10 Ways to Cool Down Your Hot Garage in the Summer

[@StanKelly-eg5cf]

I installed a 12000 BTU heat pump mini split. This worked great and is very energy efficient. Heating and cooling. This would work for a 20’x20’ garage.

[@EarlBalentine]

I have a 14,000btu portable a/C on wheels, it's vented into the wall to go outside. My garage is always 105 degrees in the summer and I have tried using my A/C and the temperature only went up in the garage. When I walk into the house thru the door I can feel the door wanting to suck closed. It appears the A/C is removing more air outside then it is replacing with cold air. BTW it's a 2.5 car garage so would a 12,000btu mini split even work?

[@samuelcaesar3393]

Or neighbors 😀

[@slotgear3222]

Neighbors *are* pests…

[@digidrawdude]

Yeah that part was hilarious 🤣

[@RBBBBBBBBB533]

😂 in the same league as rodents & pests 😂

[@HamBone86]

Definitely neighbors lol

[@infamousS709]

Really great tips here, the screen and adding fans along with a swamp/or dehumidifier is gonna really help make this garage useable.

[@Clouds-su3dc]

You can also have your garage from the outside painted white because it reflects a lot of sunlight heat keeping your inside garage much cooler automatically compared to a darker colour or black colour garage that absorbs a lot of sunlight heat making it very hot.

[@MAATR6]

I also park the cars outside until they cool down before parking them in the garage. It’s almost a 15 deg difference by doing that.

[@TopHomeowner]

That's a great tip!

[@EarlBalentine]

@@TopHomeowner I just leave the garage door open for about 15 minutes after pulling in a hot car engine.

[@jroar123]

Might be good ideas but for Houston, not so much. Garages can get up to 105 and higher with 80% humidity.

[@CrashCarson14]

What can you do then?

[@jroar123]

@@CrashCarson14 Whatever you do, do not drywall your garage unless you first place sheets of insulation up against the bottom of the roof, insulate the garage door, and put in a split AC unit. In other words, turn your garage into another indoor room. You see the problem with Houston is that we have high humidity, which means swamp coolers will not work. Like I said, the best option is to insulate the hell out of your garage and put in a split AC unit. But, don't run a AC duct from your house into the garage, it would taxt the system too much and cause you to have a high electric bill.

[@PermacultureLongboarder]

Yeah deep south here Pensacola area and I am this ballpark right now. I don't want to drop 1500 on a minisplit and have a wheel 12000 btu AC and window unit. I am thinking of running a couple of solar power fans to the ridge vent to get a little hot air out the top with a kill switch, adding another shop fan, and then running the AC and window unit only when I plan on spending most of the day in the garage. That way I can flip off the ridge vent fans when I run the ac. Its a poor mans system.

[@davebean2886]

For garage doors that are hit by the sun, the color of the door may make quite a difference. The temperature today is 85 degrees outside and that is the temperature of the outside of one garage door that is not in the sun. Another door that is light tan in color and in the sun registers 129 degrees as measured by an infrared thermometer and it is quite warm (hot) to the touch. We have a camper with an aluminum top that used to get so hot it was uncomfortable and then I painted it with white RV roof paint and then it was only somewhat warm to the touch. Last year, I bought some Cool Coat clear heat reflective paint. For my test piece of metal, it did not seem to adhere very well and didn't seem to make the sample cooler in the sun, however, the problem may have been my test. This year I bought a bucket of Henry Enviro White Flat root paint similar to what I used on our camper, and while the test is cooler than my garage door, it doesn't seem much different than the Cool Coat test. I think I'm going to try one panel on the door and see how the temperature changes significantly and if unsuccessful, try to change the color back to tan from white although I'm expecting a good result. I've also had very good luck with solar shades making surfaces cooler and they are light weight, relatively cheap, fairly wind tolerant and easy to install .... if you have a place to attach the shades. For our garage door, not sure the shades will work because of the attachment issue. Pictures of roofs in some cities in Greece show a sea of white roofs and other approaches I've seen are a porous lattice providing some shade without restricting air movement. We do have solar screens on our windows - maybe should have gone with white or light tan, but went with black because what I already had from previous home. From past experience awnings work better than screens, but didn't go that way because of the attachment issue. Purdue University was developing a heat radiant paint that is also very white and reflective of light that results in a lower than air temperature on the surface under the paint. However, I don't think this is available commercially yet - search for "when will purdue white paint be available" Other ideas or experiments?

