When you step out into your garage in the summer, do you feel like you’re almost suffocating due to the stifling heat trapped inside? Make it easier on your home's AC and your lungs by letting out the heat! Especially if you use the space for anything other than storing vehicles, such as a home gym or workshop, you want your garage to be bearable. Here are several ways to get the air flowing inside your garage so you can breathe more easily and your home won’t have to fight so hard to stay cool on hot summer days.
Add ventilation.
Consider installing a roof vent so the hot air that rises to the top of your garage can escape. Passive vents are inexpensive and allow the heat to escape naturally. Exhaust fans pull air up from the lower space and blow it outside.
Insulate your garage.
While you may associate insulation with warmth, it can also help keep a space cooler by preventing hot air from seeping into your garage through cracks. Consider adding insulation to the walls and your garage door or replacing your inefficient garage door with an insulated one, such as a classic steel garage door. Not only will this keep help keep your garage more comfortable year round, but it will also help keep animals and insects out. You could caulk and weather strip throughout your garage as well to fill smaller gaps and holes. Once your garage is well insulated, consider adding an air conditioner unit to pump cool, dehumidified air into the space.
You may find that insulating your garage helps keep your energy bills lower; more of the cool, conditioned air in your home will be kept inside where it belongs.
Open doors and windows.
If you have windows in your garage, open them up to let the hot air escape! You can increase airflow by opening your garage door a few feet or all the way. Any other entry doors that lead outdoors could be opened as well. Don’t open up doors or windows that lead to your house, or you could let in harmful gases and fumes (and excess heat!).
Set up and turn on fans.
You could set up fans strategically throughout your garage to circulate the air, but this could become a cumbersome chore and a tripping hazard. Consider installing a ceiling fan (if you have enough vertical space to do so safely). A ceiling fan will be up out of your way and will assist in effectively circulating air throughout your garage. You can adjust ceiling fans to pull air upwards or down into your space for a nice breeze. You could also create your own ventilation system by adding window fans that pull heat out of the garage and channel it outside or push cooler air from outside into your garage.
Get out the paint.
Another way to cool down your garage is to make it lighter! White and other bright colors reflect light and heat, while darker shades absorb heat. If your garage is dark, consider lightening it! When installing a new garage door or painting your garage door to give it a facelift, keep this in mind, especially if your garage is westward facing.
If you’re interested in replacing your garage door or you need your door repaired or inspected, call WD Door in Ankeny! We install garage doors from Wayne Dalton, Haas, and Carriage House for Des Moines area homes and businesses. Ask us for a free quote!
You can also check out the Wayne Dalton Design Center if you’d like to look through the different styles of doors we offer and see how they look on your home.
