Keep Garage Door Open Slightly- How?
 

When it's hot I see some garage doors open about a foot- I assume to let the heat out. My garage seems to have just 2 positions- Open and Shut. Is there a way to program it to accomplish this? Thanks.

Brand name door opener might help. Mine older MVP which has has control module at house entry. I just let garage door down to height I want to stop and push the stop button on control module as I enter the house from garage. In my hand held controls have 3 position buttons a + and - and O.. can’t remember it the center O button stops the door?

We can close our door to the point we want it open and then release the button and it stays.

Beware of snakes possibly coming to visit

lived in Florida for almost 40 years! Seems like everyone that leaves their garage door open unattended gets some sort of nasty critter take up residence. I would advise against leaving your garage door open!

I would agree, if you want the garage door to remain open, the screens are the way to go.

Open invitation for snakes, lizards, and Palmetto bugs.

Lie down and bench press the door open as it closes on you. Swat away intruders with one arm at a time. Works like a charm

Some folks have screens built into the bottom sections of their doors. Me? I leave my screened garage window open at the bottom and my garage ceiling pulldown wedged open to get airflow

I was walking the dog last summer past a neighbor's house who leaves his garage door up about a foot. The dog jumped and I saw a big snake coming out of the garage and going around the corner of the house. I told the guy and he wasn't concerned. Still leaves his door up when it's hot. We have the screens so our door is wide open when it's hot.

First thing I thought of also!! I’ve seen several garage doors with a couple of vents added. Not sure if it helps enough but better than leaving the door partially open or get a garage screen!!!

If you add vents, make sure "you" or the installer understands airflow.

Vents on top or vents on bottom, hot air in or hot air out......hot air rises.

:read:

door
 

I've seen that and I have one of those big garage screens. SO I tested with & without in summer heat and it was only 3-4 degrees different so I don't use it. Cuz when it's that hot a little is still pretty darn hot and it just makes the house vulnerable to bugs, mice and snakes

On my Linear opener if I press the remote when the garage door is going up it will stop in that position. Press it again it will go down.

critters can and will get in whether the garage door is open or closed, with or without a screen. They are not air tight and the smallest crack will let them in

Most garage doors will stop at the current position if you press the button while it is traveling upward. If you press it while it is traveling downward, it will just reverse direction and open all the way. So close door completely. Now press button (do not hold) to open. When it is open the desired amount, press again.

A real good way to invite snakes into your garage. Install a garage screen door is a better option.

I wouldn't bother installing vents. They are not very effective and they weaken the door.

Some homeowners have a garage ventilation fan installed. The vents on the garage doors are necessary to let the cooler oustide air into the garage. Energy-Saving Solar Garage Fan Install | The Villages & Central FL

I have a neighbor who installed a powered garage ventilation fan and two vents in the garage door. They used it for about 2 weeks and then shut it off permanently because it was not effective at all. I think a solar fan would be even less effective. You just don't get enough air flow through the smalls vents in the garage door.

There is an electric product called “Garage Cooler” that I believe the Solar Guys handle. I sold a bunch of them when I had my Solatube business. Product also has a heat fuse to shut it down in case of fire. Very effective.

How does drawing hot air from the outside to the inside cool the garage? Since hit air rises, how does a vent on the bottom panel help? I decided a screen could not be of much use and would not leave the door open at the bottom either, too many crawlers for my taste. I did insulate my panels and that lowered the temp significantly but if you really want to cool the garage, you need a split. Most of these ideas like fans, screens and such simply do not work effectively enough.

We have a mini split, so garage is always as comfortable as the house. Worth every penny. I don’t want slithery critters in my garage.

Amazing some homes have no window in the garage. Yet my CYV has 2 windows in garage.

So true! Our neighbor had a raccoon family try to inhabit their garage. Those rascals can be mean

We had a little palm rat stay with us for awhile when our doors were open. Little bugger chewed stuff. Wife wouldn't let me unleash the cat so we just waited and he finally left. Not recommended!

Joe

Just watch for the snakes crawling in or rats going thru the trash bags sitting in the garage. Yes this does happen and I do not leave mine open any more!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I put insulation on the garage door last year. It helped a good deal. Not hard to do.

??? whether this will help. Warm air does rise.

Find something solid that’s about a foot thick, disconnect the door from the motor driven track, raise the door manually about a foot and a half, and slide the solid object under the door and gently lower the door on top of it. Or better yet, get an overhead garage screen door. We got one from Coolbreeze and like it very much.

Why not have the small vents installed on each side of the door on the bottom? They work real good too.

We have a garage screen door to avoid the critter problem.

Finally
 

Glad to see someone other than me realizes it doesn't take much of a crack for some critters to get in.

i'd say yes, i agree. some of my outdoor lizard friends have found a way to sneak in, even when i thought everything was solid. it goes to show where there's a will, there's a way. i get them out & they want back in when i'm not looking.

That’s exactly how mine worked in in Ohio, Florida & here in Texas!

Heat Rises
 

Given that heat rises I don't think leaving your garage door open a foot at the bottom will help much. And of course there is the animal issue which may or may not be a problem in your area.

Insulate the garage door, it will help.

Neighborliness
 

So as to have snacks prepared?

Have learnt a lot in this thread, but still pondering that "rule" about hot air rising. If it's hotter inside the garage than out and there's a gap at the bottom, will the hotter air inside the garage agree to follow said rule and refuse to move laterally prior to gaining the opportunity to rise? Would this involve supervision by Maxwell's demon? Always looking to learn.

It does seem that the solutions generally don't seem to be "worth" the efforts, and I *know* that both of us would eventually drive through the screens.

I doubt that leaving it open slightly makes much difference in the temperature