hot hot hot!

A

ahunt01

New member
It's get so freaking hot in my 3 car garage that I have a window of like 3 hours in the morning to detail the car and that's it. I can't do it at night because I get attacked by flying bugs. I'm just curious, how does everyone deal with detailing the car in the summer?:confused:
 
Is that how you guys deal with the heat? I was seriously thinking about putting an air conditioner in but my garage isn't insulated, so I figure it wouldn't do anything. Plus it'd have to be a really big window unit since it is a 3 car garage.
 
Ever think about a mobile unit on each side? Like hire someone to put a hole in the wall to vent the hot air and have one on each side and have two mobile units running, that should cool off a 3 car garage in no time. Then have a dehumidier in the mix somewhere.



I have two mobile units (one A/C, one dehumidifier.) The garage I work in (my godparents, seems I'm there most of the time, gotta be the garage, no cable modem, no, wait both!) is not insulated but it will get cool with the A/C on in there (it is a 2 car garage.)





Just my 2 cents.
 
That might work if I use a dehumidifier at the same time. I gotta look into a good unit, I'm afraid to see what it's going to cost to find an air conditioner that can cover the square footage lol. I have one small one but I doubt it'll do much, it barely cools a small insulated room lol. Maybe a new one will work better.
 
Doesn't bother me at all, and I'm out in it detailing all day. Whenever I am sweaty and uncomfortable, I just remember how much detailing on 35 degree days with high winds and humidity sucks big time and the heat is no longer a bother.



BTW, not only do I detail outside in 90+ temps all summer long, but when I finish, I go to the local park and skate for a 90-120 minutes.
 
I am used to the heat (doesn't mean I like it)

Make use of the early morning time. Don't pull a hot car into a garage 'cause it'll heat the whole place up forever. I keep the air moving in the garage with a fan. That's why I prefer to detail a car outside in the shade. The air movement cools me off.

Remember to keep hydrated. (drink water BEFORE you get thirsty):cool:
 
I would do it outside in the shade but I have none unfortunately. I'd put a fan in the garage but I don't want dust blowing around.
 
How about insulating the garage? It will cut down dramatically the heat, plus if you are in an area where it gets cold it will also give you the benefit of staying warm much longer in the winter.



My garage is semi-climate controlled. It is attached to the house and insulated on all sides (insulated garage doors also). The time before it gets un believably hot is quite some time (assuming I don't pull a hot car in there). If the garage is attached to your house it can also aid in the utility bills of the house some what by offering a buffer to your insulated house wall.
 
I would insulate the garage but I plan to be selling the home in about 2-3 years, and am trying to put as little money into it as I need to lol. I GUARANTEE it that the next home will have a nice garage, insulated, heated, cooled, well lit, and even a penthouse lol :p
 
Ahhhhh! 96 degrees outside. Cool inside!

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Before I had central air and an insulated garage I used two small window units that worked pretty well. I got them from a garage sale for $50 each. Even cooling down the garage a little will help. Also, one of the biggest problems with garages is the metal garage door. You can cheaply insulate that with foam from Home Depot. That will make a HUGE difference. I say give it a shot, it's a small investment compared to a couple years of detailing comfort.:up
 
Is it worth it to insulate a garage if you have no A/C? Once it heats up won't that just keep it hot? My garage stays hot in the summer...its insulated only on 2 walls...the other 2 and the ceiling are open. There are only 3 small windows (plus the door) and even with fans it never seems to cool down. I was thinking of maybe doing some kind of roof vents or something to try to help.



I'd like to be able to wax, etc. in there as I don't have much shade and also I would like to store my stuff in there but it gets so hot I am afraid to put any chemicals there
 
I fear the same for storing my Zaino in the hot garage. I store all of my Zaino stuff in a spare fridge out in the garage just to play it safe.

The bad thing with my garage is that I have such a small amount of time that I can comfortably detail my car. It's too hot in the summer. And it gets too cold in the winter which screws me from applying Zaino some. Even with a kerosene heater in there it still does not heat up.

I'd love to hook up two airconditioning units for the summer, and maybe a nice set of portable halagon lights. But the house is so old and the wiring is soooooo bad that I don't trust running that much juice on circuits. Detailing the car ain't worth setting the house ablaze lol. My only idea is that I hook each air conditioner to extention cords and run them to different outlets throughout the house each on a different circuit that isn't loaded with electronics already. But the parents don't like the idea of that:(
 
Hmm now there's an idea...I could put a fridge out there and store my waxes, etc. in it (and maybe some nice bottled water too). With the fridge being insulated it should keep it from freezing in the winter too (maybe?).
 
Oh yeah it'll be fine in the winter. I think the coldest temp. in my fridge is 9, so I turned it down to 1.5. Cold enough to keep the wax slightly chilled.

I bought one of those Sharper Image futuristic gismos that wrap around your neck and act as a "personal air conditioner". Lol what a joke, it sucks. :nixweiss
 
The garage I work out of stays at a temperature of around 50-60 degrees. THe reason for this is the structure is more than 50%underground. The only part of the unit not underground is obviously the front door. The walls are concrete blocks which helps keep the warm air out. It is just as effective as an air conditioner, only natural. I will post pictures of it sometime soon.
 
It sounds like a bunker lol.:p Consistent 50 degree temps in a garage without using air conditioners.... Man that's so sweet.
 
Before this house and its "NEW GARAGE" as we call it (A/C, etc.), I had an old commercial building. It got HOT, over 95F. So hot the overhead door motors wouldn't work. Insulating the ceiling/under the roof REALLY helped A LOT. Incredible difference (got it down to the low 80's on HOT days). Also got one of those BIG electric fans, maybe 4' diameter. Had it blow OUT, rather than IN, so I didn't blow dirt on the cars.



Oh, note that dehumidifiers that are NOT built into the HVAC system DO reduce the humidity (duh! :o) but they also generate a lot of heat unless you can point their exhaust outside somehow. Worth it to me, but you might want to turn it off while you're working.
 
If you can, install 3 ceiling fans above each car for each car bay. You can get them at Home Depot for not too much money.



If you have two windows, buy 2 quality box fans. Point one so the air blows in, and the other so the air blows out.



This way you have a lot of air circulating and it cools down the garage, especially in the evening. It shouldn't draw too much current.



Or, install a quality industrial 24,000 BTU Freidrich AC in one of your windows (largest size that will fit). You'll need a dedicated line to run it. It should aid in seriously cooling down your garage along with a simple oscillating floor standing fan to help blow the cool air around.



Here is a link to some heavy duty AC's that would work beautifully: Various AC Models Link



Hope this helps :wavey



I just work outside in the shade next to my garage. I have huge trees that give me a massive shaded area all day.
 
The only problem with fans above the cars is that is where I like my drop lights and extension cords to be.



ZZZZZaap! :scared
 
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