Fredy's new shop

I had to drill a 10" hole through the side of an air traffic control tower. I did this:
Get a good size hammer drill and a 1" masonry bit long enough to go through the wall. Draw a circle where you want the hole. Draw a circle 1/2 inside of that circle. Drill around the inner circle ever two inches. After all the holes are drilled you use a stone chisel in the hammer drill to clean the webs out. Once every other web is gone, a few smacks with a big maul will dislodge the chunk of concrete. If you find rebar that you need to remove, you will have to cut it with a long demolition carbide blade in a reciprocating saw. Clean up the hole with the chisel bit or a stone hammer.

If it is just for ventilation and air exhaust, you can just drill a lot of 1" holes in a honeycomb pattern. No need to remove the concrete plug or cut any rebar.
Fit a cover as needed on the outside. Lot of drilling, but would work.
Thanks Stacy, that's reassuring. I will start with the smaller hole first and see how that goes. I want to insert tubes to make it clean and close any holes with foam/repair mortar. For the big fan I actually planned to cut a bucket and insert in the wall, because I couldnt find an appropriate piece of tubing in the local market.
 
As far as the A/C- I recommend a mini-split unit. If you have 220V available, get a 220 unit, but the 110 V units work extremely well.
These are easy to install without an HVAC technician, they don't take up a window, and are energy-efficient.
I don't think 110v is an option for him in Austria. You are correct though, mini-split is the way to go here. No duct work, and efficient.
 
https://www.bauhaus.at/feuchtraumleuchten/ritter-leuchten-led-feuchtraumlichtleiste-omega/p/23184947 Daylight light fixtures , connectable to add more light
https://www.bauhaus.at/kastendachrinnen/c/10002099 gutters
https://www.bauhaus.at/kg-rohre/kg-rohr-sn4/p/13627387 vent pipe to go through wall (make sure to put screen on outside end to keep animals out..https://www.bauhaus.at/vogelschreck/sarei-vogelschutzgitter-multischutz/p/23089495
looks like this place is your best bet to get building materials https://www.bauhaus.at/baustoffe/c/10000819?shownProducts=108&singlePage=15#23089495
 
I didn't check his profile.
The Europeans a more familiar with those Heat/ac units than we are!
Something I will say about them is- Being in the HVAC business for 40+ years in an industrial setting, I had always hears that heat pumps don't work well in really cold weather. I was pleasantly surprised when mine was pumping out hot air with an outside temperature of 10 degrees F!
 
https://www.bauhaus.at/feuchtraumleuchten/ritter-leuchten-led-feuchtraumlichtleiste-omega/p/23184947 Daylight light fixtures , connectable to add more light
https://www.bauhaus.at/kastendachrinnen/c/10002099 gutters
https://www.bauhaus.at/kg-rohre/kg-rohr-sn4/p/13627387 vent pipe to go through wall (make sure to put screen on outside end to keep animals out..https://www.bauhaus.at/vogelschreck/sarei-vogelschutzgitter-multischutz/p/23089495
looks like this place is your best bet to get building materials https://www.bauhaus.at/baustoffe/c/10000819?shownProducts=108&singlePage=15#23089495
Thanks, yeah, we have benefit of couple of large markets here, Bauhaus, Obi, Hornbach are the three largest.
I have a large section of a 110 mm pipe already and the vent covers/grilles and vents are off amazon. I will post pics as soon as I get the stuff, as I avoid posting links here.
EDIT: sometimes I feel the prices are a scam though, eg, a section of 5 inch plastic ventilation tube 10 inches long 25 Euro.
I didn't check his profile.
The Europeans a more familiar with those Heat/ac units than we are!
Something I will say about them is- Being in the HVAC business for 40+ years in an industrial setting, I had always hears that heat pumps don't work well in really cold weather. I was pleasantly surprised when mine was pumping out hot air with an outside temperature of 10 degrees F!
Yeah, we use split units a lot here, I am Croatian and you can be sure that almost every house has one in Croatia, they are mostly used for cooling in the summer. We also have one in the apartment here in Austria, I guess when we upgrade in the apartment the old split unit will go to the garage shop. The only issue is that I might have to ask other apartment owners for permission to install such a unit on the garage.
 
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Here's the vent staff:

10 inch fan with shutters that automatically close when turned off - could eg be combined with a smart outlet and connected to phone to turn on only in the low humidity hours.

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Inside grille for the large fan.

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Vent grilles for air intake (2 pieces for inside and out, can be closed and set up to size for tubing between 100-150 mm). Since I bought cheap grey tube (for canalization) the 110mm is not a standard sizing for ventilation staff (100-125—150) so I found this adjustable covers. Third piece is for the outside cover of the AC outlet.
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I guess I just need to get to drilling and hammering once I find the time.
 
nice grab on the doors... those look like they could be used perfectly as you got to build the walls and frame
i honestly did not think about Amazon !!!! in the Philippines they are not really a option (it sucks)
yea some "Hardware type stores" charge whatever they want and you either buy/improvise/ go without,,,
 
For the roots/digging issue.
I use a Rogue H40G hand hoe.
Makes ditching and cutting very easy.
When ditching, i team it with a surplus foxhole shovel, for dipping dirt.
 
Hey, Freddy.
I am visiting Wien in December ... only a couple hours from Graz. Shoot me an email. Maybe we can have a drink and chat.
sapelt@cox.net

As Martin Luther said, “Wer nicht liebt Wein, Weib, und Gesang, Der bleibt ein Narr sein Lebenlang"
 
For the roots/digging issue.
I use a Rogue H40G hand hoe.
Makes ditching and cutting very easy.
When ditching, i team it with a surplus foxhole shovel, for dipping dirt.
Nice hoe 😁 it looks like I could use one of the larger models - 55HXH looks nice.
I bought a pickaxe (2,5 kg) and a large axe to deal with the large roots. I guess sharpening the shovel would also be a good idea.
Hey, Freddy.
I am visiting Wien in December ... only a couple hours from Graz. Shoot me an email. Maybe we can have a drink and chat.
sapelt@cox.net

As Martin Luther said, “Wer nicht liebt Wein, Weib, und Gesang, Der bleibt ein Narr sein Lebenlang"
Have to agree with that, email sent, you should have my contact details from last KITH.
 
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I set up the AC provisionally and got it working 24/7 on dehumidify. I am now pulling about 8l of waters per 24 hours. Don't know how much of it comes from the air and how much from the wall but it seems to be a lot.
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Started drilling/hammering the hole for AC, but that went like hand sanding HSS.
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Upped the hammering game and got a quality paint and some repair kit.
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Some small repairs.

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Vent stuff arrived
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Prepping the med kit (cabinet accidently found in the recycling zone while I was throwing away junk from the garage).
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The First aid is in the little flask on top of the cabinet. The locked cabinet is to hold his full bottle of Broger ... and an Islay if serious treatment is needed.
 
Its like the hand polishing guys saying that machine polishing is cheating and i am the hand polishing guy.
 
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