[@davebean2886]

Since my test material did not seem to be representative of the garage door, yesterday I painted the bottom panel across the bottom of a garage door with Henry Enviro White roof paint - about 14 feet wide by 2 feet high panel. In my mind I've picked an arbitrary figure of a 10 degree temperature difference while the door is hit by the sun to judge if painting is worth the effort. This morning is a little hazy, but sun is hitting the east facing door. So far105 degrees on the tan panels and 91 degrees on the two foot high white coat panels- will see if difference continues as and if the door heats up today. I was surprised that while the white roof paint is quite thick, it does not cover the tan very well and if the approach is successful, might consider painting the door with a regular white outdoor paint first - or maybe the thickness helps. Also, interested to see when the sun quits hitting the door how long the tan vs white paint panels take to return to air temperature - will the white paint hold heat in? ... still hoping to find high reflective and infrared high emission paint that can cool a little when not hit by the sun. The white paint does reflect more light which may or may not be an issue for us and our neighbors.

[@TopHomeowner]

Awesome points and great testing! I appreciate you sharing this along with your results.

[@davebean2886]

@@TopHomeowner Thank you for your encouragement - it motivated me to continue and test other options. It is not particularly hot for Texas this week - 70 to 90 degrees at various samples for hotter temperatures, the difference may be more, however temperature of the sun hit garage door did hit 135. (1) For the Henry Enviro White paint - when the sun was hitting the garage door I could easily get a 10 to 15 degree lower temperature than the untreated tan garage door. However, the white appearance on the test panels compared to the tan door is quite dramatic. (2) For the Clear Cool Coat, I did not see any reduction in door temperature and maybe a degree or two more because the surface was slightly darker - I would expect the white version may work better - not sure if better than the Henry. (3) I didn't have very much black solar shade left from doing my windows, but I did hang a 3 foot or so square a foot or so in front of the door - a 20 to 25 degree temperature difference in the shaded portion of the door was easy to achieve. I've ordered 50 feet of 6 foot wide beige solar shade material to try out. I'm not sure how the beige will compare with the black, but I'm hoping it will not be as obvious in front of the door and may skirt homeowner covenant restrictions - not sure about garage doors, but roofs can not be white in out area - must be sand colored - which in my opinion costs homeowners a fortune in electricity for air conditioning. To partly compensate I have added some attic foil to areas and more insulation for areas in the attic that I can reach. It is getting later in the year, but if we continue with relatively hot days - I'll report back with the beige solar shade results. Exactly how we get in cars in the garage with solar shade hanging in front - we'll see. In Colorado a half dozen black solar shades worked amazingly well on our home and campers and were very wind tolerant, however in Texas, the air is more dense and wind may be an issue.

[@lorenblackburn5092]

Great video with solutions for everybody! 👍🏼

[@meadowbyastream]

Hey, I don't see a product link to the wall mount you used for the fan on the wall; can you share at least what it is called, so I can search for them online?

[@melissahill5833]

@tophomeowner I'd like information on the product link for the wall mount too. Please reply with link or name.

