All About Garage Ventilation

Whether you have an attached garage or a stand-alone, it is vitally important that you take steps to ensure you have proper ventilation in order to save money and cut down on health risks.  Most systems are relatively inexpensive, easy to install (or to have installed, depending on your friendliness with power tools), and virtually silent.

Honey, put the ficus down

There is more than one way to help rid your garage of noxious fumes (some suggest moving your houseplants out there to help clear the air!), but the most effective is to install a dependable ventilation system.  Fumes come not only from your car, but from any number of substances commonly found in garages: paint, paint remover, gasoline, etc. 

The fumes from these products can escape into the house through a connecting door, seep through the ceiling into an above-garage room, or simply hang in the air as you work.  The garage door and any windows should always be open while the car is running or while any work involving paints or solvents is being done.  The use of a portable fan will further diffuse the working space air.  But if extended and continual use of the space is needed, a ventilation system can help put your worries to rest.

Inhale the good, exhale the bad

All ventilation systems work of the same idea: get the bad air out and the good air in.  The most basic type of system is one that almost everyone has used.  It involves a box fan placed in a window, blowing out.  For low risk areas, this may work fine.  For higher risk situations, however, you may want to consider installing a powered system. 

These systems are made up of vents and an outlet fan.  Vents are normally placed in the garage door or in the wall.  The fan, which works in concert with any ridge, dormer, or whirly vents you may already have, is installed in the ceiling or high on the wall.  Some have built in thermostats that help to keep the temperature and air quality constant.
   

Not only can the right ventilation keep you and your family safe from dangerous air pollutants, it can also save you money.  Your garage can average almost twenty degrees warmer than the house.  When that air enters the house through the door or duct work, your air conditioner has to work harder to keep the living space cool.

More information on ventilation