A garage should not only be the best place for your car especially if you are the type that loves hanging around there to reflect on the day’s events. No one would fancy sulking inside a garage on a hot summer day because the temperature inside the garage can be 5 to 10 degrees Celsius higher.
We will advise with exclusive tips on how to cool a garage with no windows. Hopefully, you’ll find this quite informative.
Table of Contents
How Much Coolness Do You Need?
Before heading to the store to get what you consider the best cooling system, think about the number of hours you spend inside the garage. If the garage is that place that you pop in and out, you do not need a sophisticated cooling system. You need a temporary solution to make the place livable occasionally.
Some garage owners prefer to use the remaining space for their past time activities, garage gym, or just a relaxing space. You may want to look into long-term solutions to keep the place comfortable i.e. beyond your typical garage air conditioner needs.
Why Would My Garage Get Too Hot?
In case you are wondering why your garage often gets hotter than what you can handle, we have noted some of the common reasons below (and insulation is, unfortunately, one of them):
Under Insulation
Many people assume that insulation only serves to keep areas warm. Well, let us burst your bubble and inform you that this process would also help keep your garage cool.
Garage Location/Orientation
We don’t really have to remind you about the sun rising from the east and set in the west. However, the importance of having this information on your fingertips helps you know that if your garage faces to the west, it will heat up fast in the afternoon sun.
Lack of Garage Window/Ventilation
The lack of window air conditioner or natural ventilation will make the garage to lack airflow. As a result, the room will end up heating up faster than usual unless you have some badass air conditioning in there.
The Colors
If the different elements of your garage such as the roof, door and walls are dark colored, you can expect it to be hotter than if the coloring had been brighter.
Use of the Garage
Here, we are talking about the different situations that you subject your garage to every day. Do you fill it with all the tools in your household? Do you park your heated up car after a day of driving around?
The above factors may seem ordinary, but as you shall see later in the article, they have a way of making the temperatures rise quite fast.
Here are Some Cooling Solutions for a Garage with no Windows: Permanent Solutions
We are looking into affordable cooling options that you can use independently or with others to make the garage habitable.
01. Opening the Garage Door
Depending on the time of the day and the garage’s insulation design, leaving the door will let in a big breath of fresh air. This is a good approach if your garage insulation is well-done, leaving the garage hot most of the time. Some doors have an extra door for people; it is a good idea to let airflow through that insulated garage door.
But if you are in direct sunlight, you should do your best to keep the high temperatures outside and maintain your garage’s coolness. You could do this by either providing insulation against the outside temperatures or doing your best to cool your interior.
02. Make Use of Portable Fans
Garage ventilation should help draw in cooler air in and keep the hot air at bay. A soft breeze makes you feel soft on the skin. Therefore, it is not a bad idea to have some portable fans to aid in cooling.
The fan should be placed somewhere near an open door and pointed towards the garage to direct the cold air inwards. A garage with a smaller inside door, the fan should be pointing towards the door to draw cold air from the garage door.
One advantage of a portable air conditioning unit is that it can stand on its own and does not need any supporting medium. In most instances, these portable ac unit “babies” come with a hose and adaptor to vent to the outdoors.
Lastly, you could vent the system through the door or a small window, whereby you will have to cut a small hole and fit parts into place.
Read More: How to Clean Interior Car Windows.
03. Dehumidifier
Reducing the level of humidity makes it more comfortable because no heat trap makes the room hotter than it should be. A humidifier is a crucial component for climate control when you want to eliminate the rust, mildew, or any moisture related issues.
The work of a dehumidifier is to remove moisture and make the garage more habitable; however, it does not work the same way an air conditioner unit operates. It is always a good idea to use both a cooling fan and a dehumidifier for better results.
Further, your garage should always be enclosed, or you won’t be doing anything useful.
04. Use a Swamp Cooler
Use recycled energy by harnessing the evaporating water by bringing in some ice. You can improvise using a bucket full of ice with a fan blowing across to create a cooling effect on the air circulating the room.
You can try to create your own cooling system by cutting two holes on the sides of a gallon bucket and a larger hole in the lid where you can insert the garage fan. Pour ice to fill the bottom of the bucket and turn on the fan to push cold air through the holes.
05. Invest in an Air Conditioner
Getting a portable air conditioner is one of the best solutions to a garage with no windows. The air conditioner is a standalone air conditioner that cools an area with BTU ranging from large to medium capacity.
Portable air conditioning units come with a hose and an adaptor to push warm air outdoors. You can make the system work either through the door or through the wall. This requires that you cut a small hole and fitting the required parts.
We hope that you can find the perfect garage air conditioner with the right BTU!
