What you need to know about keeping your garage cool during the summer

In most homes, the garage is a neglected space. Even the basement sees more attention than the humble garage. That seems strange considering the fact that so many of us are making more and more use of the garage not just for storage, but as an extension of our home’s living space.

However, if you live in an area where temperatures get high in the summer, your garage might capture and hold heat and humidity, making it unusable for months at a time. That can lead to more than just lost use of the space – high humidity levels can lead to mold growth, and to rust one your garage door and hardware. Here are a few ways you can handle high temperatures in your garage.

Garage door insulation and weathertightness

One of the first things to consider is your garage door. If your garage is hot and humid with the door down, then chances are good that your old door isn’t doing a very good job in the way of insulating the space and sealing. When you choose a new garage door, look for a model that features advanced polyurethane foam insulation. This is sprayed into every corner of the door’s interior to ensure complete protection. You also need to check for thermal bridges, which can allow heat to transfer from the outside to the inside. The more heat you can remove from your garage, the lower your utility bills will be, because a superior quality garage door will limit the amount of heat that invades your home from the garage.

Dehumidifying things

If you live in an area where there’s very high humidity during the summer, you can take steps. First, use a hygrometer to measure the amount of water vapor in the air. You’ll need no more than 50% humidity to be comfortable. To control humidity, you can invest in a decent quality dehumidifier.

Cooling considerations

If you want to turn your garage into a daily-use sort of living space, you’ll want to think about adding an air conditioning system. Even a window unit can do very well here, and will both pull moisture from the air and cool things down. If you’ll only be using the garage infrequently and don’t want to invest in AC, then you can think about adding ventilation that will at least take care of the heat.

Ready to get started? Choose a top‑performing garage door!

No matter what your plans might be for your garage, the first step will be to find the right garage door. You need one that is well‑insulated, and weathertight. Contact us and we will be happy to help. You can call us at 724-834-8450. We’d also be happy to send you an email quote if you’d prefer.

Our showroom is the best place to come if you’re not sure about your options. However, you can also take a turn through our Design Centre to see how garage door styles will look on your home. If you’d like to see what we’ve accomplished for other customers, you can use our image gallery.