Many garages are not designed to remain warm throughout all seasons, and hence during winter, they usually become unbearably chilly. The equipment stored in the space becomes very cold to touch or use. The paint cannot stick well, and glue cannot bond well; hence continuing with woodwork and automotive repair becomes hard. The garage is an area with high traffic as it is used often, but during winter, when it is freezing, passing through it or getting items stored there becomes uncomfortable.
You don’t have to leave your garage work waiting until summer since you can easily warm up your garage and continue working in it even in the chilliest weather. In this guide, we will discuss several tips for insulating and heating your garage during the winter.
Ways to heat your garage during winter
The following are the heating and insulating measures to help you maintain your garage warm during winter.
Insulate the garage door
Most overhead garage doors are manufactured as a single sheet, and these are very notorious during winter. When the outside temperatures are too low, they are transferred to the garage’s inside through the garage door. To prevent the transfer, you can insulate your garage door using thermal insulator materials. You can also get a professional to measure your garage door’s size, follow the size recommendations to buy the insulation material, and get them fixed. When possible, you can avoid all this hassle by purchasing and installing a pre-insulated garage door, either a double-layer steel garage door or a triple-layer garage door.
Insulate the walls
When insulating your garage door, you should not leave the walls behind since their large surface area can conduct a high amount of energy, making the inside cold. Un-insulated walls cause the heating method to be ineffective as the heat produced is lost immediately, and cold air is allowed inside. Insulate your walls with insulators such as the fiberglass batt and prevent heat transfer outside or cold air from coming in.
Consider caulking
Caulking fills in any gap or cracks present in any garage area, including the door, window, or walls. The cracks and gaps are a good entry of cold air and exit of warm air, and hence if you want to make your heating methods effective, you need to seal them. When caulking, you need to focus on areas where two materials meet, such as wood and brick. Clean the area you aim to caulk, allow drying to avoid trapping any moisture, and fill the gap using a sealant.
Replace weather-stripping
This activity is essential as it helps seal any air leaks that could allow cold air in and warm air out. Inspect all the garage and window weather stripping to find if they are functional as they crack over time. In case they have worn out, scrap them out and replace them with new functional ones. Ensure you align the weather stripping well to ensure complete sealing of the garage door and windows as the air spaces contribute to controlling the garage temperatures during winter.
Consider finishing the ceiling
Most garage roofs do not contain any ceiling material and have open rafters and trusses. The roof is a potential area for transferring the warm and cold air, thus influencing the winter’s garage temperatures. To prevent this, you need to finish your ceiling by installing the roofing materials required.
Install insulated windows
The window glasses act as a transfer media in the conduction of heat from the inside to the outside. The cold air causes water moisture to cool and form ice inside the glass windows. Avoid this by installing multiple pane layers such as the double-pane layer or the triple-pane layer.
Heating methods
Once you have insulated your garage thoroughly, you can now use the following heating methods.
Convection heaters
These are classical space heaters that help warm the garage through the natural movement of convection currents. Heated warm air rises, and cold air replaces the warm air as it also gets heated. This is a very safe heating method, especially for the heaters with features that allow a switch off when optimum temperature is achieved.
Radiant heaters
The radiant heaters are the most effective in heating a garage, and unlike the convection heaters, the radiant heaters don’t heat air directly. They heat the surface they are attached to, such as the ceiling, wall, or floor. They are inexpensive and heat the garage uniformly.
Forced air heater
This generates heat by blasting hot air out to the garage, and a fan, blower, or air handler is used to distribute the air. They are inexpensive and energy-efficient but blow debris and dirt around your garage hence not the best for woodwork.
Electric space heaters
Electric heaters are energy-efficient, affordable, and generate heat from an electrical source. In this regard, they don’t require ventilation. You can only use them to heat the space you are using since they heat a small area and take longer to heat up.
Propane heaters
These use propane as the energy source to produce heat, with mobility and affordability making them a popular option. The limitation is the rising fuel costs and the fact that they require a frequent inspection to prevent fire hazards.
Conclusion
To effectively warm your garage during winter, you need to consider and implement insulation and heating techniques. Insulate the garage door, walls, windows, and roofing to achieve maximum insulation. Select the best heating method for your garage depending on the garage’s size and energy source. Don’t forget to declutter your garage and ensure everything is arranged well to facilitate warm air circulation.