Looking for Help to Cool Your Garage? Check Out These Expert Suggestions
Who doesn’t want a cooler garage?
Your home’s garage can easily be anywhere from 5-15 degrees warmer than the outside temperature in the summer. Here in the Dallas metroplex, we see triple digits frequently. Add another 15 degrees, and, well, that’s pretty darn hot!
Even without measuring, you instinctively know your garage is a lot hotter than outdoors.
There are several ways to keep your garage cooler. Some are easy, others can be done by a handy homeowner as a DIY project. Still others may require a pro at significant cost.
Depending on your needs and your budget, you can implement any or all of these expert suggestions. Below is a list of our recommendations based on our experience and also advice from other professionals.
But first, why is a cool garage so important?
Why Cooling Your Garage is Important
You Spend Time in Your Garage
Many people in DFW spend a lot of time in their garage. Maybe it’s your workshop for DIY projects or other hobby. Maybe you like working on your car or you do wood working. Other folks use the garage as a home gym.
For whatever reason, if you spend time in your garage, it can be unpleasantly hot in the summer.
You Store Things in Your Garage
Most people don’t realize how important this is. If you store paint or any kind of chemicals (for pools or cleaning chemicals, for example), heat can affect them.
Heat can damage electronics. Appliances, too. Many homes run extra refrigerators or freezers in the garage, and the hot environment can shorten their lives. Not to mention raising your electric bill to run them in a hot garage. Same goes for your washing machine.
Another popular item stored in garages is pet food. If storing your own food in a hot garage is bad, so is storing pet food.
Living Space is Adjacent to Your Garage
Unless you have a stand-alone garage structure, this will apply to you.
If there’s a bedroom or other living space above your garage, the garage heat will affect that room. If it’s bad enough, that room will be a little warmer than other rooms. Or it may just add to your cooling bill in a way that’s not obvious.
The same thing can happen for other rooms that share a wall with your garage.
Garage Fires are a Thing
According to a report by the US Fire Administration, there are about 6,600 residential garage fires each year. (https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v14i12.pdf)
Your garage probably won’t get hot enough by itself to cause a fire. However, the ease of a fire starting probably increases if the garage is hotter to begin with. In fact, the report indicates that July is a peak month for garage fires, perhaps for this reason.
Whether it’s an electrical problem or something else, stuff overheats quicker if it’s 115 degrees vs when it’s 100 degrees.
8 Ways to Cool Your Garage - From Experts
1. Improve Ventilation
Ranges from cheap and easy to difficult and moderate expense
This can be as easy as opening the garage door 3-4 inches. If you have a window in the garage, a box fan can also do a decent job.
If your garage has attic space above the ceiling, you can install a vent fan to push hot air up. Your attic already vents outdoors. This should probably be done by a pro who understands electrical requirements and code compliance.
2. Change Colors
Ranges from moderate for DIY to expensive if hiring
If your door gets direct sunlight, a light color will be cooler than dark colors. If you’re getting a new door anyway, this could be a cheap and easy change.
If you plan to paint the door, make sure you research types of paint and how to do it properly. This is important whether you do it yourself or hire someone. You can cause the door to stick and overload the opener.
You can also paint the exterior of the garage lighter color, although that is more drastic.
Of course, changing colors is not always practical since the color has to match your house.
3. Improve Insulation
Ranges from somewhat inexpensive for DIY to expensive for a complete job
If your garage door is not insulated, then adding insulation can help a lot. It’s a fairly easy DIY project, and you can buy kits that are sized for your door. It won’t look as good as a factory insulated door, but it’s a lot cheaper.
Of course, if you’re getting a new door anyway, an insulated model will cost more, but might be worth it.
Insulating the rest of your garage often means insulating the walls and/or ceiling. This will usually require hiring someone and can be expensive.
However, insulation will also pay dividends during winter, as it will keep your garage warmer. We serve customers in Dallas County and Collin County, and even though our winters are not harsh, it gets colder than you might think.
As part of insulating, make sure your weatherstripping is in good shape. Weatherstripping around the garage door is important to keep hot air from entering.
In the same way, check for cracks around windows, door frames, etc, and add caulking if needed.
Weatherstripping and caulking are a fairly easy DIY project.
4. Use a Dehumidifier
Somewhat easy, moderate cost
Lowering the humidity in your garage won’t lower the temperature by a lot, but it will make it more comfortable.
Here in North Texas, humidity is not the biggest problem in the summer. But there are days when humidity does make the weather uncomfortable, so this may be a good option.
5. Add Air Conditioning
Moderate to expensive
If you can install a window unit, that could be a very affordable and easy solution. But if you don’t have a window, your options are limited.
Portable ac units have become popular even in homes in recent years. However, they are not the most efficient, meaning they don’t cool as well. And you still need a place to vent it to the outdoors.
According to Consumer Reports (https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/air-conditioners/are-portable-air-conditioners-a-lot-of-hot-air-a1062000761/), they are bigger, noisier and cost more than window units.
Most folks use a ductless AC for their garage, also called a mini-split. If serious cooling is needed, a mini-split is probably your best option.
According to Chris Forbus, owner of Choice Air Care, a local AC company in McKinney, mini-split AC units are fairly popular for cooling garages in the Dallas area.
A mini-split AC is the most expensive way to cool your garage compared to our other tips. However, it is also the most effective. If you spend lots of time in your garage and want the temperature to be lower than outside, this is the best way to do it.
6. Park Outside
Cheap and easy, but inconvenient
This suggestion sounds trivial and silly, but it may actually be helpful for some. For example, say you come home from work and plan to use your garage later on that evening. If you park a hot car inside your garage, it will add significant heat. So leaving it outside makes a lot of sense.
Obviously, you park inside to protect your car from the sun and from burglars. So unless you plan to use your garage shortly after, you probably don’t want to park outside. And some folks don’t want the hassle of having to move the car back into the garage later on.
But if it works for you, it’s worth a try.
Yes, You Can Enjoy Your Garage In The Summer
No matter how you use your garage, it can be very worthwhile to cool it down. Any, or all of the suggestions above can improve the functionality and usefulness of your garage and make it more enjoyable.
If you need help with any of your garage door needs, give us a all, we’d love to help.