06. Installing a Ceiling Fan
A ceiling fan (or exhaust fan) for that matter is highly powerful and lets in breeze every time you get into the garage. The best choice would be an industrial grade as opposed to a residential one. Industry grade ceilings can withstand a thick layer of dust and debris that may settle on the blade.
Fans operate by increasing the evaporation rate on your body, and when it increases, your body will end up cooling more.
Always keep in mind that the fan is only effective in moderately warm areas. If the garage gets too hot, the AC unit may not get the job done as you would want.
07. Install a Windows AC Unit for the Wall
Some instances may force you to drill a hole through the wall to make space for a garage air conditioner unit that has an external chassis. This may not be a popular method, but it is worth a try if you have the money and time.
The main reason why this method puts people off is that it requires experience working with a reciprocating saw to frame the perfect opening for installing the unit. As you would expect, not many individuals are up to this lengthy task.
08. Install a Mini-Split Air Conditioner
The best place to install the mini-split air conditioner unit is on wall mounting and can pass to the other side of the wall. They operate like a portable AC unit with an outdoor compressor and do not demand so much installation space.
Plus, they tend to provide flexible BTU ratings meaning they’re perfect for diverse needs.
This type of air conditioner is quite pricey and requires the services of a professional for its setup. But we believe it is worth the amount and trouble as the system provides a convenient way of keeping your garage cool.
09. Install Attic Vents
The other smart way of keeping the temperatures in your garage at a minimum is by getting rid of the hot air to create room for cooler air. This is where attic vents come in to help solve the problem.
Vents play a significant role in helping the rising heat escape your garage. The installation of the vents should be at the highest points to make sure that airflow goes on in a continuous and expected flow.
10. Added Insulation
Overheating in a garage can be due to the absence of insulation that keeps the heat in over the winter and drive hot air away during the summer. Make sure that the walls have some insulation that will prove to be an efficient and effective cooling solution.
One way of insulating your garage is by retrofitting the walls with blown-in cellulose insulation. However, this will only work if your walls are finished on the inside.
Another method is through batt insulation if the studs are visible. Whichever method you go for, you may be surprised with how effective insulating your garage is in keeping the temperatures down.
11. The Color of the Garage
The color of any structure will make a difference when you consider the amount of heat the garage absorbs during the day. Roof with light color reflects on the sunrays keeping the garage cooler than would a roof with a dark color.
Alternatively, you could use a light garage door and exterior sliding, which is an effective way of cooling down the room.
Keep in mind that the opposite also works whereby a darker garage remains warmer in the winter since it absorbs more heat. The only problem is that repainting your garage after every six months is not the best idea.
To know, What’s an EGR Sensor? Visit The Link.
12. Wait Before you Park a Hot Car Inside the Garage
We all know how hot the car gets after a busy day driving around. So, if you park it in the garage immediately after arriving home, heat will radiate from it, and the temperatures inside the structure will go up by a few degrees.
In such an instance, we advise that you leave your car outside for a few minutes, preferably under a shade, until it cools down a bit. This move will ensure that your car does not play a role in your garage heating up unnecessarily.
13. Keep the Garage Junk-Free
You may not realize it, but whenever you leave bulky tools and machinery on the floor, they end up eating a lot of space and interfere with airflow inside the garage.
Consider installing cabinets and storage racks to store away all the clutter in your garage to deal with the problem.
You should also do your best to be as tidy as you can. For instance, keep the tools and boxes back in their rightful places after every use.
14. Replace the Incandescent Bulbs
Lastly, we shall look at a factor that is very to ignore: incandescent bulbs. These types of bulbs are known for being energy inefficient and giving out a lot of heat. So, if your garage has such bulbs and you notice the space getting too hot, consider replacing them with high-efficiency LED bulbs.
In the end, you will end up reducing the temperatures and your monthly electricity bills.
Importance of Keeping Your Garage Cool
We can all agree that garages are not the most well-ventilated areas that you can find. So, they get hot and stuffy faster than other rooms would. Besides the discomfort that such an area poses, the high temperatures can pose some risk to the items being stored in the garage.
This is especially so with electrical equipment that is sensitive to heat and has been operating in a warm environment for a while.
We advise that if you want to use an electrical tool in your garage while the air temperature is too high, give the room some time to cool down fully. This way, the chances of the tool getting damaged would be minimal while the risk of fire would also be reduced.
Final Words
Cooling your garage may be easier than you think. Keep the basic things in mind and choose a solution that fits your particular situation. The perfect cooling unit depends on your budget and your intentions with the garage.
How to cool a garage with no windows is an important factor to ponder upon. But always make sure you have all the necessary dimensions so that you get a solution that is permanent and practical.
We hope that you will find the perfect garage cooling unit for your garage from this article, let us and others know about your challenges and experiences.