Tips to Keep in Mind When Cooling a Shipping Container

18 July 2016
 Categories: , Blog


A shipping container can be converted into a cute home office or into extra space for guests, but you may want to add an air conditioning system to your unit so that you or your guests don't get super hot in there. Wondering what you need to consider? Here are some ideas to keep in mind.

Think about wiring

If you are hiring an electrician to come to your house, they can connect your shipping container to your home's wiring and give it its own circuit. In this case, you can also have the electrician connect the AC unit to the wiring in your shipping container, and you can use almost any AC unit regardless of how much power it needs.

However, if you are just running a heavy duty extension cord to the shipping container to supply its power needs, you will need to choose an AC that can be plugged into a standard outlet. Most wall and window units are perfect for this.

Don't waste money with too much power

In the face of high temps, it can be tempting to choose the most powerful AC unit possible, but you don't need it. Instead, measure your shipping container and calculate how many square metres of floor space it has. Then, look for an AC unit that can cool this amount of space. In some cases, you may want to calculate the cubic metres of your shipping container (square metres times height), as well.

Support with insulation

Don't let your AC unit take on the work of cooling your shipping container on its own. Instead, make sure that you support it with insulation. To insulate your shipping container, apply spray-on insulation to its walls or glue batting insulation in place. Then, add gypsum board and paint over the insulation so your walls look nice. Insulation helps to prevent the loss of cool air, and without it, your AC unit may be running all the time.

Give your container some shade

With a shipping container, you have a lot of flexibility with its placement. Before choosing a spot for it in your yard, watch the path of sun and shadows through your yard, and try to place your container into a spot where it's likely to receive a lot of shade. In particular, place it under a tree or where the house shades it in the morning.

For more tips on cooling a shipping container, your garage, your home or anywhere else, contact an AC expert.


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