[John_W]

Originally Posted by gerryann

John, would you share who did the work for you? ....and do you recommend them? You can PM me if you would prefer not posting...thanks

We had three neighbors use this company and everybody liked them so that's who we called. I didn't even get a card, I believe the name was 'All American Aluminum' or All Around Aluminum, anyway their number is 352-461-4904. After calling they came out about three days later and measured the opening. Then it was about 3 weeks and they called and said it had come in, they took about two hours to install. We didn't pay anything until the job was done, $850. Rodney was the name of the person I asked for in the beginning. If you want one like ours, that's called white on white. In that photo the door is actually up but you can't see in through the screen. Yes, I would recommend although there might be other companies a little quicker but we had been here almost a year then so it wasn't that big a deal.

[gerryann]

Thanks John, I appreciate the info and will give them a call.

[jimbo2012]

U have more of an issue if the garage door faces south, it will bake, if that's the case U have to take more measures to cut the heat.

Foil stapled under the roof will reflect heat away in the first tier of protection, then insulation and fans.

If the garage is facing north you have less to contend with.

No one stated what direction the door was exposed to?

[jblum315]

Originally Posted by nanci2539

I'm going to ask a dumb question but what comes to my mind immediately is why don't people consider putting in a stand alone AC unit? The space isn't very large so a big unit wouldn't be needed.

Is there a reason this wouldn't work?

I think it would probably double your electric bill.

[shcisamax]

Originally Posted by Happinow

We were very surprised at how hot the garages get. It was too hot for us so here's what we did.....first, we bought a stand alone air conditioner and put a vent through the garage wall. Then we called Romac and they insulated our garage doors for us, which helped a lot. We quickly found out that the stand alone air conditioner was not helping at all because we have a rather large garage and it just couldn't keep up with the heat. Next we had an attic fan installed with a thermometer on it, as the other poster suggested. It comes on when the attic gets to be 105. It works well. Then we put lots of extra insulation in the attic and Munn's put in a commercial separate air conditioner in the garage. This is the cats pajamas because the garage stays at a constant 77 degrees. It took a lot to figure out what was best for us but we finally did it. from reading the other posts, there are many ways to keep your garage cooler. Good luck with your decision.

So was it the combination? or do you think it was the commercial separate air conditioner that worked?

[drdodge]

Thereis a peerson that has an ad in the sun for insulating garage doors and vents

[Happinow]

Originally Posted by shcisamax

So was it the combination? or do you think it was the commercial separate air conditioner that worked?

We believe the air conditioner could not be as efficient if we did not at least get the garage door insulated. We get the morning sun and if we put our hands on the garage doors it was hot! Too hot to keep our hand on. So you can imagine the heat that radiated into the garage. All of the steps we took worked together for maximum cool. I honestly can't say which steps we would have eliminated if need be. We believe to get the maximum effect of the air conditioner we needed the rest of the steps. JMHO.

[new peeps]

I think all of the ideas given would help to some degree, I ran into the issue with the hot garage our first summer after our house was built. Our 18' garage door faces North East and would heat up in the mornings and stay hot all day. So far I have had the ceiling above the garage insulated and I bought a garage door insulation kit from Romac and installed it. I also tinted the windows in the garage. The results so far as measured with a infarred temp gun before and after is about 16 to 18 degrees cooler from what I see. It is still hot, but cool enough that I have no more reservations on keeping the classic cars in the garage. Before that I checked on climate controlled storage.
I think the garage door screen and attack fan would work great but I was concerned about the dust that would be pulled in from all of the construction going on. The cost for the door insulation kit was about $200.00. Takes about three to four hours to remove the braces and install. Good luck on what ever route you take.

[CarGuys]

And if there is a Fire or Smoke it will travel into the home quick! my son is a full time fire fighter and chewed me out when I suggested that one.

[CarGuys]

Originally Posted by Happinow

We believe the air conditioner could not be as efficient if we did not at least get the garage door insulated. We get the morning sun and if we put our hands on the garage doors it was hot! Too hot to keep our hand on. So you can imagine the heat that radiated into the garage. All of the steps we took worked together for maximum cool. I honestly can't say which steps we would have eliminated if need be. We believe to get the maximum effect of the air conditioner we needed the rest of the steps. JMHO.

I had extra insulation in the garage walls ceiling and entire attic. I had solid Steel insulated foam core garage doors installed when the home was built. A solar fan in the attic and radiant heat barrier. And while it all pulls down the heat load all it takes is open the doors for a while and the old principal of heat moving from hot to cold works fast. When I can I am going to install a second AC unit. Not so much the heat as the darn humidity.

[glgene]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Take these steps in order and you will have a garage that stays cool enough to work in.

1. Insulate the attic space above the garage with at least 6 inch insulation.
2. Get the foam insulation and cut the panels to fit your garage door panels.
3. Install an attic fan, solar is good.
4. Install a ceiling fan, one or even two in the garage to keep the air moving.

These steps will cost less then $750. And if you need it even cooler, install a garage door screen, but those get a bit expensive. Get the one that opens along the same track as the door with a remote control if possible. If you install the sliding type it's not a matter of if, but when, you will back the car or golf cart into it.

What is the basic difference between an attic fan vs. solar fan? Do both help cool the house AND garage, or what? Any help is appreciated.

Gene

[l2ridehd]

The solar fan moves less air, but is free operating cost and an attic fan runs off your home electricity. Both are temperature controlled. Cost is a bit more for the solar fan. The purpose of both is to remove hot air from the attic space and discharge it outside. They turn on when the attic temperature reaches a pre set temperature. Usually around 100 or 105 degrees.

[asianthree]

i know solar does not work as well as electic fan,, but the cost can't be that much? or is it

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by asianthree

i know solar does not work as well as electic fan,, but the cost can't be that much? or is it

Sorry to disagree, but others have reported that Solar works good and U can get 1500CFM, the saving in cost is about 3 years over elec.

[glgene]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

Sorry to disagree, but others have reported that Solar works good and U can get 1500CFM, the saving in cost is about 3 years over elec.

Jimbo, not sure what you're saying. Please clarify. Thanks.

Gene