Insulated and heated garage for ferrari?

The biggest issue is with condensation. If you can eliminate that you are good.
If that means climate controlling the garage do it.

I am in SoCal where its not needed but I am from the NE and have destroyed and seen many due to this. Keep it at 60 + and you will be a happy camper. Avoid fluctuations and moisture at all costs.

Good luck

 

Just built a new house. It has two AC units. One is solely set up to control the bonus room above my garage. However I ran two ducts into the ceiling of the garage. In extreme temps, which we often get in OK, I simply open the vents in the garage to cool/heat the area to take away the extreme temperature in either direction. Thermostat is in the bonus room so if I heat the bonus room to 72, the garage will stay somewhat regulated at 60 or so, depending on outside temps. For example this summer we hit 110 regularly and I kept bonus room at 78 and temp in garage was 88. Perfect. While at my other home in the area, outside temp was the same and garage was insanely hot.

Tried to design it just to take the extreme edge off in either direction. So far so good.


Insulation will make a HUGE difference. I bought two 2500 watt infra red space heaters for my patio and hooked one up in garage at old house and it made a huge difference in the garage area during winter. I just ran it for a few hours each evening and it worked great. I like the infra red because it actually heats the objects and not just the air.

 

I have a dehumidifier hooked up to a relative humidity control.

I set it at 38% and it keeps it there.

Please PM if you would like any info on setting it up.

Enjoy the car!!!!

Yours,

Tom

 

I've also been thinking that a dehumidifier might be the best approach. Which model did you buy?

 

38% humidity is very very low, storage recommendations are 55% otherwise all of the leather etc will suffer cracking.

 

Have you thought about a car cocoon?

Or carcoon

http://www.carcoon.co.uk/

 

Car Cocoon == Car Condom

I think it looks just short of ridiculous. I like nothing more than seeing my cars in natural form in the garage. Its like my Van Gogh Cafe Terrace*, it would look silly in a bubble.

Car covers are ok, because they show the sexy lines, and make you de-habituate the car a bit. I know a car cover wont help with temp or humidity.

*Its a copy, of course.

 

It is really about 45%.

We often have HIGH humidity issues in the summer here in NJ.

The model depends on the size of the garage.

I don't use the container in the unit to collect the condensate.

I popped out the plug in the bottom of the container and ran tubing through the wall of the garage.

This way you never have to empty the unit.

Enjoy!!!

 

I have a heated/cooled insulated garage and it makes me feel better that the cars are stored in a moderate controlled environment. I think it helps preserve the cars better over time rather than exposing them to both extreme cold and heat for most of their lives. I know that I like to be stored in a controlled environment ......Steve

 

Not a very smart move... safety wise... combining garage with house HVAC system... it provides a pathway for exhaust gases into living space... it's impossible to tell when too much all of a sudden gets in or cumulative effects of little bits... in many areas it is a code violation

 

Cold should not be an issue, as during freezing temps, the humidity goes low. It's during the "thaws" when "warm" outside air meets the cold air trapped in the garage that will create condensation. A little heat will chase the moisture out until the outside temps go back down or stay warm. In shared garage space, it is nice to have some heat continuously to chase the moisture brought in by the other cars. A small fan helps chase out moisture as well. It is about keeping the air moving rather than maintaining a temperature.

 

Butterfly dampers

Brilliant

 

Venting household HVAC to a garage is considered a big no-no in most places. As for the CO, carbon monoxide gets into houses from the garage anyway. I had very sensitive air quality monitors for doing a before/after on homes looking for high end air filtration. I could always tell what time someone went to work because of the CO spike on the chart. Short of running your car in the garage for hours on end, CO infiltration isn't going to do much regardless of whether you direct some air to the garage from the house.

The big thing for me is whether the heating/cooling air supply is properly sized for the garage space. Doing a load calculation on the garage is ideal for figuring how much heating and cooling is required to achieve your target temperatures throughout the year. Star, let me know if you want any help on this.

 

This is not my garage (obviously) nor is it in a winter climate. But I read about it on yahoo today in the 1M+ houses in foreclosure. The garage is the best I have seen. period.

