Garage too hot?
 

We had the Solar Guys come to our new home in Bradford and install a garage ventilation fan in our 2 car plus a golf cart garage and it has made a big difference in the temperature of the garage.
We had it in a previous home in St. James.

A little over $800 for the installation of it and the door vents; to us it was worth it.

Does it vent into the attic or directly to the outside?

thanks

We had their solar attic fan installed. We opted not to get the garage ventilation system because I was concerned about fire danger. The way they explained it to me is they put two vents in your garage door and a fan in your garage ceiling. Anywhere else in the country it would be against fire code to vent your garage directly into the attic. If a fire started in your garage it would be in your attic before you were able to hit the 9 in 911.

OK, that makes sense, so why can't the system be vented directly to the outside?

I'm sure it could be. I'm just not sure The Solar Guys would do it that way. Our house is block. I doubt they would want to go through a wall. They might be able to install some chimney type duct work and direct vent it through the roof? But it certainly might worth a call to them and see what they can do.

Attic; helps push hot air out of the attic.

Very good to hear that, Solar Guys are coming tomorrow to install a solar tube and the ventilation fan and I was wondering just how much difference it would make in the garage temperature, we also have a 2 car plus golf cart size garage.

The garage fan has a fire rated damper that will spring closed in the event of a fire.

Since hot air rises I wonder how much of a push it needs!

Thanks! Never considered it. Now I’ll look into it.

Venting the garage will just pull hot air into your garage. For a real difference you need to insulate the garage attic and install a radiant barrier with an attic vent fan. Most of the heat in the garage comes from the attic which can be over 160F c

That’s not a problem with the fan they use. If there is a fire in the garage, that fan has special metal flaps that close to block off any fire. I had a home inspector check it out and he said that fan was the only one that was approved per the building codes. Solar guys know what they’re doing!

Noise
 

Check the noise level before you buy
I can hear my neighbors running from my driveway

I don't think that's really correct. I have had the Solar Guys garage fan for 13 years now and it's one of the best things I could have done. The garage indeed does pull in the outside air, but that's much cooler than the built-up heat that would develop. Plus the attic gets vented which helps cool the entire house a bit. Last, the garage is in the shade and the heat doesn't build up. My garage actually feels cooler than outside.

A mini split in my garage works exceptionally well to keep the garage cool. Two tons of AC pumped into 600 sq ft means it's cool virtually instantly when I want it. 18 SEER means the cost is so low that it is not perceptible in the electric bill.

Solar fan
 

Remember to get your 26% Federal solar tax credit. Those fans are fantastic.

Both my attic and the outside are cooler than my garage (the attic has 2 exhaust fans and there is usually a breeze outside). Sounds like a garage exhaust fan is just what I need. Does anyone use a window air conditioner in their garage?

Fire damper with heat fuse is on the garage fan. Guess they failed to mention that fact.

Window ACs might be a violation of the deed restrictions - depends on where you live as the deed restrictions are not identical everywhere in The Villages.

TECO is gonna love you. They are raising their rates. For 2021 health ins, electric, gas, water, amenities, cable, gas, food, insurance etc now it’s at least twice a year

Thanks! Wondering... My garage has a window that can be opened. I wonder if that is an alternative to cutting holes in the garage doors.

Limit to credit
 

There is a $$ limit on the tax credit. If that's a deciding factor make sure you haven't already used it up. We used almost all of it years ago up north installing new windows and had little left for the solar tubes we installed.

Garage air conditioner
 

I put a garage air conditioner that vents through the window. ( not a window air conditioner). Cools and dehumidify the expanded two car garage . 15* cooler that outside.

vents
 

All good garage info. to consider, thanks all. I just wanted to add a note about attic vents as my hubby did a calc on how many vents we should have for our roof and got 4.5 (we only had 2 in our designer model). So, he got a few quotes and found a contractor to put in 3 more (contractor got same figure by the way). It has made a big difference, still gets hot up there but not nearly as hot.

