In this post, we’ll be going over how to ventilate different types of hot garages.
This is a step by step guide for each type of garage, no matter if it’s a detached garage or attached and how to optimize it for airflow. Keeping you cool and healthy.
Feel free to use the table of content to skip to the part you want.
Table of Contents
How to vent a garage with no windows – 7 Methods
There are plenty of options for ventilating a garage with no windows. A simple method is to keep the garage door open when possible. You can also install garage door vents. There are also exhaust fans and window air conditioners. These are all economical and easy to install options.
Getting fresh air into your garage is very important. Especially if it has no windows. Believe it or not, garages without windows is more the rule than the exception. Although ventilation is important for disposing of potentially harmful chemicals given off by the vehicles inside the garage and improving air quality for health.
Garages without windows are in even more need of ventilation because almost no fresh air is ever entering them. They also tend to get hotter than garages that have windows, particularly in the summer. This build-up of heat, if a garage is not ventilated properly, can heat vehicles inside beyond what is safe.
And this is the case whether a garage is insulated or uninsulated, attached or detached. In this guide, we’ll tell you how you can properly ventilate a garage with no windows.
How to Dry Out A Wet Garage & Fix Condensation
Should I Leave My Garage Door Open?
1. Keep the garage door open
The simplest and most cost-effective method of ventilating a garage with no windows is to keep the garage open. This might sound simplistic, but if you’re out in the garage or working close by, you can use that time to open it a little and let some of the old hot air out and some new air in.
The weather will play a role here. People who live in sunnier, warmer climates are more likely to consider this as a viable option they can rely on. But almost anyone can do this during the summer months.
2. Install door vents
Another option is to install garage door vents. They can be an eyesore, but if you can get one with a color that matches your door, it won’t be so bad. They’re cost-effective because they cost nothing to run. They’re just a one-off payment and they work.
They work because hot air is light and rises and exits through the top of the vent while fresh cool air exits through the bottom. This loop will continuously remove the old humid stale air and brings in fresh clean air into your garage.
Sidewall exhaust fan
Consider the sidewall as an option for ventilating your garage. There are a few different options when considering the sidewall. Although it’ll be a more complex job than the other two options above, these may prove better and more permanent.
3. Install an exhaust fan
First, you can install an exhaust fan into the sidewall. An exhaust fan is a relatively cheap option for ventilating a windowless garage. It should be mounted high because hot air rises and the exhaust fan can push it out from there.
This is great because it means only the really hot air that needs to be exhausted gets let out. A great option for a constantly closed garage.
4. Add a window air conditioner
Second, consider a window air conditioner. A window air conditioner won’t only ventilate but it’ll cool the garage, too. Installing one is a more complex job, however, as you’ll need to cut a hole in the wall. This will typically be 30 x 30. It’ll also need support, which you can easily buy with the air conditioner.
5. Install a mini split air conditioner
Third, there are mini split air conditioners. This is the best ventilation option for the sidewall of the three. It can cool, heat, dehumidify, and ventilate. They’re easy to install, quiet, and don’t take much space on the wall.
Typically, these will cost about twice as much as a window air conditioner. So, this is an option for the long-term and for someone who wants the multi functions it allows.
6. Install a roof wind turbine
The garage roof is also another area for consideration when it comes to ventilating a windowless garage. One energy-neutral way is to consider installing a roof wind turbine.
The great thing about roof wind turbines is they don’t cost anything to run, need little maintenance, and are fantastic for extracting the hot air that rises as it cools and ventilates from above.
7. Add an attic fan
You could also think about installing a roof mount attic ven fan. These are like exhaust fans. They’re small and flat so they’re easy to hide and they do a great job at propelling heated air from the garage. This is like a ceiling fan on steroids.
It doesn’t just move hot air it expels it.
How to ventilate garage for painting
You can ventilate a garage for painting by opening all of the windows and door, this will expel all the toxic air and help dry the paint. If you must work with the garage door closed, use an air extractor fan. This will expel the toxic fumes without needing the garage door open.
Open all windows and doors
Ventilation is incredibly important while painting because paint has incredibly strong and toxic fumes which, if inhaled enough, are hazardous to health.
Most people are likely going to want to paint in their garage at some point, so taking the proper precautions and learning how to properly ventilate for painting is a good idea.
Air extraction fans
The air which contains the fumes needs to be continuously expelled while fresh air comes in to replace it.
For this reason, the one tried and true method which I recommend as safe is to install air extractor fans. This works because the most important part of ventilating a garage for painting is to make sure the air with the paint fumes is extracted as quickly as possible so it isn’t inhaled.
These are cheap, simple to install and expel unwanted air. Make sure to buy a bunch and add them to your garage.
Portable air conditioner
If you don’t want to install something, you can roll something like this into the garage and use it to pull cool fresh air in.
This will help negate the negative fumes and help dry the painter quicker.
Just point to pipe out of a window and use it to pull in fresh air, simple.
