Temperature controlled garage?

i asked the same question last year. A/C yes , heat not really unless you work in the garage. winters bring dry air anyhow

 

My garage is insulated and finished in drywall.
My garage doors are Clopay with 2" polyurethane.
My HVAC system is a York split system located in the garage attic. It is natural gas heat/elec. cooling with 2" insulated duct work. This past winter I had no problem maintaining 68 - 72 degrees.
Air conditioning is also essential for humidity control so things like aluminum and other metals do not oxidate
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John,
It doesnt matter what season you are in. It depends on the state you live in.
I see you live in New Hampshire. The humidity there on average during the summer is 78% and 80% in the summer. The outdoor temperature is irrelevant. Its a common misconception that its not as humid in the winter as summer only because the dry bulb is much lower but infact the same amount of humidity,.
If you want to keep the metals on your cars from oxidizing then a climate controlled enviroment year round would be needed. You dont have to keep the temp set as high as I do but even set at 60 degrees will dry the air in the garage.

 

1 understand that the ideal humidity level is 55% RH. Most piano and fine instrument manufacturers l believe recommend that level. Corrosion in general stops at 60%. Too low a humidity level however can cause problems with leather and wood, which may shrink or crack. That could be an issue with wood- framed cars like my 1948 MG TC.

l live in the tropics so only humidity is a concern. l have portable dehumidifiers on most of the year.

 

Heating in colder times, in particular spring and fall is important. It levels out temperatur changes. The relevant parameter is the dew point. If the car has cooled down during the night and more or less saturated warmer air comes into the garage (and consequently the car), then condensation takes at all places of the car, where the surfaces are colder than the air standing or flowing over this surface (including internal surfaces!).

Heating provides for a) saturated air from the outside being warmed up a bit at least, thus lowing the relative humidity and preventing condensation b) the temperatur variation inside the garage will be less than outside, thus acting against any condensation tendency with rising temperature.

Why spring and fall in particular? In winter the temperatures are very low. Air of -10°C and 100% humidity has 2 gramms water in 1 cubic meter. Air of 12°C at 100% humidity has 12 gramms in 1 cubic meter, i.e. the 6-fold absolute amount. So if condensation takes place, the amount of condensed water at -10°C is 1/6 only of the condensation at 12°C. Further, at -10°C the air very rarely has a humidity of 100% (rather around 60% and less), while at 12°C in spring and fall the humidity often can be very near to 100%.

 

I have both. Heat in the floors as part of the house radiant floor heating. The garage has its own thermostat.

The garage is cooled by the central ac system. No garage thermostat so it runs when the house runs. We don't need ac in the garage as it is so dry here.

Best.

 

If your on the east coast, would a dehumidifier be enough?

 

God I wish! Cool in summer, warm in winter.. sounds wonderful.

 

Is this a good time to interject:::

Its a car!

No probably not..........

 

Having both heat and a/c makes the enjoyment of one's cars a 24/7 proposition year round.

 

Interesting.

Here's all kinds of useful info on temperature and humidity as it pertains to storing your car.

https://www.carcoon.com.au/how-carcoon-works/

 

I live in a nice dry area. Colder than crap in the winter....hotter than hell in the summer.
My garage is heated, but average year round temp is 42 degrees in the winter, and somewhere in the mid 60's in summer. I have never seen any kind of visible rot or deterioration of any hoses belts etc.

 

Here is some good info that might provide more cheaper alternatives to meet objectives on car protection:
Car Storage FAQs - Dehumidifiers, Heating & Ventilation

 

+1 (no corrosion problems either)

 

I have a/c in the summer and the floor is heated with hot water in the winter
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Now that's a garage! Love it!!

 

be aware that garage areas in many locations cannot use central forced air heat / cooling systems from the house into garage areas.... check your local ordinances... the concern is about CO contamination from running cars can get redistributed throughout the house...

 

Very good point. When I converted an adjacent bedroom to my garage back to garage space area, they had to remove the house vent from the original room, since there can be no ventilation "ties" between the garage and the rest of the house, to prevent CO from getting into the ventilation system. I was told that garages must be on their own entirely separate HVAC. No exceptions.