Two Important Reasons for Garage Ventilation

There’s a growing concern among homeowners today: when your garage isn’t correctly ventilated it can be hazardous. It’s known that benzene from our car exhausts poses a threat in terms of developing cancers such as leukemia.

Good ventilation can reduce or stop this toxic gas from entering your home. In addition to installing a garage exhaust fan, such as the Garage Exhaust Fan QuietCool GA ES-1500, what can you do about toxic fumes and heat buildup in your garage?

Toxic Fumes
An attached garage is very convenient, however, when it negatively affects your indoor air quality, you can have a real problem. Many of the items we store in our garages can contain substances that can affect our health. For example, mowers, cars, lubricants and paints. When these become airborne, they can easily get into our homes, through open doors, ducts, gaps around closed doors and more. To combat this:

Keep the door from your garage door shut. This is perhaps the simplest way to contain chemical traces within your garage.

Keep the garage door open. When you start your car, never do so with the garage door closed. If you do have to start your car in a closed space, move it outside as soon as you can. And leave the door open for a while afterwards to clear the air.

Keep lids on everything. Ensure all containers of potentially hazardous liquids are sealed when they’re not in use.

Keep your garage clean. Never run any equipment like your lawn mower, vehicle or chainsaw for longer than necessary in your garage. Additionally, don’t place items like furnaces and water heaters in the space.

Heat
Increasing the airflow in your garage is crucial, especially in the hot summer months. You can achieve this by:

Insulating the overhead door. This ensures your space is cooler in the hot months and warmer in the winter. Generally, a few-inch thick layer of rigid insulation attached with contact cement to the inner section of every panel of your uninsulated metal door should be all you need. Alternatively, fit an insulated sectional overhead door.

Opening the overhead door. Either leave the door slightly or completely open and consider installing a garage exhaust fan to keep your space cool.

Insulating the ceiling. Ceiling insulation keeps the heat down in your garage when the temperature’s rising outside.

Installing vents is another way to ensure your garage is well ventilated. Look after the health of you and your family and take steps to get the air moving in your garage today.