[@TopHomeowner]

@michaelwallstrom5547 Here's the fan I installed in the garage with the wall bracket (included): geni.us/cnWi5

[@TopHomeowner]

@melissahill5833 Here's the fan I installed in the garage with the wall bracket (included): geni.us/cnWi5

[@melissahill5833]

@@TopHomeowner thanks so much :)

[@aronalhime9770]

Cant believe I never thought of a garage screen. Tysm. Also I thought they were gonna be hundred of dollars but you can get a super nice one for less than 100 and good ones for 50 or less

[@davebean2886]

I agree an option that should be considered. Some factors: (1) is the surface to be protected hit by the sun? (2) is there a way to attach the solar shades? (3) What are viewing and air movement considerations? (4) If a solar shade pulls partly loose, what damage might occur by pulling and / or banging against something (5) HOA considerations I've used solar shades on home windows, over driveways, on camping trailers and on garage doors. When possible, my favorite approaches listed in most favorite first. (1) Use the solar shade as a awning blocking the sun, but able to allow air to go below and view under the awning. Usually means attaching the awning to a fence or pvc pole on the side away from the structure. I prefer light weight shades without grommets and I make a way to connect by tying a knot in the corner or tying around something light like a small piece of foam or a stick. Lines and shock cord to reach tie offs. That way nothing very heavy to hit something. For a big wind storm may pull loose, but just reattach. (2) Next favorite - hang the shade from the eaves some distance from window or wall to be shaded. I use this approach if a horizontal awning is not possible. I did this with our current garage doors. The hanging shade blows around, may make it difficult to see to enter the garage and sometimes blows up over the gutter onto the roof. A light piece of cord down or to the side can help. I'm wondering if I can attach the bottom of the shade to our roll-up garage doors so when the door opens the shade is pulled up. Today, had trouble shutting the garage door because the shade was blowing into the safety cross light, preventing closure. (3) My least favorite approach is to use solar screens on windows. I'm currently doing this because of attachment challenges and possible HOA restrictions. I used black screens because what I had from previous home - they last quite a while. Another family member has used light sand colored window solar screens. I'm not sure which is better. The dark screens are less obvious, but get quite hot close to the windows. My order for 50 feet of 6 foot wide beige solar shades came into day. Not a permanent installation, but colder wetter weather expected tomorrow, so today may be last hot day, till next season. Also today is somewhat breezy, which is good for a test. Only took a few minutes to cut the 50 feet into 3 lengths (with a little left over) for 3 garage doors pointing different directions. I discovered there wast a groove in the eave about a foot out from the garage doors which allowed me to jam in the edge of the shades with some styrofoam pieces for today's test - amazingly holding in the breeze with the shades flopping around. I think the shades are lowering the temperature of the doors being hit by sun by 20 to 30 degrees, which is what I expected. About the same on the breezy day as the very white roof paint test I did on a row of garage door panels. Please share your ideas and experience.

[@davebean2886]

Interesting that one of my garage doors is only getting a little over a 10 degree drop from the solar shade rather than the 20 to 30 degrees on the other door. I think a few things may be happening. (1) I put more of a tight connection in the groove about our garage door, so heat buildup between the door and the shade has a harder time escaping. I've run into this before and is partly why I prefer awnings. I think I'll hang the shade with cords or ribbons creating a gap at the top for hot air to escape. I just created some gaps - we'll see if that helps. The top of the door is shaded a little by the eaves, so dropping the shade some will also shade a little more of the door. However, I don't want "things" to climb up. (2) Rather than billowing the shade open the wind is pressing the shade against the door so there is less of a gap and also restricts air flow. If necessary, I'll reduce the side width, but I think holding the shade in place may solve this. (3) It is 3:45 PM and the sun is directly hitting the shade. Direct perpendicular sun penetrates more than sun hitting at an angle. Hmmmm.

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

Thanks for the advises. 2 questions to anybody that knows: Can I install a ceiling fan in garage next to door motor opener, maybe 5 inches away from blade? Second question. Where is the best place to put a cheap floor or pedestal fan? By the door facing inside or on the back facing the door or in the middle of garage?

[@openhousefotoandfilm]

thank you

[@howglucosemoves]

Which smart plug did you plug the lasko fan into? Mine always shuts off randomly. Thanks!

[@TopHomeowner]

I've had good luck with the Geeni brand.

