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Garage venting for humidity (winter) / heat (summer)

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Oct 16, 2001
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Garage venting for humidity (winter) / heat (summer)

Wondering what the best option would be for some garage venting. Ive been toying with some options, and wondering what would be the most cost effective either over time, or initially.

Right now have a 3 car garage (heated) but without any floor drains. Don't have it heated very high, maybe 1-2 degrees for the most part just to keep the vehicles warm and melt off snow. Of course that's where the humidty issue comes in.


When it snows and the 3 vehicles melt, the humidity can hit as high as 80 or 90%. It doesn't stay like that for days mind you, I do what I can to get rid of it. Sweep out any water I can, open up the doors a little just to get rid of it, but when its 30 below out, not very cost effective since you have to re-heat the garage.


Some options I have been throwing around are.

1. Get the two windows replaced that don't open with ones that do. At least let some of the humidity escape and to allow a cross breeze for the summer over night and for the day. Day time isn't bad if we are home, just open the doors, but want more of a permanent solution. Winter would be back to taking the heat with the humidly, and have to reheat the cold air.

2. Get some warehouse ceiling fans installed to move the air around, but I think that would be more helpful for the summer. Winter it would move the air around, but not remove the humidity.

3. Exhaust fans (like bathrooms) to remove not only humidity, but any smells from cleaning vehicles, carbon monoxide, etc. But wondering what ones would work best on 12 foot ceilings, and how many. Or do they make special ones for garages?

4. Dehumidifier, while would help with the humidity, would cost a lot extra for electricity in the winter, and not help with the heat in the summer

Any other ideas would be appreciated, just looking to make it more efficient. IM in the process of pricing out a new furnace as well, since I have an old house floor model that's probably 50 years old I'm sure (Zenith model) and while it works, isn't the best, and replacing with a ceiling hung forced air, which will use the current stovepipe out the roof and wont have to move the gas line either, just tweak it. Clear up some floor space and use the high celling to my advantage
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Aug 3, 2012
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AURORA
Spidey wrote: 3. Exhaust fans (like bathrooms) to remove not only humidity, but any smells from cleaning vehicles, carbon monoxide, etc. But wondering what ones would work best on 12 foot ceilings, and how many. Or do they make special ones for garages?
I struggled with the same problem you are having. Our garage is so well insulated and sealed, that the moisture is trapped. The floor is coated too, so it would just stay wet. I searched for a large exhaust fan, but the problem is that the ceiling is a fire-wall, so we can not install a regular fan through the ceiling. There are some fire-rated fans, but they are extremely costly.

We ended up with a through-the-wall bathroom fan Panasonic FV-08WQ1. It would have loved to have a bit more CFM, but this makes a huge difference. We put it on a timer. When we park a wet car, we just push the 1/2/4 hrs on the timer. It is very quiet and also a quality product. You need a rather large hole through the garage wall.

It works for smells in the summer was well (garbage).

Let me know what you come up with!
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homeowner72 wrote: I struggled with the same problem you are having. Our garage is so well insulated and sealed, that the moisture is trapped. The floor is coated too, so it would just stay wet. I searched for a large exhaust fan, but the problem is that the ceiling is a fire-wall, so we can not install a regular fan through the ceiling. There are some fire-rated fans, but they are extremely costly.

We ended up with a through-the-wall bathroom fan Panasonic FV-08WQ1. It would have loved to have a bit more CFM, but this makes a huge difference. We put it on a timer. When we park a wet car, we just push the 1/2/4 hrs on the timer. It is very quiet and also a quality product. You need a rather large hole through the garage wall.

It works for smells in the summer was well (garbage).

Let me know what you come up with!
We can go through the roof, well as far as I know we can. Its just a regular roof with trusses and insulation.

Out of all the ideas I think this would be the best, although I don't know if I would go with Panasonic. I have one in the house, and like how quiet they are, but they do cost a lot more than just a Broan, Nutone, etc. Not saying they wouldn't work, just not concerned about fan noise my self.

A timer would work, or even one that's controlled by a humidity controlled timer as well.

I wonder if a combo of this and then warehouse ceiling fans would make it better. Been meaning to find a way to get the heat moved around more in there, and since heat rises, be nice to push it back down
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Aug 3, 2012
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AURORA
Spidey wrote: We can go through the roof, well as far as I know we can. Its just a regular roof with trusses and insulation.
That will give you many more options. I would go with a minimum of 100CFM.

