, but their cooling powers are confined to a single room. This powerful unit is wheel-mounted, so it can roll through the house to combat hot, muggy weather in whatever room you’re using. While watching TV or sleeping, switch on the quiet mode to chill rooms without disruption.
I assure you, they are 100% incorrect that it “COOLS ANY ROOM”, to say nothing about the “quiet mode”. Maybe it is just not made to cool rooms that are hotter than hell to begin with. Maybe one persons quiet is another persons loud as all F#*K. All that being the case, it worked fine last year. This year is a completely different story.
In Arizona, this year it was hotter than last year. We also have not had rain, as of yet, in the city we live in. The cities around us, all of them, every last one, no exclusions, I really mean all of them, have had rain this year. We had a friggin monsoon the other night that caused flooding in many places. You heard me, flooding. Here at Casa de Steve? Bone dry and hovering around 110˚ most days. My poor lil DeLonghi could not maintain. I decided to try to port some of that sweet 73˚ house air out to my studio. But how to achieve this? Steve, do you possess the necessary knowledge or abilities to perform the aforementioned task? 100% no, but I know people.
A couple months ago a gentlemen, who is a listener of my podcast (and also Saturday Morning Samoflange by my dear friend Mr Expanded Universe, Matt Wilkins) reached out to me and we began talking about podcasting. He had started his own podcast, and I was lucky enough to be on an episode with he and his wife. He also happens to be a handyman as one of the many hats he wears. He tells me he used to work in HVAC, and the task of ducting that sweet 73˚ house air should be as simple as making rice krispy treats is for my Amazing Amy. That makes me happy, since Amy is a wiz in the kitchen. This sounds like a no-brainer. We pick a start time of 7am, so we can begin before the super hateful temperatures really begin.
Now, let me say at this point, I am totally going to be his “pass me the wizbang ferclempto spanner” and “go get me a cold beverage” boy in this endeavor. I am totally on board with that. What I didn’t think about is that directly above my studio, in what I thought was the attic crawl space, is my daughters room, not an attic. Long story short, AC cannot be done that way and I have to either live with the heat and noise of a portable ac unit, or live with the heat and the noise of a portable ac unit. Totally up to me. My friend felt really bad, but there is nothing either one of us could do except get in our Delorian, drive 88 miles per hour and stop the designer of my house from being so effective in his use of space… stupid architect.
Maybe next year I will pull a permit and add a window and a wall mounted AC unit. The Amazing Amy, being a glass is half full kinda female, has said that what the Saga of Steve Rogers has is a summer studio (my walk in closet) and a rest of the year studio. Till then YOLO…it’s back in the closet for this guy.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.