# ARRGGG is so FREAKING HOT IN THE GARAGE!



## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

My woodworking addiction only takes place in the garage. Weather in Missouri is rougher than you might think. Hey its in the middle of the country it should not be to hot and not to cold right? CRAP its hot. We get triple digit heat in the summer and minus double digits in the winter and humidity so thick you can bathe in it. My working time in the garage is cut down to 6 months if things go well for me. BUMMER!

Who, living in a location with both hot and cold extremes, has conquered this ?


----------



## BritBoxmaker (Feb 1, 2010)

I live in what is generally known as a 'temperate' climate. Bull'. In winter my garage/shop is freezing (finishes won't go off) and in summer I bake (glue dries when you look at it). In winter I block up all he gaps around the up and over garage door and bring in a fan heater. In summer I have everything open, strip down and if its really bad the fan (without the heat). I won't say I've conquered it but its not conquered me, yet.


----------



## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I conquered it by moving to N. AZ. Arid, so no rust, temps in the summer are seldom above 90 and then for only a few hours. It does get cold but no where near minus single digits. Shop is easy to heat with a small wall mounted gas heater.


----------



## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

I know what you mean pal.
Living in Chicago, I've gone from cold weather clothes to summer clothes in one day to be able to work out in the garage.
Now, moving to Florida, I'm "re-designing" a lot of my long pants to "work shorts"...LOL


----------



## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

I have conquered this thus far by saving my woodworking for my retirement…. sad…. very sad… OR, when we get our own house and I can setup an A/Ced shop space, whichever one comes first lol.


----------



## rhett (May 11, 2008)

I live in central KY, where we have a term for humidity, liquid air. I run a 12,000 BTU window unit along with a dehumidifier. I've read that for every 15% gain in relative humidity, that will change the moisture content of a piece of wood by almost 2%. Well worth to $300 investment, if not for my comfort, but for my projects.


----------



## nailbanger2 (Oct 17, 2009)

In Fla. we don't have to worry about the cold, but our six months of summer can get old. I have three fans of this type http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Portable-Fans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg2Zarrr/R-202021731/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

One in the shop, one on my porch, and one in my van for jobsites. I said this type, I actually have the brand king of fans, the only difference I can see is they are less expensive. Hope this helps.


----------



## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

I have a wood stove for the winter….fans right now for the summer (though they do not cool it down enough)....Usually in the summer, I can use the shop in the early morning (till it gets hot here too - high 90's mostly but there are weeks to months of 100+) and evening when it cools - luckily we have a cool down at night here.

It certainly does cut down on my shop time though. I am working on putting in some solar cooling - going to try the passive system Dennisgrosen was kind enough to provide to me….underground pipes that cool the air (a simplistic description) - I have the pit started and the piping on hand….so will see what that will give me.

My shop has no insulation as it is a converted horse barn….but it does have trees around it that keep the heat down untill the afternoon. I will insulate and dry wall the inside when I can get the time…that should allow some more time in the shop….but I am not retired yet so will have to do the work during my "leisure" time for all this.


----------



## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Winter isn't a serious problem for me. I typically heat with a little propane camping heater and it does just fine. Summers on the hot, sticky gulf coast however are another story all together…

To get my shop tolerable, I insulated the ceiling, and the overhead doors, I sealed up the garage doors with that foam rubber strip stuff, and then installed a 14K BTU portable Air Conditioner. Unfortunately I do not have the electrical set up to run everything I need to at once, so the AC tends to cool it off enough to get working, then shut down and run my tools etc…

I need a sub panel in my shop bad… So in my upgrade process, the sheet rock is coming out to do the sub panel and branch circuits, so I might as well insulate the walls at the same time right?


----------



## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

Hey Spaids,
I tried looking at your shop pictures, but couldn't figure out the answer to one of my questions. Is the garage and attached garage? If so, were all the walls and the ceiling insulated? It's my understanding that all walls that are shared with the main living space in a home have to be insulated. The others don't. Once I insulated the rest of my garage, it does stay much more temperate. I can usually work from about 9 am -1 pm before it gets too hot assuming a high of about 95 degrees for that day. the biggest flaw with my setup is a south facing garage and an uninsulated garage door. nothing I can do about that right now though. I have found that the insulation makes a much bigger difference in winter. It seems to keep some heat that leaks from the house.


----------



## gwlewis66 (Aug 25, 2009)

i feel your pain brother i live in misery(missouri) also and i aint conquered nuthin it is conqering me ..where you at i mo i am in the bootheel


----------



## chewbuddy13 (May 28, 2009)

I have my shop in the basement, that's how I conquered the Missouri heat.


----------



## Raftermonkey (Jun 5, 2010)

I live in north mississippi and am also stuck in the garage. Man the temps here are killer,(literally). Its so hot and humid that the utility companies have started reconnecting peoples utilities who neglected to pay their bills. I am using a coupla high velocity fans right now and it definatly helps but Im prolly going to clean the lawn mower shed out this weekend. It already has electricity so Im going to cut a hole and install a window AC unit. Im not to worried about lost energy as it will be an enormous improvement compared to my current conditions. This prolly doesn't help you that much so I guess at this time I am welcoming you to come use my lawn mower shed anytime you want, haha. Good luck and stay hydrated.