[@officialhardnox]

Great video! Question, I just moved to a townhome I’m renting and i want to cool down the garage (single car garage that we’re putting a music studio in. We live in vegas so it gets HOT in garages. I can’t do an AC as I cannot drill a hole for a dump (because we rent)nor do we want to put the dump under a Slighty opened garage. Do you have any recommendations of fans that could cool down our garage? I bought a DREO Tower fan that got great Amazon reviews that arrives tomorrow. So we’ll see. But wanted to ask you thank you!

[@TopHomeowner]

Since you're in Vegas a swamp cooler would probably work really well for you. It would also raise the humidity and you don't have to vent them either. As for a fan, I really like my Lasko High Velocity Floor Fan that I have mounted on the wall

[@Dialectablebeats]

any links for the fan wall mount ?

[@TopHomeowner]

Here's the fan I installed that has the wall mount: geni.us/cnWi5

[@mikef2571]

Great tips; I'll combine a few for my 40×30 (window less) shop. The shop has fluorescent light about 20 ft up and an additional 10ft of space above those beams. Any advice (or video)on closing off that 10ft and making it a storage area? I'd like to have a drop down ladder for access.

[@TopHomeowner]

That's a long way up! I don't know of any drop down ladders that are that tall, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Getting an attic lift or hoist might be a good idea as well. As for closing off the attic, you could either use plywood or OSB... but since it's so far up, you might look at something more lightweight like the product from Attic Dek

[@mikef2571]

@@TopHomeowner Something for me to think about. My big concern is being able to walk on it without falling thru. The lift/hoist is a must have, great idea.

[@dkdoomm]

great video

[@Clouds-su3dc]

Great video 👍 but isn’t it better to have your garage surface painted all white from the outside because of its very high sun light reflectivity of 80 to 90% keeping it much cooler automatically compared to a darker or black coloured garage that absorbs a lot of heat from the sun radiating the heat everywhere.

[@TopHomeowner]

Yep, that's a great tip!

[@digidrawdude]

Niiiice

[@davebean2886]

Suggestions for ventilation that does not involve leaving the garage door open or connecting house electric fans? I woke up this morning to favorable conditions for cooling our two garages. The temperature outside was 61, temperature in the attic 60 and the temperature in the garages about 79. Also outside humidity was relatively low. Our garages do not cool off very much at night since I insulated the garage doors. While I had my morning tea I opened the doors on one garage that has full size doors on each end and the door for the other garage that has a wider door, two windows open 3 inches and also opened the trapdoor to the attic from the garage. After about a half hour, the temperature easily dropped from 79 to below 70 and I then shut the doors. Outside temperature is expected to go up to 84 today at our town in Texas. I have wireless thermometers in the locations reported above which sometimes work and secondary regular thermometers to confirm. If anyone knows good ways to have many wireless thermometers, please share - the frequencies are frequently the same so ability to have multiple wireless thermometers is challenging. I've found that mornings and evenings the the outside temperature can be significantly different on different sides of our home. I've ordered solar shade fabric that I plan to hang in front of our garage doors, hopefully still allowing our cars to go in and out. From past experience and recent testing, solar screens can easily lower the temperature by 20 to 25 degrees on garage doors being hit by sun on sunny, days, especially non windy days. Back to the current temperature difference - perhaps combined with the solar shade benefits, a little more passive ventilation may help. Ideally, vents that can be manually or automatically closed off in an insulated fashion when the temperature difference outside vs inside our garages are not beneficial. Suggestions for non electric or maybe solar powered garage door vents that can be easily installed? Thanks for the video - the world uses a lot of energy for air conditioning and things seem to be getting warmer.

[@EarlBalentine]

If you have a gas water heater in your garage you most likely have 2 ventilation vents already in your garage.

[@TopHomeowner]

Great point!

[@SupremeGGstacker]

Does size matter?

[@TopHomeowner]

Yes, especially for the mini-split option. Make sure its big enough for the space.

[@pinkrainbowkennelz1640]

Or neighbors😮😂