BTW this is the "show" garage 4CG, the main garage is 21 car.

Main Yahoo Article: http://realestate.yahoo.com/Arizona/Paradise_Valley/5636-e-mockingbird-ln:7dbac43cd21d86678ab75980abf630a7;_ylt=ArFzA0Xi1WnaryH5k7Ig.w_xkdEF

This garage may have cost more than my house and F430; LOL.
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I live in Milwaukee where the temps fluctuate quite a bit. I installed an infra red heater and love it. My garage is not insulated at all. The door isn't even insulated. The infra red heater keeps the temp no less than 60 degrees (or whatever I set it to). I did not even see a large spike in my electric bill during the winter. It certainly makes getting in/out of my cars in winter much more tolerable. The infra red heats objects, produces no dust, is efficient to operate and does not blow air all around. Overall, I'm very happy with it.

From December to March I store it at a climate controlled warehouse that specializes in exotics (humidity control, pest control, and secured). I just did not justify the expense of insulating the entire garage, adding air conditioning, humidity control, etc.
In the end, I'm not storing a Bugatti so it just seemed to be a more cost effective, reasonable solution for me.

 

There definitely is moisture...but nothing too major. Certainly not enough to create mold or even condensation. From a practical perspective, driving a car that was out in the rain or snow into the garage brings moisture along with it. With that said, I just don't think the vast majority of cars we own are all that fragile whereby a little moisture will hurt them. If its humid out and I open the garage door, humidity enters. Even in extremely high humidity conditions, such as what we experienced this summer, I never experienced excessive moisture inside the garage or on/in the car.

My car is a two car garage. I don't know the exact dimensions, but its a large two car garage. My walls are brick (uninsulated). The garage door is wood (fairly thick). The wall attached to the house is the only one insulated. I installed one infra red heater. The heater is attached to a thermostat. I originally wanted two; however, I was told I really only needed one. Another can always be added if you really need it.

I purchased it from www.heatersunlimited.com. I was very happy with the service and quick shipping. (I have no affiliation with the company).
Specifically, http://heatersunlimited.com/item29040.ctlg
Its the enerco h25n. Its under the link "garage heater, shop heater" and its the picture of the infra red heater with the guy working on his car. I think that one is best for our area (how cold it gets). Its also the most cost effective in regards to heating costs.
You need to run a gas line to the garage (no big deal $100-$200 for a plumber) and the unit itself is only like $285. it includes everything-even mounting and thermostat. no electric is needed. Plus with the thermostat it won't jump to 80 degrees.
I always set mine to 60 degrees and it consistently remains there.

I suggest simply starting there. See how you like it. If its too humid for you, add a dehumidifier. Too dry, add a humidifier. In other words, its a several hundred dollar investment vs. a complete garage climate control system for thousands which is most likely unnecessary.

Good luck!

 

I store my Portofino and 430 in a large two car garage, separate from the house, insulated but with an ordinary overhead garage door and not heated. I live in Baltimore. For the last couple of years I have left a small oil filled electric heater on during the winter. I believe it has a low 750 watt setting, just enough to keep the garage well above freezing temps all winter, but not really warm. I can afford it, but I don't like wasting money, and I was going to ask this forum if it was really necessary to keep the cars warm during the winter. I drive them infrequently in cold weather and always let them warm up idling for 10-15 minutes. I think my question has been answered-- it's the humidity, not the temperature per se that counts. When I initially left the heater on a timer, only to come on during the coldest night time hours, I sometimes found some humidity on the cars, so now I guess I should leave it on around the clock until spring and stable temps. Does everyone agree? Thanks. Rob, [email protected]

 

Yep, In winter I would leave it on. But .... isn't the F430 all aluminum made, why so much concern about humidity other than mold ... It will dry up as soon as sun is out if the garage sees the sun that is.

 

You may be right, but I've noticed that when i start up any car (I have 5 Italians) that hasn't been driven in a month a lot of water condenses and drips out the exhaust. I suppose that it sits there and rusts some of the exhaust components (not so much the 430 since the lines are very short) but more likely in front engined cars.