The modern rhythm of life dictates its own conditions, and the car has long been transformed from a luxury into an absolutely necessary assistant. Of course, not every car owner has the means and opportunities to store a car in a personal autonomous garage, however, those lucky ones who can boast of having one have repeatedly wondered how to make the garage more comfortable and warm in winter.
Features of the
Before equipping the garage heating system, you need to understand that this room is not residential - it is designed to store the car and provide comfortable conditions for its maintenance and minor repairs if such a need arises. The garage should not be too hot and humid, but low temperatures are also not welcome. After all, when the "iron horse" needs to be repaired, it is not very pleasant to perform it at sub-zero temperatures.
Many car enthusiasts store tools, antifreeze, engine oils, fuel in the garage, and some equip whole racks for storing pickles, garden tools and other things that have no place in the apartment. Therefore, so that all these things do not get saturated with car exhaust and do not deteriorate from temperature changes, especially in winter, it is necessary not only to establish the heating system, but also to think over the ventilation of the room.
What do you need to consider?
Below are some simple rules, following which you can choose the best way to heat and ventilate the garage:
- the car should dry out in the room in a short time and remain so, since excessive humidity in the air leads to corrosion of the body and damage to other elements, not to mention the appearance of fungus and mold on the walls of the building;
- in the garage, a constant average air temperature must be maintained, without sharp fluctuations;
- the heating system of the garage must be safe and economical;
- the simpler its design, the better.
Warming
It should be noted right away that you do not need to try to turn the garage into an apartment. In a country with a climate like ours, where winters are harsh, a sharp temperature drop when going outside can harm a car even more than being on it all the time. Therefore, the insulation of the garage should be treated without fanaticism, but with due attention.
Thermal insulation of garage premises is of two types: external and internal. However, not all structures can be upholstered with an insulator from the outside, as other buildings in the vicinity can prevent this.
There are 5 ways to carry out internal insulation of a garage building:
With the help of foam. The material has some advantages, the first of which is the ease of construction and the inability to damage the walls of the room, since it is attached to them using dowel nails or ordinary construction glue. Styrofoam can be very easily shaped with a simple kitchen or office knife. Also, fungus and mold do not grow on the foam, it is not afraid of high humidity and small pests, such as woodworm beetles and mice. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the material is durable, it is quite cheap, so it is almost the optimal insulation for non-residential premises
However, this material also has a drawback: it is quite flammable. But now there are varieties of it on the market that contain a fire retardant, thanks to which this minus is eliminated by itself.
With mineral fiberglass. Glass wool is also a good option for indoor garage insulation. It has a low thermal conductivity, "breathes" and does not burn. But such a material is suitable only for fairly large rooms, since to attach it to the walls, you need to prepare a frame structure, which will take up a lot of space (the indent from each wall will turn out to be more than 10 cm). In addition, glass wool is susceptible to getting wet, due to which it loses its ability to store heat
Using "warm" plaster. In its consistency, this material is similar to simple plaster, but its composition is somewhat different: instead of sand, foam chips, wood chips, and expanded clay particles are used. Such plaster has good thermal insulation properties, is easy to apply and does not require the installation of a frame. However, it dries for a rather long time, and the thickness of its application cannot exceed 5 cm, otherwise the plaster may crack and fall off
Using a special heat-insulating paint… Recently, more and more often, paint has been used to insulate garage premises with amazing properties: the ability to reflect and retain heat. Its 0.01 cm layer is equal in efficiency to 5 cm of glass wool. Heat-insulating paint does not require the creation of complex structures for its use, does not reduce the area of the room, does not burn, does not deteriorate from high humidity and is very easy to apply. Its only drawback is its rather high price and increased consumption
With heat-reflective insulation material… This is perhaps the most modern and most suitable way to insulate a garage space. Its essence lies in covering the walls with two different materials. First you need to apply a layer of insulator, for example, foam or fiberglass, no more than 5 cm thick. Already on this material sheets of aluminum foil or polypropylene film are attached. This must be done using heat welding. This design retains heat by reflecting and storing it in the inner layer of the insulator
The latter method has quite a few advantages: fire resistance, low weight and thickness, soundproofing, moisture resistance, environmental friendliness. Of the minuses, only one can be noted: over time, rust may appear on the foil sheets.
Ventilation
One of the most important conditions for arranging a garage is the equipment of a high-quality ventilation system. Poor ventilation in the room can increase the level of carbon dioxide, which can lead to fainting and oxygen starvation of the brain, and in the worst case, death.
There are three ways to provide ventilation in the garage:
- Natural air exchange. In this case, at least two holes are formed through which air circulates. This method is most often used by car owners, since its implementation is inexpensive, it is easy to install and operate, and does not require an electrical connection.
