garage

jmitchell · 06-09-2010, 03:56 PM

Hello All,

Has anyone insulated part or all of their garage? Can you somehow insulate the garage door? We were considering using a portion of our garage to put some exercise equipment but of course it would need to have A/C. Has anyone done something similar?

Thanks!

Fourpar · 06-09-2010, 04:07 PM

I would read and understand the Covenants and Restrictions attached to my deed before even thinking about trying to add a window a/c to garage.....

BogeyBoy · 06-09-2010, 04:11 PM

We insulated the garage door - it gets direct sunlight most of the day. Bought the insulation kit from Romac in Wildwood. (They installed the garage door when the house was built.) Call them first to check availability, they told me they sometimes run out - with the recent heat they are probably selling well. The job is a little tough, you have to remove all of the horizontal pieces and even then the insulation is a tight fit.

I have thought about doing the attic but have not done so yet. There is a lot of heat in the garage and I'm sure it impacts the efficiency of the AC unit.

We have an AC on wheels unit. Tried it a few times. If you don't turn it on fairly early in the day it only provides a cold breeze but doesn't effectively cool the area. Maybe with the attic insulated it would do a better job.

jmitchell · 06-09-2010, 04:13 PM

Fourpar,

Oh I did not mean a window a/c. I know that would be a NO NO. I was hoping that since the A/C was in the garage that an additional vent could be added which is why we were considering closing in a small portion of the garage because I don't think the garage door can be sealed well enough.

jmitchell · 06-09-2010, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogeyBoy

We insulated the garage door - it gets direct sunlight most of the day. Bought the insulation kit from Romac in Wildwood. (They installed the garage door when the house was built.) Call them first to check availability, they told me they sometimes run out - with the recent heat they are probably selling well. The job is a little tough, you have to remove all of the horizontal pieces and even then the insulation is a tight fit.

I have thought about doing the attic but have not done so yet. There is a lot of heat in the garage and I'm sure it impacts the efficiency of the AC unit.

We have an AC on wheels unit. Tried it a few times. If you don't turn it on fairly early in the day it only provides a cold breeze but doesn't effectively cool the area. Maybe with the attic insulated it would do a better job.

Bogeyboy,

Thanks for the garage door information. We'll have to look into that. Our garage will also be South facing, so I am sure we will have a heat issue too.

You make a good point about the garage heat possibly affecting the A/C unit. Maybe building a few insulated walls around the unit will give us our exercise room as well as increase the A/C's efficiency. We were also considering insulating the attic. I think I have read on TOTV that others have done this.

BogeyBoy · 06-09-2010, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourpar

I would read and understand the Covenants and Restrictions attached to my deed before even thinking about trying to add a window a/c to garage.....

I agree.

I've seen a couple of window units around but have been told that eventually deed compliance comes knocking at your door.

I would contact a heating/AC contractor to find a safe alternative.

Rag Bagger · 06-09-2010, 04:40 PM

Don't forget that the outside walls for most garages are not insulated either.
Depending on your whole house AC sizing it may be possible to simply cut a tap off the supply duct. But I doubt it would be possible to really cool a garage. There is a lot of Square footage to deal with and all the insulation or lack of insulation issues.

Why not just join a gym? Or better yet get a job and work off those pounds and make some money. Then save the money on gym equipment and AC operational costs. A win/win situation.

jmitchell · 06-09-2010, 04:57 PM

Rag ******,

Well... I am not really sure how to take you??? but in the spirit of TV I will

I agree that trying to cool the entire garage is not really feasible or useful which is why we are considering walling off a small portion near the A/C unit. I didn't realize that the outside walls were not insulated but if our home is concrete block it may help - otherwise we would have to insulate the one wall that is an outside wall. As for getting a job and losing weight HUMMMM... I'm wondering why you think I am overweight? Maybe I have a disability -- now wouldn't you feel bad... luckily for me and you I don't and I am not overweight you can check for yourself at www.getjealous.com/mikeandjulie but I would like to stay in shape using exercise equipment I already have. You are welcome to come by and I'll take you through my training regimen.

graciegirl · 06-09-2010, 06:27 PM

I think that we will get the screen door for the garage. It is like an oven in the summer but during the rest of the year the screen makes it a usable room. That is my art studio.

jmitchell · 06-09-2010, 07:12 PM

graciegirl,

That is a good idea. I think we saw some homes with garge screens when we were there in Jan. I wasn't quite sure how the worked? Are they attached to the gargage door?

BTW - My mother's name is Grace! It's a beautiful name.

tom60 · 06-09-2010, 07:31 PM

When i sat down with the villages rep back in 2000 to order my house, he asked me: do i want to insulate the attic. I said yes. Then he asked me do i want the outside walls insulated and i said yes.The insulation makes a big difference. Garage stays nice and warm all winter and pretty comfortable in the summer. Garage door faces south and has no insulation so thats where my heat comes from. Then the man asked me if i wanted the standard size heat pump that came with the house or did i want to upgrade to the next bigger size. I ordered the upgraded size and it works great. Very efficient. Electric bills have averaged around 100$ for the first ten years. So i recommend getting garage insulation if you have a chance.

jmitchell · 06-09-2010, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom60

When i sat down with the villages rep back in 2000 to order my house, he asked me: do i want to insulate the attic. I said yes. Then he asked me do i want the outside walls insulated and i said yes.The insulation makes a big difference. Garage stays nice and warm all winter and pretty comfortable in the summer. Garage door faces south and has no insulation so thats where my heat comes from. Then the man asked me if i wanted the standard size heat pump that came with the house or did i want to upgrade to the next bigger size. I ordered the upgraded size and it works great. Very efficient. Electric bills have averaged around 100$ for the first ten years. So i recommend getting garage insulation if you have a chance.

tom60,

Now this is information I can USE!!! Thank you so much. I don't know if TV is still offering insulation, etc. as an option, but we will definitely ask and if not we will have it done after.

Thanks again so much for your experience!

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