Originally posted by: gettinbranded2003
How big a room does 8000 BTU cool?
This all depends on your BTU load. BTU load must factor in things like cubic feet of a space, then it has to factor contributing factors that add heat like sunlight, appliances like stoves, computers, electronics, amount of people in the room, etc.
For the average Joe in the average space, I'd say 8000 BTU should be able to cool off a 400-500 sq foot room comfortably, and stretch it to 800sq ft but of course the more space you make it work for, the less efficient it will be. A 8,000 BTU AC in a 800 sq foot space will not be very effective and take a while to cool the room off. These situations would be good to have a timer so it can kick up an hour or more before you intend on occupying the space.
Now if you have alot of sunlight, especially directly facing the sun or skylights, these add alot more heat to your space. Something like some large non-UV/IR shielded skylights may require 20-50% more BTU's then a normal space. Bad insulation also is a factor. Electrinics and especially computres and TV's can add a significant amount to your BTU load. The typical computer with a monitor can easily add 1,000-2,000 to your BTU load. Each person also adds an easy 600 BTU's. A 8,000 BTU AC will be acceptable for a 500 sq foot room with a 9' cieling with 1 computer and one person. But add 2 skylights and another computer and a 32" TV and now you'll need roughly a 14,000-16,000 BTU AC to have the same effect.
I learned all this from trying to deal with my computer/music room. My 3rd floor studio space where I keep 3 computers and all my music equipment and instruments is about 800-900 sq feet with 15' apex cieling. I have 4 windows and 5 large unshielded skylights facing the morning, mid day, and afternoon sun. Its a beautiful studio but in the hot summer months, I can't keep it cool at all. The BTU load is about 40,000-50,000 alone, then turn on all the computers and my music recording equipment and that adds another 15,000-20,000 BTU's. The space literally needs it's own 60,000 BTU central air unit. I've tried even 2x 16,000 BTU window AC's and they don't do squat. After like 3 hours maybe the temp went down from 95º to 90º.... If this space was on the first floor, had no skylights, and no computers, then I'd probably be more then fine with a 16,000 BTU AC.
So as you can see, the BTU's you may need depends greatly on the conditions of the space.
BTW
viewlike, nice deal and welcome to AT
