Hello everyone,
I’m Andi, and I’m new to the forum. I hope to find some experts here who can help me with my problem.
The issue concerns my garage. But before I get to that, here are some details about the garage.
The garage has a floor area of about 55m² (590 ft²) with a small washroom. The largest wall is underground, the right wall is half embedded in the ground. The left wall is insulated from the outside and has two windows. The garage roof is used as a terrace.
Now to my problem. During the transitional seasons, my garage becomes damp. The relative humidity usually stays above 90%. On some days, it’s so bad that water runs down the cupboards and walls. If I didn’t know better, I would think someone tried to extinguish a fire inside with a garden hose.
An engineer inspected the garage and sold me a dehumidifier. I think it might be suitable for a small bathroom, but not for this garage. Ventilation doesn’t really help. In dry weather, I keep both garage doors open about 20cm (8 inches) and the side entrance at the other end of the garage is also open. Still, the floor feels soaked, and my tools in the cupboard are rusting badly.
When I heat the garage while working, the humidity levels drop to normal relatively quickly. Now, to my proposed solutions:
- An additional ventilation system would cost me at least 1000€ (benefit uncertain)
- A construction dryer would cost about 200€ in electricity per month
- Heating with wood is not possible
- Infrared heating would cost around 200€ per month for a space this size
- Ventilating, as mentioned, doesn’t work
My final idea is to use the central heating together with my existing dehumidifier. Since warm air can hold more moisture, the air containing the moisture would be extracted. This would also create air circulation.
(after the ceiling was insulated)
My question to the experts: Am I wrong with my theory?
Our old garage was always heated (it was adjacent to the boiler room). I never had problems with rust or similar there.
I would be very grateful for helpful solutions.
Best regards, Andi
I’m Andi, and I’m new to the forum. I hope to find some experts here who can help me with my problem.
The issue concerns my garage. But before I get to that, here are some details about the garage.
The garage has a floor area of about 55m² (590 ft²) with a small washroom. The largest wall is underground, the right wall is half embedded in the ground. The left wall is insulated from the outside and has two windows. The garage roof is used as a terrace.
Now to my problem. During the transitional seasons, my garage becomes damp. The relative humidity usually stays above 90%. On some days, it’s so bad that water runs down the cupboards and walls. If I didn’t know better, I would think someone tried to extinguish a fire inside with a garden hose.
An engineer inspected the garage and sold me a dehumidifier. I think it might be suitable for a small bathroom, but not for this garage. Ventilation doesn’t really help. In dry weather, I keep both garage doors open about 20cm (8 inches) and the side entrance at the other end of the garage is also open. Still, the floor feels soaked, and my tools in the cupboard are rusting badly.
When I heat the garage while working, the humidity levels drop to normal relatively quickly. Now, to my proposed solutions:
- An additional ventilation system would cost me at least 1000€ (benefit uncertain)
- A construction dryer would cost about 200€ in electricity per month
- Heating with wood is not possible
- Infrared heating would cost around 200€ per month for a space this size
- Ventilating, as mentioned, doesn’t work
My final idea is to use the central heating together with my existing dehumidifier. Since warm air can hold more moisture, the air containing the moisture would be extracted. This would also create air circulation.
(after the ceiling was insulated)
My question to the experts: Am I wrong with my theory?
Our old garage was always heated (it was adjacent to the boiler room). I never had problems with rust or similar there.
I would be very grateful for helpful solutions.
Best regards, Andi
Similar topics