Garages should be cooler than the prevailing temperature. This is because the garage absorbs a lot of heat from the sun, and when the garage door is closed, this heat builds up quickly. In addition to heating up from sunlight, garages also build up heat from car exhaust every time you park your car there.
1. Removes Dust and Other Particles
Firstly, air conditioning can help remove allergens and dust. Any garage has the potential to be a dust collector. If you have any sensitive equipment stored in your stand-alone garage, too much dust can damage it and make it unusable. Even if you do not have any special items in your garage, dust is a health hazard for anyone who spends time there. A dusty garage is even more problematic for those with allergies or asthma. Dirt, pollen, and other allergens are everywhere in garages for many reasons. If you keep an open window or door that leads to the outside world, those allergens will often find their way into your home’s storage space no matter how careful you are about keeping the area clean. Air conditioning can help mitigate these issues by blowing out dirty air and circulating only clean air through your space.
2. Prevents Mold and Mildew
In the summer, homes become hot and muggy. The day’s heat can seep in through your windows while warm air released from your appliances and lighting fixtures builds up inside. If you do not have air conditioning installed, this can cause mold to form on surfaces throughout your house. This can be especially problematic for stand-alone garages not connected to any other room.
Mold is caused by excessive moisture in the air, usually due to high humidity levels of 60 percent and above. In addition to making items like paper documents brittle and causing grease stains on walls, this can cause health problems for those who inhale the spores that mold releases into the atmosphere—especially if they have allergies or asthma. Air-conditioning cushions you from mildew and mold.
3. Extends the Life of Your Tools, Tires, and Belongings
Let’s face it, garage appliances like pressure washers, leaf blowers, and snow blowers are expensive. An increase in their life span can save you money and a lot of aggravation. Keeping these tools and your tires in a cool place will prevent them from drying out or cracking due to heat. Garage cabinets are also an option to house such items, but again, heating elements on the outside can compromise the contents of your cabinets and shorten their life span.
If you like to store flammable liquids in your garage or art supplies such as paint thinner or turpentine, proper ventilation is essential to avoid toxic fumes filling your home when the garage door is open. If you have any electronics you wish to store in your garage; then adequate temperature control is necessary to prevent shorting out due to extreme temperatures.
It is a common misconception that air conditioning is designed only for home use. While a house definitely needs cooling, your stand-alone garage can also benefit from air conditioning. It will help to protect you from mildew and mold while saving you money by extending the lifetime of garage equipment.