----------



## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I know what you mean. Here in north-central Mass, it seems like I was just peeling my frozen fingers off of the cold cast iron surfaces. Now, I am dripping sweat all over those same surfaces.

I think that May 14 was the nice day this year .


----------



## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Fortunately, my garage/shop has central heat/air connected to the house. Stays comfortable all year. I'm going to close off part for a full shop and cut a vent in the side of the duct for the shop. Just think how the folks survived before central heat and air. How did we Baby Boomers survive those early years?????


----------



## makedust (May 31, 2010)

I certainly know how you feel…I live in North Texas and it's been just around 100 degrees for the past 3 weeks, well above average for June…I am retired now so I limit my time in my garage shop to mornings only…Ron


----------



## DanCo (Jun 19, 2010)

Well I'm here a little north of Houston and the summers are brutal. I wish I would have insulated the shop, but the money wasn't there. I have 6 box fans running at once and it is still miserable. I think having a metal roof also just makes it like an oven. It was 108 in there at 3:00 on Tuesday. Needless to say I work out there in the mornings and the evenings. Keep the fluids coming.


----------



## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

Live here in Oklahoma, so I understand what your going through. My last 2 shops have been climate controlled by A/C and a gas heater. My new shop will also be climate controlled as well. In the winter when I get ready to do finish work I use a oil filled electric heater and turn off the gas heater till the fumes clear. The shop is already warm when I turn off the gas heater so the electric heater works fine for that short period of time.


----------



## DeputyDawg (Jul 18, 2007)

Funny you should call where you live Misery. That's exactly what I call it. But the home that we bought was built 5 years ago and the two extended garage is heated and insulated. I had a 30X30 steel building built for a woodworking shop and it's insulated and heated with a 55 gallon barrel that is vented and used to heat and burn up scraps. But I have another problem. My wife has M.S. so we just bought a home in Goodyear, Arizona and should be moving in september. Seems like you can't sell anything around here so looks like we are going to have this place down by Lake of The Ozarks and a home in Arizona. You might get an evap cooler for your shop but it will cool but bring in more moisture.
DeptutyDawg


----------



## KentS (May 27, 2009)

Our winters in West Texas are really not bad at all. It does get hot in the summer, but our humidity is low, so it's generally tolerable. I have always worked in a shop with nothing but fans and sweat to cool. As long as I've got air moving, I 'm OK.


----------



## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

Good point Mojo,
My garage is attached. I insulated and dry walled it.

Greag,
I'm in Ofallon MO a suburb of St. Louis.

I haven't insulated the garage doors though.


----------



## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

the builder of my shop cut 2" Styrofoam sheets to fit each smaller panel on my overhead door, then glued them in place, it works very well for insulation.


----------



## Swede (Feb 19, 2010)

I have a 24×40 Garage that is fully insulated I use an overhead heater for the winter. 
I keep the temperature to a minimum of 50 in the winter. 
It still gets to hot in the summer for anything but early mornings and late evenings here in Kansas. 
I tried a window unit one year for a few days but the electric bill was way to high.

If I ever get to build a new house the work shop will be in the basement.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Greetings Spaids,

I live up in North East Arkansas, about 10 miles from the Missouri border. So I'm not that far from you.

I conqured the heat and cold by building a seperate stand-alone shop (40×50), and have 16" of insulation

in the attic, 2×6 stud walls w/ 5" of insulation, and central heating and air. I keep my shop at around 68-70

degrees in the summer, and about 70-72 degrees in the winter…. even the doors are insulated…...

So… I can play in there year-round if I want to…....

Oh…What Kent said is true… I lived in the same town as him for 35 years… not bad at all, BUT, he

forgot to mention the blowing dirt storms in the spring and summer… I found out the best thing out of

Lubbock, Texas was Interstate 40…. I never looked back…. GO CARDINALS…

One more thing.. Do you know where Bull Shoals lake is? That's where I live…......... close, anyway…..


----------



## beatlefan (Dec 1, 2009)

I live in Central Kentucky too-like rhett-but my shop is in my basement-and is air conditioned and heated so I have no complaints-Tempreture stays around 70 degrees winter and summer with very low humidity-I am so fortunate-BUT I did have a shop with no heat or a/c one time-man, it was awful-in the sumer the humidity was so bad there was no sawdust !! ha,ha


----------



## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

i live here in central Alabama…summers are hot and humid…my shop is not insulated so ive done a few things to make it workable…....ive got 5 high speed fans that mount on the walls and blow into all the areas of the shop that i do most of my work…i have a 25,000 btu air conditioner that i run for short times, as it would be very expensive otherwise…....but with the fans and also my shop is in a shaded area..that really helps too…now are winters are usually not to bad…this last winter was our coldest, i have a wood stove that when fired up and roaring …will warm the shop to a very comfortable level…so all in all the shop is workable 24 -7…every month…i would love to have the shop insulated…funding is always the issue…so i make do…i hope you can work out some of your issues…you need more shop time then 6 months….....good luck…...grizzman


----------



## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

All y'all are a bunch of sissy's. I work in my shop all summer. and in the winter except when we have our little 50-60 mph winds. God I love the desert. The hotter the better. If you have arthritis, then you know what humid weather does to you. I was raised about 12 miles from Rick's place in Northern Ark. The only thing I hate about it is the humidity.

