Comments on: Are You Making These Mistakes with Your Garage?

By: Steve V

Steve V — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 01:56:24 +0000

2012 International
2012 International Residential code N1101.4 (R101.4.5) Change in space conditioning.
Any nonconditioned space that is altered to become conditioned space shall be required to be brought into full compliance with this chapter. So if you are in a jurisdiction which this code has been adopted without revision this may be very difficult to accomplish.
The biggest issue I see is: N1102.4.1.2 (R402.4.1.2) Testing.
The building or dwelling unit shall be tested and verified as having an air leakage rate of not exceeding 5 air changes per hour in Zones 1 and 2, and 3 air changes per hour in Zones 3 through 8. Testing shall be conducted with a blower door at a pressure of 0.2 inches w.g. (50 Pascals). Where required by the building official, testing shall be conducted by an approved third party. A written report of the results of the test shall be signed by the party conducting the test and provided to the building official. Testing shall be performed at any time after creation of all penetrations of the building thermal envelope.
I have not seen a garage door that is extremely well sealed, so I would wonder if it is even possible.

By: KW

KW — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 17:20:24 +0000

Hello, In N Atlanta suburb,
Hello, In N Atlanta suburb, our attached garage and slab catch the evening sun and get very hot. Was thinking of two things 1) Insulate steel garage door with two pieces foam insulation board that is silvered one one side, 2) A passive siphon vent one at top and one at bottom to get hot air out at night and replace with cooler air. Any ideas (also trying to get neighbor to plant(at my expense) a couple of privacy bushes to cut the sun in front of garage a bit. I would appreciate any ideas, helpful hints or criticism. Thank You

By: Dave Borowski

Dave Borowski — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 19:59:17 +0000

Well beyond the common sense
Well beyond the common sense of a wise use of energy to cool / heat a garage - the largest characteristic is being overlooked - the National Fire Code.

There is a reason 1 hr fire rated full ceiling & walls separate the garage, so even if you were to run metal ducts as posted earlier you MUST install FIRE DAMPERS.

Secondly - with consideration to CO, you can NEVER share the HVAC from the home to the garage.

In Fla IF you opt to heat cool the garage w/ the homes HVAC - most code interpretations require you to REMOVE the garage door (to resist the temptation or future use to bring the Harley inside) and block the wall up to ensure it will never be used as a garage.

IF you choose to heat or cool your garage - it MUST be stand alone either split HVAC, Mini Split, RAC.

By: Rudy

Rudy — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 19:10:33 +0000

We just bought a house in
We just bought a house in Lewes, DE. We have two dogs and two cats….and the cats ruined our last house by peeing all over. We have decided that they will live in the garage in this new house…which is NOT A/C’d. It’s pretty hot….and we want them to be comfortable. I found this discussion in my search for options for adding AC. We DO have a window in the garage…so it sounds like a window unit is in order. I know….finding other homes for the cats could be an option. But…not really. They are “older” and it wouldn’t be fair.

By: Llewellyn Cobb

Llewellyn Cobb — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 04:27:00 +0000

Early aprile we leave for
Early aprile we leave for Alaska for 6 or 7 months. Our vacation home is in Ariz and sits all closed up except for house air is set for 90 degree F..We leave an auto and golf cart in garage where it gets 105 to 117 degrees for months at a time.. Our garage is an old one with old metal door.. We put in an A/C and saved 6 golf cart batteries and a car battery's life. Just to replace the shortened life of the golf 6 batteries was a cost of $1400.00..Attack has blowen insulation. Water heater is flushed and drained and we put towels under the garage doors.. thank yoy.. and any comments please do...

By: jr23

jr23 — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:21:17 +0000

code inspectors from city's
code inspectors from city's scare me different interpretations allowed, some incompetence and 1 city i lived in major NE 2 million city corrupt
ie 14 plumbing inspectors 13 were indited for kickbacks and bribes
wen in doubt hire a insured inspector if you cannot ascertain hoe its to be done.
p/s i use a window shaker in garage in fl works reasonable and not too expensive 12000 btu 115v 2 car

By: Curt Kinder

Curt Kinder — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 23:53:28 +0000

It's also "such a waste
It's also "such a waste of energy" for solo commuters to drive big SUVs, but I've seen people do THAT, too.

By: Cory Boehs

Cory Boehs — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 22:44:00 +0000

It's such a waste of energy
It's such a waste of energy to have AC in the garage but I've seen people do it.

By: m.khan

m.khan — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 05:37:48 +0000

Hi, this is a very
Hi, this is a very interesting discussion. I landed here through twitter post at a time when i’have been asked to air condition a welding shade. This is in abu dhabi where temperature is 52c at peak. here comes the worst part…the roof is uninsulated plane sheet metal and new added doors will also plane shutters . No matter how i convince client that it is not possible and getting a sandwich panel is a must…he keeps playing the record that do it. He has a advantage of chilled water network passing by his place and he wants to tap it. My cooling load is massive (210kw for 420 sq mtr area)… and a 3″ pipe will do. I plan to get fresh through coil (fahu) and internal fcu to cool to maintain temp…but i am worried about condensation? With this shutters open to bring the works in and out, the humid air will give shower to the area? Is increasing pressure could be solution?

By: Richard Kimball

Richard Kimball — Sat, 03 Aug 2013 21:55:41 +0000

I live in Southwest Louisiana
I live in Southwest Louisiana and am a certified building code official. It is against code to tie any HVAC system from the house into the garage. I can see why someone would want to air condition a garage in a hot climate but you have to have a separate system, a mini split or window unit will meet this need and the code, The main reason for not having ducts in a garage tied to the house system is carbon monoxide poisoning, the other reason is for fire safety. Garages tend to be places where flammable liquids are stored and if you have a fire in the house it can spread through the ducts. Having a return air duct in the garage is even worse because carbon monoxide can be drawn into the house from the garage and in case of a garage fire will suck smoke and flames into the living area of the house. Attached garages also require self closing hinges on any door leading to the living area of the house and all separation walls must be sheetrocked with at least 1/2″ drywall, ceilings in garages that have living space above must have 5/8″ Type X drywall. This is a good post and may help save a life, thanks for posting! I will post this on my page. If anyone has any other questions they can contact me through my website at http://www.codegreenconsultingllc.com , I will be happy to help.