THSCC Forums

So, how do you guys do it?

Some days recently its been too hot and it just destroys motivation.

Currently the garage door is insulated (white foam board with shiny heat shield stuff). Wall's are insulated, Floor is cement and the roof is closed in, but I don't know if its insulated. I assume it is, but no way to verify. There is a small window ac unit, but it seems to do little to even take the edge off. Its bearable when I have my fan pointed at me, but that blows things all over the place.

So, how does everyone beat the heat when working in their garage?

I wait until the sun goes down (my garage faces West).
Then I use a small squirrel cage fan under the car to keep some air moving.
I don't have any insulation or a/c in mine. It stays hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

Taking your clothes off helps a little with the heat.

I have no A/C. It sucks, but you somewhat get used to it.

* Open garage door
* Pedestal fan blowing on my work area
* Sweat band to keep sweat out of my eyes
* Lots of water
* Learn how to weld in flip flops, shorts and t-shirt without getting burnt (much)

Richard

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

I point this at my 18,500 BTU window unit heat pump.



My shop is 22x26x11.5H with insulated walls, windows & doors (no insul in ceiling - on my list). Keeps it warm (~60) in the winter and cool (~76) in the summer.

Cash

_________________
09 Bullitt - DD
11 Fusion - Wife's DD
03 Mazda6 - Track car
00 PSD Excursion - Tow rig
67 Firebird - Don't you still own your 1st car?
61 F100 - Dad's truck
90 Moto Guzzi Calif III - Tourer
00 Cagiva - Adventure bike
00 DRZ400 - Woods bike

I'm pretty fortunate that my 2 car garage has a built in HVAC system as our house was the model home of the neighborhood, so they used the garage as a sales office. Unfortunately though, the race car garage is the 1 car attached without that. I installed a ceiling fan, added fan that sits on the floor and have a dehumidifier in the garage. The last item helps tremendously, because the dryer it is, the cooler it feels.

Once fall hits, I am planning on having unit HVAC unit installed in that garage too. It's insulated, so it should be pretty efficient. Our 2 car can sustain below 72° when it is over 95° outside in the summer and 74° when it below 32° in the winter. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

Thanks, but not the answer I wanted to hear. I guess I will have to learn to live with it.

@richard, I think if I ever need to learn to weld, I will start with with your suggestion of flipflops. Surely that big full face mask cant be necessary, so I will just close my eyes when I start up the welder.

@aaron, How much does the dehumidifier help? I remember having one in the house when i was growing up to help take the load off the AC. Isnt that also sorta how AC's work anyways to get the head out of the air?

Using a dehumidifier combined with fans helped a great deal in how hot it felt. The actual temperature drop was probably very little, but moving the air and having less water vapor in the air made it much more tolerable. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DuctlessAire ... /205934520

Something like that.

Dustin and I both use the same 18000 BTU mini-splits in our garages ... I'd never have it any other way. Heat and AC. Silent operation.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Thats a pretty penny more then I want to spend right now, but I do have some questions.

When I move, how hard is it to tear this down and move it with me? It seems like it would be pretty easy especially if I find a way of not poking holes in the wall.

When you open the garage door to swap car's, how long does it actually take that unit to get the temps back down. I realize thats going to very depending on size, temps, humidity etc. but is this something thats way over powered and will get temps back down quickly, or will it take forever to get them back down?

Thanks for posting this Mike. Interesting option as compared to a traditional HVAC system. With my 1 car garage being 14.5' x 24', I am betting the unit you quoted would likely work too, although 15,000 BTU might be more efficient.

Anyway you could snap a picture on your phone of the outside view of the condenser? I am trying to get an idea to ensure our HOA wouldn't have a problem with it. I'll be at the VIR24 running with Randy in the Silver Bullets car. I'll stop by to check it out and to say hello to your teams. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

This is the unit I have:

http://www.sears.com/kenmore-elite-18-500-btu-heat-cool-230v-room-air/p-04276185000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

Similar concept as the mini-split (heat & AC) except it's a window unit that is easier to install and very easy to move. Just need a 220V plug. Its a bit cheaper, but yeah its noisier too - although you cant hear it when my air compressor is running.

Cash

_________________
09 Bullitt - DD
11 Fusion - Wife's DD
03 Mazda6 - Track car
00 PSD Excursion - Tow rig
67 Firebird - Don't you still own your 1st car?
61 F100 - Dad's truck
90 Moto Guzzi Calif III - Tourer
00 Cagiva - Adventure bike
00 DRZ400 - Woods bike

I don't know what "the roof is closed in" means. Is there an attic over the garage, or just drywall over the top chord of the trusses? Just curious what is in place for passive venting from the roof (turbine, ridge vent etc) and if you have a roof-mounted exhaust fan in place? Evacuating the hot air can do a lot of good before going the route of AC. Just a thought.

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Steve Carter
1972 Datsun 240Z-- resto pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/srcartermd
2007 GPW Honda S2000-- STR 86

Mike,

You remember my garage maybe (3 car, about 780 sq ft, 10' ceiling)? It's very well insulated (blown cellulose and insulated doors). I would like to use one of these in it, but the garage is on the front side of the house (side entry), and I don't want to put the outdoor unit there. Hence I'd need to run lines through into the crawlspace somehow, but of course the garage is on a slab. Somehow I'd need to get through to the crawl to run the lines out back.

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

These units get pretty small. A guy I race with has a similar one mounted on his trailer tongue.

What I mean by closed in is I can see drywall on the bottom of the rafters. I haven't drilled it to see whats behind it

House is basically a strait line. The area over the garage is "strait though" to the other side. By strait though I mean when I go up into the attic I have the area that is insulated with plywood covering it and where I store a bunch of boxes, xmas tree, etc. This connects to the area above the living room where there is a 3 or 4 foot wall built up and loose insulation as far as I can see. The living room has a raised cealing, and I can see the raise and past it in the dark, but no real access to get over there and see if its insulated above the garage area, but I can see back far enough I know if I crawled back there along the rafters I would likely be able to get to it. I hope all that makes since. The v frame for the roof has no insulation or heat barrier which I have thought of doing some day if I decide to stay here longer.

There is no fan in the attic that I am aware of. There might be a vent, but honestly I cant remember and it wasn't something I was ever looking for. But from what your saying it sounds like on top of looking to radiant barrier to help with my heating/cooling bill I could look to an exhaust fan to help in that area as well?