Try this to get used to the heat….Be in the shop as early as possible and you won't notice the heat as easily. This theory is based on the fact that if you drop a frog in hot water, he will jump out, but if you put him in cold water and heat it to boiling he will stay and get cooked. Works on humans as well.

I also use ZEE medical electrolyte tablets. Absolutely stops heat stroke by replacing what you sweat out. Never drink ice cold anything when it is hot. Like a cold shower, it turns on the body heater. I only drink ambient temperature water or hot coffee when it is hot. Cold beer dehydrates your body and activates your kidneys into high gear. You lose even more needed fluids than sweating alone.

OK, I'm sorry I called you a bunch of sissy's. I've had to put on sandals to keep from blistering the bottom on my feet. lol Rand


----------



## BritBoxmaker (Feb 1, 2010)

Agree with Rand there. I drink hot tea in the heat. Works for me. Mind you I drink hot tea all the time, anyway.


----------



## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

Martyn, I love my coffee, but on occasion I love a good cup of tea as well. Makes a great change up. Rand


----------



## 8boys (May 2, 2010)

I live in the Mississippi Delta where the heat is "STINGING HOT." Today it was 105. It is to hot to spend any amount of time in my shop without air. I left work today and headed straight to Lowe's to find me A small A/C about . But when I got there the prices had increased in price by $50. So I thought i might check out a few more places before i invest in one. But rest assured by tomorrow by this time we'll both be cool, "me and my shop" A local landscaper wants me to make him a few signs for his Serenity Gardens, and when it comes to wood you only have to ask me once. I have a nice size blower and a 32" fan but still all i get is hot air. I read some charts on BTU's and it said i needed at least 10,000 btu's. My shop is small 20×24 so i hope that size will do the job.


----------



## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

I split my work into 2 areas. The garage has the tablesaw, jointer, planer and a dust collector. The basement has everything else. I need to update shop pics, I've made big changes.

I don't do big projects, so this works for me. Also, it's just me & my wife here.


----------



## noknot (Dec 23, 2008)

Today the heat index at the house is 108 I agree with Rand I am a sissy at least he has a breeze


----------



## Cato (May 1, 2009)

Old shop in Virginia Beach house was hot and humid or cold in winter.

New house in Martinsville has a full garage basement with heating and cooling. Got a DC system hooked up and leave the garage doors closed, except on nice days.

Nice tip on the styrofoam for the garage doors. Would keep it a bit warmer in the winter, so I will have to try that!! Love the new shop space and working environment.


----------



## BelleCityWW (May 28, 2007)

This is EXACTLY why I am moving my shop back to the basement as soon as possible. I moved it to the garage thinking it would make moving things in and out a lot easier, and it does! But I cannot work out there in the heat, and it is too blasted cold in the winter. I'd rather have the hassle of moving things up and down the stairs and be able to work in comfort, than to have to battle cold and heat issues. I want to enjoy my woodworking, not endure it


----------



## steiner (Mar 24, 2009)

I thought I knew what heat was until I moved here. I did knot. In Houston, I learned there was such a thing as the heat index. Those who don't have much humidity, have absolutely no idea of what heat can be like. 100 degrees back home in the Rockies is nothing to me now.


----------



## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)

I had an overhead door left over when I added my new shop to the old one, I built an overhang on the new shop then added the overhead door tracks on the outside of the building, kind of in reverse, then built a screen door to fit, sealed it to keep out the bugs, I only use it when it is not too hot out, usually in the evenings, it works great to add some fresh air into the shop without the bugs, I hate bugs in the shop. turn on a fan to circulate air, I don't use it if it is too humid out .
!


----------



## woodsmithshop (Sep 10, 2008)




----------



## tooldad (Mar 24, 2008)

I thought about doing something similar with simple wood screen doors. Like the roll up screen door idea.

I work in the morning and the evenings. Hate the bugs in the evenings. Installed a 70kbtu ceiling mounted gas furnace to work in the winter.

I am also spoiled being a shop teacher, I get an AC 5000 sqft shop to use Mon-thur in the summer. I just do small stuff in my shop as a result, lathe work, etc.


----------



## terrilynne (Jun 24, 2010)

I hear ya! We are stuck down here in S.W.Texas for a bit longer. I can't wait to get back to the mountains. The heat and humidity here is hard to take. What makes it worse is I am an outdoor/ in the shop kind of gal. Right now I can't do either for long. Mike is going to section off my area of the shop and we're putting a window AC unit in. In Colorado in the winter we had a wood stove for heat. Now that we are in TX in the winter we just use one of them elec. oil filled radiator heaters.


----------

