Garages and Home Heating: What to Consider
Do you need to heat your attached garage? If your HVAC system doesn't already extend into this area, take a look at the questions you need to ask before the winter is in full swing.
How Do You Use the Garage?
This question can guide the rest of the decision-making process. If you use the garage as a place to store summer gardening equipment, you likely don’t need to heat it. But if you have climate-sensitive items or a car in storage, you may want some heat.
Homeowners who use their garage as a functional room, such as a home office or home gym, will almost always need to extend the HVAC system into the area. While other options such as a space heater can temporarily warm the immediate area, you may want a more permanent fix.
How Insulated Is Your Garage?
A well-insulated garage can hold some of the heat the rest of your house lets in during the winter months. While you can't expect it to stay as warm as the living room, basement, or any interior area, the better insulated your garage is, the less likely it is that you'll need to heat it.
If you garage isn't insulated, you may want to think twice about heating it. You should consider several factors when you evaluate your garage's insulation. Along with the exterior wall insulation, look for insulation between the ceiling and the roof/second floor level and in the door. An uninsulated garage door or one with multiple single-pane windows can let the warm air out and the cold winter air in.
Lack of insulation doesn't necessarily mean you should or shouldn't heat your garage. Instead, it adds another home improvement project to your list. If you want to heat your garage, but it isn't insulated, talk to a contractor about adding insulation before you install new ductwork. This can save you time and money after you turn your new HVAC extension on.
Along with wall or ceiling insulation, you may also need to install a new garage door. An insulated door with no or multi-pane windows can lock the warm air in — especially if you don't open it often or at all.
Are Pipes Exposed?
Pipes can freeze when the temperature gets to 20 degrees Fahrenheit and below. Exposed, uninsulated pipes in an unheated garage space can freeze, burst, and cause serious damage to the area.
An HVAC system that heats the garage is an easy way to reduce the risks of freezing and plumbing failure. While you will need to spend money to extend your home's heating system into the area, burst pipes may cost you more. Not only will you need to pay a plumber to repair or replace the pipes, you may need to also replace drywall, flooring, wooden framing, electrical wiring, and anything in storage.
What Are Your Heating Options?
After you weighed the pros and cons, you decided to extend your home's heating system into the garage. Now what? If you have a forced air system that uses ducts, talk to the HVAC contractor about how to extend the ventilation into the garage space. But what happens if your home has radiators, another type of heating, or you don't want to extend the air ducts into the garage space?
Again, a space heater type of solution isn't a permanent strategy. A ductless system is an alternative that comes with an obvious advantage — no ducts. This option is typically easier to install and can heat only the garage area when needed.
Do you need an HVAC system update or new install? Contact Comfort Solutionsfor more information.