I purchased my fan from http://www.bozelectricsupply.com/. Their prices for Panasonic fans are very reasonable. [Just noticed now you are in AB, so that's probably not an option.].
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homeowner72 wrote: That will give you many more options. I would go with a minimum of 100CFM.

I purchased my fan from http://www.bozelectricsupply.com/. Their prices for Panasonic fans are very reasonable. [Just noticed now you are in AB, so that's probably not an option.].
Im wondering if one would be good enough, or do two? The less "holes" in the roof to the elements the better.
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With a fan, don't you need a way to bring fresh air in as well, possibly an intake vent from across the room? This way, you won't be creating a negative pressure situation. Just saying.
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sandav wrote: With a fan, don't you need a way to bring fresh air in as well, possibly an intake vent from across the room? This way, you won't be creating a negative pressure situation. Just saying.
No idea, I fix computers for a living. The garage, while insulated well, isn't exaxtly sealed as good as the house. Sure I do what I can, but with two big garage doors being opened and shut, people coming and going outside, I think it would get enough fresh air with just that. But I could be wrong to.
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Mar 21, 2002
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Stop heating your garage. You're contributing to the premature rusting of your car by turning snow into water and raising the heat/humidity level of the garage.
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woof wrote: Stop heating your garage. You're contributing to the premature rusting of your car by turning snow into water and raising the heat/humidity level of the garage.
Like that hasn't been said before, with the proof of it, then other proof showing the other. Sounds like an old wives tail to me.

My cars don't own me, I own my cars. I had a car for 14 years that was in a heated garage for most of its life, no rust. Another one currently for 6-7 years in this garage, no rust. Current truck has been in for 3 now, no rust. Truck before for 5 in this garage, 3 in another, no rust. See a trend here?

Why own something (like a heated garage) and not use it? I also work in my garage on things, prefer not to freeze my hands off just to appease my cars. I also clean my vehciles weekly, why suffer in the cold when I can clean them without things being all froze like my Armorall, etc.

Also, anything that's liquid based, would freeze and wreck it, and I also let me dogs sleep in there over night.

I also have my home gym in there, prefer to not have to bundle up in a snow suit to lift weights.

So many things to consider over just vehicles isn't there?
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Grimsby
What about an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation)?

It will require an intake from the exterior as well as an exhaust to the exterior, but will cycle fresh air into the garage and use the air exiting to somewhat heat the new air coming in.
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aprofetto wrote: What about an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation)?

It will require an intake from the exterior as well as an exhaust to the exterior, but will cycle fresh air into the garage and use the air exiting to somewhat heat the new air coming in.
Sounds way more expensive that just exhausting
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Spidey wrote: Sounds way more expensive that just exhausting
Maybe a couple hundred dollars for the unit? Not sure on the install, could always tackle it DIY (its not as hard as you may imagine).

Image
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Brampton
HRV/ERV

Other options are just burning money.
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aprofetto wrote: Maybe a couple hundred dollars for the unit? Not sure on the install, could always tackle it DIY (its not as hard as you may imagine).
Okay I lied, the units may be a bit more expensive (500ish?).
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aprofetto wrote: Okay I lied, the units may be a bit more expensive (500ish?).
Ya, way more than I wanted to spend on this project
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aprofetto wrote: Okay I lied, the units may be a bit more expensive (500ish?).
More like $2K. Half for the unit and the other for the install. I had this done at my home in the 90s. The pic you showed is just the core, not the entire unit.
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tebore wrote: HRV/ERV

Other options are just burning money.
How so? Its just a garage, not a house. Any heat recovery you do is gone the instant you open up a double garage door when its 30 below, leaving or coming in. Unless Im missing something
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sandav wrote: More like $2K. Half for the unit and the other for the install. I had this done at my home in the 90s. The pic you showed is just the core, not the entire unit.
That was for you house itself though. This is just for a garage for a humidity issue here and there. A house it would be a wise upgrade investment, or as you build. Im just trying to maintain a big open box with a cement floor :-)
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Spidey wrote: How so? Its just a garage, not a house. Any heat recovery you do is gone the instant you open up a double garage door when its 30 below, leaving or coming in. Unless Im missing something
Really meant for the house, not the garage.
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Spidey wrote: How so? Its just a garage, not a house. Any heat recovery you do is gone the instant you open up a double garage door when its 30 below, leaving or coming in. Unless Im missing something
Good point. Either way you're burning money.

Just take out the windows and crank the heat up.

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