We had a new garage door opener installed a few weeks back. During a chat with the installer guy, he said that in the summer, especially if your garage door is facing south, the temperature inside your garage with the door closed can get as high a 150 degrees Fahrenheit, or five degrees over what you are if you're a medium-well done ribeye. That's hot!

Anyway he recommended leaving your garage door open (assuming you're at home) and closing that sliding screen thingy that just about all garages here in The Villages seem to have. Seems to be working OK.

Fire Issue Resolved to Exhaust fan from garage to attic.
 

Florida has the same law found in other states. Solar Guys installed an exhaust fan from the garage into the attic for us. They install a "fail-safe", per code. This is a damper door system that closes if there is a fire. This shuts off the fan opening access to the attic, thus separating the attic from any fire that might take place in the garage.

I have heard when they put in a Solar Tube or any kind of vent in the roof that it Voids the warranty on the roof. Is this true?

I don't think a garage ventilation fan qualifies for the 26 percent solar tax credit.

Not true.

Vents, fans, AC. All good options. Does anyone have recent good recommendations or reviews for motorized screen doors? Double door, wondering the approximate cost and vendor. Old threads out there and am wondering about recent experiences and suggestions.

Umm
 

Global Warming…/s/

Not sure what you mean by venting the garage? I have attic insulation and it's just plain hot in my garage by the afternoon. My understanding of the attic fan is that it sucks in outside air (much cooler than my garage) from the eves of my house and vents it out the roof. The OP said his new attic fan made a bid difference in the garage temperature. I guess I will find out in a few hours.

My home came with the garage vent fan already installed when I bought it. All it seemed to do was suck in the hot humid air from the outside. That is not comfortable at all if you want to work in your garage.

Better option for me was to insulate the garage attic and install a 24,000 btu Mitsubishi mini split. It was a 20.5 seer high efficiency unit. It is sooo nice to have a cool temp and low humidity in the garage. That is really a much better solution if you intend to use your garage as I do. I am doing some brake work on my classic car today in the garage. I wouldn't even consider it with the previous vent fan set up I had. Too Hot!!!!

I doubt it is any more expensive to run the mini split than the garage vent fan, but much better comfort level with the mini split.

Garage ventilation
 

Would you mind if my husband and I came to your house to see this ventilation system and how it was installed? We live in Belvedere coming up on 18 years. We have a deep freeze in our garage which has to work so hard because of the heat. Yesterday our garage was 99 degrees. We would really appreciate your time.

Tony and Linda Arce
(352)638-4738
Linarce@icloud.com

When the garage temperature was 99 degrees, what was the outside air temperature? If all you do is suck the outside air through the garage, the garage temperature can only achieve the same temperature as the outside air. Currently, the temperature in my garage is 90 degrees, which is the same as the outside air temperature.

About what does that cost, installed? I hear that Mitsubishi is the most reliable brand. I know they are very quiet, even outside. Can you recommend an excellent installer. I’ve read that these are NOT DIY products, as there are special refrigerant tools needed that are specialized.

The Solar Guys are terrific. I had them install four SolaTubes a few months ago. It took one guy about three hours. Perfect. About $850 per tube, installed.

Does the material with the fan say how many watts the fan uses?

Maybe at your place, but in my garage most of the heat is right through the doors. Sun shining on the doors heats them up like pizza ovens. One can feel the heat when standing anywhere within 8 feet of the doors. The outside air is always cooler.

My first line of defense is radiant reflecting insulation on the doors. Second line will be this type of fan.

Mitsubishi are the best. We used mini splits in Afghanistan, and I mean everywhere. Grueling conditions.. Mitsubishi lasted, many did not.

A 18 SEER ( they do sell a higher SEER) with no condensation pump (usually not required). $4,500.00 from Munn's. With the one year warranty and you get a (unwanted) nine year service contract. I cancelled that and I got 257.00 back.

The previous owner had the garage door isolated. My garage stays cool.