[pili]

Has anyone installed a fan in the garage? If yes, any recommendations? Bella can install a fan and they say it will help with temperature in garage. Before we commit, I'd like to know if anyone has one and are satisfied. We are also installing a fan in the attic. Thanks everyone.

Pili

[JohnN]

interesting question, pili,

and how would the fan be installed? Just blowing hot air around, or would it vent somewhere?

[Sidney Lanier]

When we had our solar attic fan installed, the installer explained to us that we could at any time add a garage fan which (obviously) would be electric and not solar. It would vent into the attic, from which the hot air would be blown out by the solar attic fan. Small louvers would be installed in the lowest row of the garage door for the "cooler" outside air to be drawn in. We highly recommend The Solar Guys on 441 for both these installations (as well as for solar tubes)!

[MMC24]

We have an attic fan but never thought of having a garage fan draw into the attic. Great Idea thanks.

[jmarkohio]

We also used the Solar Guys and would recommend them. They installed our solar attic fan and the small louvers alongside the lower panels of the garage door. This system does work but we do get a pretty good size puddle of water that come through the louvers during a blowing rain storm. My wife is also concerned that bugs can get in through them. I haven't really noticed any problem with the bugs but I suppose it's possible. They also put in solar tubes for us and we are really happy with them. The Solar Guys are real professionals.

[faithfulfrank]

At the risk of perhaps going a bit off topic, I have a pull down attic stairs in my garage.
I installed two 8x12 soffit louvers in the door. These help pull air up to the attic from the garage.

I knew this would help, because whenever I opened the attic stairs, I felt a rush of cool air breezing by me up into the attic. This of course is a passive system, but it does help, and was less then $5.00 to do, and uses no electricity.

Frank D.

[inholmdel]

My experience on fans in the garage is as follows:
With a large garage that has two sets of double pane windows that are facing the West, heat build up was a major problem in the summer months especially with a freezer and refrigerator in the garage.
The first thing I did was to get solar fans installed in the attic area.
I installed 5 solar fans in the roof. It did not solve the problem.
Next I tinted the window panes. This did not solve the problem.
Then I bought a large pedestal mounted fan. It did not solve the problem.
Finally, I had installed a mini air conditioner. This solved the problem and I highly recommend the "Mr. Slim" Mitsubishi unit.

[pili]

Is the mini AC mounted on the window or where does it go? I thought window AC were a no/no here because they don't look attractive from outside. Thanks.

Pili

[inholmdel]

Sorry. Have been out of town.
Mini air conditioner is not in the window. It is on an inside wall above house air / heating units.

[WLAN56]

My neighbor had a fan installed to move air to the attic. Cost about $400-$500. He also had the solar fan installed as they work together. I have the two small louvers in the door, a solar fan and two 8x12 vents in my pull-down stairs. The other day it was 89 deg in my garage and 86 deg in his. Don't know if the fan is helping much. You are pulling 90 deg air into the garage and it doesn't do much for cooling. I opened my put down stairs about half way and dropped the temp to about 87 deg.

On the mini AC units. the unit is indoors and the air condenser is outside just like your main AC unit. Considered putting one in my lanai when I closed it in. Est cost $3500 - 4000. Ended up just putting a larger system in my house and adding ducts to the lanai. Cost a little more but got tax breaks and reduced electric costs as it was a more efficient unit.

[pili]

Thank you everyone for replies and info. There is so much to consider when building a house.

Pili

[Dennis DiMatteo]

GF-14 garage fan The Solar Guys