- Artificial ventilation of the premises … For its implementation, the installation of special equipment is required to ensure the inflow and outflow of air masses. This is an extremely costly method that depends on the availability of a stable energy supply, so there are few owners who use it.
- A combination of the first and second method. In this case, the air enters the room in a natural way, and comes out forcibly, or vice versa. Of course, an electrical connection is also required here, but it is also possible to regulate the supply and renewal of air masses.
When creating a project for a garage ventilation system, it is necessary to take into account such nuances as its parameters (length, width and height), the number of cars placed in it and the type of their fuel (gasoline, diesel or gas). In the drawing, you need to designate the location of the holes for the inlet and outlet of air, indicate their diameter. If there is an underground in the garage, then an autonomous ventilation system must be provided for it.
The calculation of the required diameter of the ventilation holes is quite simple: for blowing 1 sq. m premises require 15 sq. mm of the diameter of the air pipe. That is, if the garage has an area of 18 sq. m, then he needs two holes with diameters of 270 mm (18x15 = 270).
The location of the ducts is also very important. The air intake pipe should be 30 cm above the floor, its outer part should be protected with a wire mesh and an “umbrella” to avoid clogging with debris, insects and mice. It is recommended to mount the exhaust pipe high - it should rise 40-60 cm above the garage roof. From the outside, this air duct is also covered with an "umbrella" and protected by a net.
The distance between these pipes for the best ventilation of the room should be 3 mm. Use of household appliances should be minimized.
Fire safety
Of course, it is no secret to anyone that, in addition to fulfilling their main function of storing and saving a car, garage premises often serve as storage facilities for various household equipment, spare parts, old household appliances and other things that did not find a place in the apartment. And this, in fact, is not a good point, because any deposits and piles can serve as an obstacle when extinguishing a fire, as well as a good combustible material for fire.
There are certain rules that should be followed to ensure the fire safety of garage premises. They will be discussed below.
- Don't turn your garage into a storage facility for unnecessary things. It is necessary to be able to safely move around the garage, without overcoming obstacles and the danger of tripping over any thing. The distance from the wall to the vehicle must be at least 60 cm on each side.
- If flammable liquid or oil leaks, sand it up.
- Do not refuel your car in the garage. In this case, the car must be outside the building.
- You should stock up on a fire extinguisher and a box of sand. You should also keep several canisters of water in your garage.
- Do not leave a car indoors with an open gas tank, or if there is a fuel or oil leak.
- There is no need to store gasoline or diesel fuel over 20 liters and engine oil over 5 liters in such a room. The same applies to empty containers from under them.
- It is forbidden to carry out paintwork in the room, wash parts with gasoline, kerosene or acetone.
It is necessary to regularly inspect electrical wiring, insulate all wires. Only high quality lighting systems should be used.
Heating types
First, you need to make a small clarification: any heating system, even the most modern, will not work without preliminary thermal insulation of the walls and getting rid of cracks and gaps. Only when the preliminary preparation has been carried out and all the aforementioned issues have been resolved, is it worth starting work on the installation of the heating system.
There are several options for such systems, and they are classified according to the following criteria:
depending on the type of coolant, heating is water and air
depending on the type of power supply, it is divided into gas, electric, solid fuel and liquid fuel
depending on how the heating is connected to the heat source, it can be autonomous and dependent
Below are the options for heating systems
Stove heating differs from the rest of the options in that almost every heat exchanger from the list of stoves suitable for heating a garage can be made by hand. Most often, stove stoves, brick stoves for solid or liquid fuels, as well as long-burning stoves are used. If you decide to build something of the above in your garage, then you need to familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of the selected option, understand the nuances of the design and only after that proceed with the installation
Electric heating is carried out with the help of heat generators operating from the mains. They have a built-in heating element, which increases the temperature of the air entering the inside after it is captured by the blades of the fan heater. Cold air enters in this structure and hot air exits. Such heaters have a significant drawback - they are able to heat only a small part of the room: the one in which they are deployed
To increase the coverage of the heating area using an electric heater, you need to choose a more powerful model. However, if there are already wiring problems or power outages, then it is better to choose another heater option.
Gas heating garage premises can be carried out by installing special convectors and ceramic screens that create heat by burning propane gas. In a small room for heating, a simple gas burner will be enough, and for more spacious structures it is necessary to purchase gas cylinders or connect to a column, install a gas boiler. Such a unit should be equipped with a special circulation pump to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining efficiency
When choosing this method of heating the garage, you need to follow the rules for handling gas and prevent it from leaking, since propane is extremely explosive.
Each of the above methods of heating refers to the water or air version.
