Motoring

How to vent your garage with no windows?

garage
Written by Nigel Simpkins

It is very uncommon to have a garage with windows. Often – in fact most of the time – the garage will only have the door to let the car in.

Working in a garage in the heat of summer with no adequate ventilation is not very pleasant. It can be dangerous if you live in a country where the summers are very hot, although even in cooler climates the garage may still be unpleasant to work in with no air flow.

Not only do windows provide fresh air, they also give extra light which is important as most garages are dark.

How much air do you need?

You should consider how much time you spend in the garage. Do you have a hobby bench at one end? Do you store stuff in the garage? Do you simply house your car in the garage?

There are several ways to vent a garage that has no windows, some are cheaper than others. After you have decided how much ventilation you need you should consider these options.

Open the door

This is, of course, the most obvious way to vent the garage and if the weather conditions are suitable it is the cheapest way. It will also cool the garage down if you have a breeze coming in through the door. If you have a second door for people to walk through you will find that opening both doors creates a through draught which will make working in the garage more pleasant.

Add a garage exhaust fan

These come in many different styles some of them are mounted in the wall through an opening which means that you will have some construction to carry out. Others simply stand on the floor and can be moved around to a convenient place. Garage exhaust fans vary in price and size.

Try a ceiling fan

If you choose to have one of these installed it makes sense to choose an industrial one instead of a residential one as it will last longer.  It will also deal with dust and debris if your garage doubles as a workplace.

Portable air conditioner

If you don’t have space to install an air conditioner in a window or through a wall you could opt for a portable one. This way you can move it around if you need it. You only need a small hope in the door or wall to place the vent to the outside. Most portable air conditioners can easily cool a garage.

Vent the roof

Perhaps knocking a window into the garage is not an option, or maybe there is simply not enough space for an air conditioner. Another option is to make some vents in the roof of the garage. This will let hot air out as heat rises. If you can install the vent in the highest place on the roof you will find that the garage has better ventilation as the hot air escapes and the cooler air takes its place.

To sum up

Garages are not normally built with windows or extra doors and in the summer months they can reach unbelievably high temperatures which make working or storing things almost impossible, not to mention unsafe.

Many methods of venting the garage are inexpensive and anyone who is moderately good at D-I-Y will be able to install them. Even fitting a ceiling fan will bring extra ventilation to the area although you may need to have this fitter by a professional. Many venting devices are portable and can be moved around and stored out of the way.

With so many options to vent the garage there is no need to ever have a garage which is so hot that you cannot bear to be inside it.