Here’s a great video showing you how your air flow system should be setup:
How to ventilate an attached garage
One of the best ways to ventilate an attached garage is to install an exhaust fan. These can be installed on a sidewall, on the garage door, or the ceiling. These should be placed up high for maximum benefit and do an excellent job of ventilating closed garages.
There are fewer options to choose from when ventilating an attached garage. This is because, unlike detached garages, there’s less wall space that can be used for ventilating options such as installing windows and a window air conditioner. However, there are still options for ventilating your garage if it’s attached.
Exhaust fan
A great option for ventilating an attached garage is to install an exhaust fan. Although there will be fewer walls to choose from, a commonplace to install exhaust fans in an attached garage are on the ceiling, back wall, or the sidewall opposite the door leading into the attached building.
These should be placed high. Installing them on the back wall or the ceiling offers the best ventilation. Exhaust fans do an excellent job at ridding of heat and pollutants.
How to ventilate a detached garage
There are numerous ways to ventilate a detached garage, including installing windows, installing air vents, installing exhaust fans, or using floor fans. Detached garages benefit from having the most options for ventilation because they have more area space around the building.
Ventilating a detached garage includes all ventilating options. A detached garage has all walls free to allow air to enter and leave from more directions than an attached garage.
Install windows
One of the most obvious and best, albeit one of the more expensive, options you have is to install windows. Installing windows is a one-time investment that can last a lifetime. Installing windows into a detached garage will allow for maximum airflow in and out of the garage without having to open the garage door.
Install air vents
A cheaper, quicker, easier option is to install air vents. Air vents can be installed in the garage door, in the sidewall, or on the ceiling. Air vents balance garage temperature by allowing continuous air to be extracted and fresh air to be let in.
They come in many sizes and styles and are simple to incorporate to improve ventilation in any detached garage. The higher air vents are installed, the better. Therefore, ceiling and roof fans are some of the best.
Exhaust fans
You can also opt-in to install exhaust fans. Like air vents, they’re also an economical and easy option. These also come in different varieties, including wall-mounted fans and floor fans. Wall-mounted fans take up less floor space and aren’t as prone to getting dusty.
They also provide proper circulation through the whole garage. And because they can be placed high, they allow for the escape of the hottest air in the place. Plus, you can install as many of them as you have wall space.
So, for garages that are extra tight or get extra hot, you have a multiple installation setup for increased ventilation.
A detached garage can benefit from a floor fan in that floor fans are portable, they can be focused on a particular area, and they can cover a lot of ground.
They’re inexpensive and you might appreciate how they don’t require installation of any kind or cause any permanent changes like cutting out a hole to fit a window would. Plus, during particularly hot periods, having a floor fan beneath a window or by an open garage door can provide extra efficient ventilation.
How to ventilate a hot garage in the summer
You can ventilate a hot garage in the summer by installing extractors fans around the walls to expel hot air. You can also install an air cooling unit to cool down the garage if it needs to be closed. A roof wind turbine is an energy neutral way to expel hot air.
Garages are already prone to getting hot, and they get hotter in the summer. Therefore, it’s even more important to make sure a hot garage in the summer heat is properly ventilated. To ventilate a hot garage in the summer, you’ll need to take extra measures.
Floor fans and a portable AC
One inexpensive option you have is to place floor fans or a portable AC unit by the window of the garage. This will help accelerate the amount of air extracted from the garage and get the extra hot air out faster, preventing the garage from getting dangerously hot.
Install exhaust fans and windows
Another option is to install extra exhaust fans or windows. If you have either or both of these options already installed and you have the money then you can try this option.
Exhaust fans are particularly inexpensive and relatively quick to install, so even if you’re in the heat of summer you can ventilate your hot garage before damage is done. Also, you can try combining methods. For example, if you already have exhaust fans installed but don’t have a floor fan, try adding them.
How to ventilate garage for propane heater
You can ventilate a garage for propane heating by increasing the amount of fresh air that comes in. Place the propane heater by a window or other source of ventilation in the garage. Having enough fresh oxygen while using a propane heater is vital for health.
Propane heaters are energy efficient forms of heating a garage that is particularly favorable in the cold winter months. And with heating, a garage needs extra ventilation. Also, propane heaters need oxygen to breathe.
If a garage with a propane heater does not have adequate ventilation, the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning increases. So, enough fresh oxygen needs to come in while allowing for the carbon dioxide created by the propane heater to escape.
The key is to ventilate a garage for propane heating is to allow enough fresh air in while the propane heater is on. The standard amount of ventilation required is 3 square feet for every 100,000 BTU/Hr of heater output.
A good recommendation is to set the propane heater near a window or other source of ventilation such as an exhaust if you have one. This will allow for some of the rising heat to be dissipated and for it to use fresh oxygen as new air comes in.
This helps increase ventilation and keep a healthy environment. Also, make sure to set the propane heater away from combustible items.
