Minnesota, how can we make working in our garages more comfortable in the winter?

by Paul Erickson

Be kind, this is my first Blog post (hopefully of many)
I want to make this a place where people get get a perspective on how they can improve their homes. Some of these topics will be home improvements that improve your comfort in your home, some will be to reduce stress at home by reducing those pesky chores that nobody wants to do, and some will be improvements that you may want to make while you are still living in your home, that will pay off later when you decide to sell. Because of this, please remember to check back, and hopefully we can all learn a few things over the next few months/years that can make us all happier, more successful homeowners.

The topic of this first blog is pretty simple. We live in Minnesota (at least most of my followers) and winters can be harsh, cold, and windy. This can make doing basic tasks in our garage unbearable if our garages are not set up to allow us to work in them? How many of you have a heater in your garage? That is a great first step... a heater in the garage can be great to take the edge off, keep the snow on your car melted, makes it bearable to go to the garage and grab a tool, maybe tinker for a bit out there? Those of you with heaters in your garage may have noticed, if you turn the temperature up too high(to a temperature that is comfortable to do longer tasks) you run into a few issues. the heater runs ALOT, the moisture level in your garage likely gets out of control... your tools may start to rust from the temperature changes and condensation. Let's break those issues down.

Why does my heater run so much (even if i have an insulated garage door)
- Even an insulated garage door isn't very efficient (even some of the best garage doors are about half as efficient as a standard 2x4 insulated wall)
- Most garage doors (almost all) are drafty.. when the wind blows, the door flexes and shakes, allowing the cold air outside flows freely into your garage.
Why do I get so much condensation in my garage?
- The biproduct of combustion (burning) in most of our propane or naturatl gas heaters, is water vapor (and carbon monoxide) which if you are using a non-vented heater, that CO and water vapor is being expelled into your garage (and likely making it into your home)
- Warm air naturally is able to hold more water vapor than cold air, so if the air in your cabinets (around your tools) is warmed up, you open the garage door, and it quickly cools down, it forces the air around your tools to become fully saturated and condense onto your tools, walls, cabinets, etc.

How can I prevent this, to allow me to keep the temperature higher (especially if i want to use my garage as a workshop)

Reduce the inefficiencies
- Seal your garage doors better to prevent air infiltration (I will likely post a video about how to accomplish this)
  - Better quality perimeter gaskets/seals
  - specialized garage door tracks that put more pressure on the door to hold it against the gaskets and reduce vibrations
- Insulated walls and garage door (if not already done)
  - This is pretty useless if the above is not done first...
- Ensure proper seals on the door going into the house
Best ways to heat the garage?
- Fastest (but not most efficient) is large Gas/propane heaters
- Most efficient (with some added benefits) - Mini split air conditioner with heat pump capabilities
  - Mini splits also give you the ability to cool your garage in the summer if that is necessary
  - Mini splits often have a mode that can be used to reduce the humidity
How to help minimize condensation in the winter with an air exchanger (heat recovery ventilator)
- Adding a basic air exchanger can efficiently put in cold dry air, while expelling harm humid air, and the exchange process allows the heat from the outgoing air to warm the incoming air, saving energy in the process.
- HRV's allow you to pull in fresh air periodically to keep the humidity down and the air quality consistent, but you can also trigger them to run continuously to help ventilate the garage if you are doing some work that may require ventilation. now you can keep the garage door closed, the energy contained, but still work safely (PLEASE BE AWARE, the speed at which HRV's exchange air may not be adequate for all ventilation needs (painting/working with hazardous chemicals, etc)
- Adding a circulation fan in the garage may help keep the internal wall surfaces warmer and reduce condensation.

I hope this content is valuable to a few of you... I hope to include more photos, videos, etc in future blog posts, so stay tuned, as I may re-issue this blog in the future with some additional content if people want to see examples, diagrams, etc.