It is easy to guess that the room is heated by increasing the air temperature using a device. The air heats up quickly and cools down just as quickly. If you direct it to the car, you can achieve quick drying, which will prevent and slow down the corrosion of metal elements. Air heating does not require maintaining a constant temperature in the system (as opposed to water-based), so it can be used as needed.
Methods for heating the garage with the air method:
- Arrangement of the air duct system with their placement under the floor and ceiling, as well as inside the walls. Warm air will be supplied there with the help of fan heaters.
- Use of electric heaters such as convectors, heat guns, infrared and oil heaters.
- Building a stove with your own hands, which must be "fed" with solid (peat, coal, firewood) or liquid (oil mining, diesel fuel, fuel oil) fuel, or the installation of a factory device (potbelly stove).
Water heating is not suitable for every garage, since its installation has a number of conditions:
- The heating circuit must be connected to an autonomous system used during operation.
- It is necessary to create a smoothly working scheme according to which the equipment for heating the garage will be installed, and ensure its connection to the communication system. This method is only suitable for premises with a large area, which are located on a private property.
- Garage complexes can be connected to the central CHP with the agreement of the competent authorities and with the general consent of all garage owners.
Water heating is difficult to install yourself. As a rule, this is done by special teams of authorized organizations.
Selection Tips
In order to choose the optimal one from the proposed heating systems, you need to compare their characteristics, the complexity of the installation, the cost of operation and the degree of utility, and then determine which of them will be more budgetary and the most acceptable option.
Lucky for those who have a garage attached directly to the house - in this case, the heat supply system, as a rule, is mounted general. But a city dweller who owns an apartment in a high-rise building will have to opt for one of the above.
Below are the positive and negative aspects of using one or another method of heating a garage.
Gas advantages and disadvantages
Its advantages include low cost and good heat dissipation, as well as independence from the power grid and a large selection of heaters for any area of the room and the thickness of the wallet. But its disadvantages are quite serious: only specialists can be engaged in the installation of gas heating systems, and even then only after all permits have been obtained for this and the corresponding documentation has been drawn up. In addition, gas requires extremely careful observance of safety rules, since it is a flammable substance, and its slightest leak can be fraught with unpleasant consequences.
Electric heating
Here, of course, a lot depends on what kind of heating device will be installed. Whether it's a mobile heater, a small heat gun, or an infrared device, you can heat your garage without too much damage to your budget. However, if you install an electric boiler, then you will not be able to avoid huge expenses. Electric heating is not considered popular due to its dependence on an uninterrupted power supply, as well as the risk of fire due to a short circuit in faulty wiring.
Again, its installation is not a quick measure, and not everyone can make a competent scheme with the wiring of the system installation.
If you decide to opt for a stove, then you should think about which type of fuel to give preference to. Solid fuel - wood or coal - is the most economical option. With oven heating, the room heats up rather quickly and maintains a positive temperature, does not depend on the presence or absence of electricity, does not require the purchase of expensive equipment. But it is worth remembering that the stove cannot be left unattended - it must be periodically cleaned. Fuel and lubricants and other flammable items should not be stored nearby.
A liquid fuel stove is also an economical option for heating a garage. To obtain heat, the so-called mining is used - used machine oil. Its approximate consumption is about 1 liter per hour.
The oil requires preliminary cleaning in a special heating unit. Otherwise, such a stove can break down very soon due to too dirty fuel.
Of the water heating methods, the following option will be optimal: if the garage is located in a garage array, near which the heating main passes, then you can offer your neighbors to conduct a common heating network by laying register pipes in each box and running hot water through them. But not everyone has such an opportunity, and besides, for the implementation of this "plan" it will be necessary to obtain the consent of all owners.
If the choice fell on gas, then it is worth choosing a steam boiler that works on the principle of condensation: steam turns into liquid and heat is released. This is the most efficient and cost effective option of all gas appliances.
The best solid fuel boiler is pyrolysis. Heat is produced by the combustion of the gas released when the wood is heated strongly. But only wood is suitable for kindling such a boiler.
If the choice fell on an electric boiler, then you need to install a device with six tenths and thyristor control. It works silently, the power can be adjusted, but, like all electrical appliances, it is dependent on electricity, and its operation is more expensive than other boilers.
Choosing the right garage heating system is very important. To ensure the safety of the car, it is necessary to maintain a constant average air temperature, without sudden fluctuations, as well as the absence of high humidity and good ventilation. Therefore, no matter what heating system is chosen, it is necessary to focus on achieving the highest indicators of utility with reasonable savings and ensuring the safe operation of devices.
For information on how to make a do-it-yourself oven for heating a garage, see the next video.