As summer bounces in, it's time to brace ourselves for rising temperatures and extreme heat and humidity. It's going to get mighty uncomfortable and if your garage isn't optimized for the heat, you can count on feeling as if you're being baked alive (think 110 degrees and above). If you're planning to spend some quality time doing your personal projects and/or repairs, you'll want to explore cooling solutions to make the time you spend in there more tolerable. Here are some ideas on how you can cool down your garage in the summer.
Work with the garage door open. It's the easiest and cheapest solution - keep your garage door open while you're inside.
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Install insulation. Many homeowners neglect to insulate their garage, making it the single largest non-insulated space the home. Did you know that insulation is actually an energy saving solution? Proper insulation will help to drastically bring down your electric bill. It will keep your garage warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. If you haven't insulated your garage yet, consider doing this as a first step. If you haven't had your insulation checked for some time, now is the time to do it. Think about insulating your walls, your roof, and your garage door as well.
Install a ceiling or attic fan. This kind of fan operates by drawing hot air from inside the garage and exhausting or blowing it back outwards. The fan should be situated near the ceiling or higher than 4 feet above the floor. This will involve creating an opening on the wall of your garage, and you'll need a nearby electric outlet to plug the fan in.
Bring in an electric fan or evaporative cooler. You can put in a stand fan inside the garage. This will help to blow air towards you, but if the garage door isn't open it won't remove the hot air from the room; it will just blow it around. An evaporative cooler is a low cost alternative to an air conditioning unit. You put ice or water inside the unit and the machine blows cool air from the ice/water. Remember, though, that this may not be an entirely ideal solution - since you're blowing moist air it may cause rusting on your equipment and gadgets.
Consider putting in a whole house fan. If it's the entire house and not just your garage that's suffering from the heat, a whole house fan - the kind with the insulated duct that runs across the inside of your ceiling - is a great idea. You may need more than one fan depending on how many square foot of space you want to cover.
Install an air conditioning unit. If your garage is in the path of the afternoon sun and becomes really hot in the summer, an air conditioning unit may be your best solution. A/C units can cover bigger spaces and because they operate through Freon, they provide the coolest air.
De-clutter. When there are too many things in a room, there is less space for the air to circulate in. If you've been making your garage a store room, consider doing a thorough cleaning and get rid of stuff that you hardly use, aren't likely to use anymore, or that you don't need. Organize things neatly on shelves. If your garage doesn't have enough shelf space, consider installing shelves and/or cabinets. Storage space with doors will look neater and when the doors are closed there will be less crevices for the air to circulate in. The more free space there is, the better.
Don't park a hot car inside immediately. If you've been out in your car and are now coming home, park your car on the driveway for an hour or two to let it cool down before bringing it inside the garage. The metal parts of the car will radiate heat and add to the blistering heat inside.
There are many solutions for cooling down a garage. Study the differences in cost in order to find one that won't kill your budget. Remember to consult a garage specialist too to make sure that you're making the right choices.
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