Do You Need Climate Control in Your Garage?

It’s possible to make your garage usable year-round by installing climate control equipment for winter heating and summer cooling. Plenty of workable options are available that provide the comfort you want in the garage, whether it’s a hobby space or you use it as additional livable space.

Heaters

Ductless mini split heat pump.

This system tops the list because it provides both heating and cooling in one easy to maintain, affordable and energy efficient appliance. Unless the weather is exceptionally cold, a heat pump provides adequate warmth in the winter. Ductless systems are similar to central HVAC systems except they blow the air directly from an air handler and don’t need ductwork.

Electric heaters.

Whether they’re space or baseboard heaters, these kinds are better at spot heating than overall garage heating since they’re the most expensive kinds to use on an ongoing basis.

Vented gas heaters.

A gas heater that hangs from the ceiling and vents to the outdoors will provide comfortable heat for cool-season use. Your HVAC contractor will securely hang it and extend a gas line to the heater. Unvented heaters are available, as well, but aren’t considered completely safe. If you do use such a system for climate control, keep a window or door slightly open to pull in fresh air and don’t use it more than a few hours at a time.

Cooling Systems

If you opt for a ductless heat pump, you will have a high-efficiency cooling system. These appliances are also available as air conditioners that provide cooling only.

Portable, window and wall air conditioners will also provide cooled air for the garage. The size you need depends on the cubic footage in the garage and its insulation levels, along with the amount of air infiltration. These re the same factors that will impact the size of heating system you need as well.

Adding climate control equipment to the garage helps you enjoy your time with hobbies, lucrative work, or in an alternative living space. To learn more about any of these systems, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Garage Ventilation Needs

While keeping the interior of the home adequately ventilated has proven benefits, the importance of garage ventilation hasn’t received as much attention. However, in a home with an attached garage, healthy air quality in the living spaces can be impacted by the garage environment.

Garage Air vs. House Air

The house wall shared with the garage often isn’t a vapor-proof barrier. Tiny cracks and gaps in the structure can allow fumes originating inside the garage to enter the house. Pollutants include exhaust from vehicles in the garage, as well as vapors from gasoline, solvents, paints and cleaning solutions that are typically stored there. Hot summer temperatures inside an unconditioned garage enhance vaporization of volatile chemicals and increase infiltration into adjacent rooms of the house even more.

Fresh Air In, Toxic Fumes Out

To reduce the accumulation of fumes inside the garage, a powered ventilation fan pulls in fresh outdoor air and flushes out toxic vapors. Usually installed in the roof or one wall of the garage, the fan draws outdoor air in through a passive vent grille in an opposite wall. The cross-ventilating action purges the garage space, exhausting fumes into outdoor air and also generating lower air pressure inside the garage. Lower air pressure, in turn, counteracts the tendency of garage vapors to infiltrate the house.Options to activate a garage ventilation fan include:

• A simple manual on/off switch to run the fan as long as desired.

• A manual "on" switch with an adjustable timer function that runs the fan for a preset interval before shutting it off automatically.

• Sensors installed in the garage door that detect when a vehicle enters the garage and activate the fan, then turn it off automatically.

Variable-speed garage vent fans are also available to adjust to specific circumstances. For example, when activities such as spray painting are underway in the garage, or when high temperatures inside the garage make it uncomfortable to work in.

For more about the benefits of effective garage ventilation, contact Air Assurance.