Wet cars and garage ventilation?

[BTB 500]

At my old house we had a double garage that held the SL (only ever driven in fine weather) plus assorted household junk on the other side (in time-honoured fashion). The eaves at front & back had long plastic mesh sections under them for ventilation.




Where we are now we have a double garage that's significantly wider & deeper, and Mrs BTB keeps the C300 on the other side.



The issue is that this has no ventilation whatsoever. The doors have rubber seals, and there are no vents anywhere. So when Mrs BTB puts her car away wet the garage become damp inside, which is clearly a 'bad thing'.

Any thoughts/recommendations? Obviously only ever putting dry cars in there would be best, but not so practical in winter!

There's a window on one side of the garage that needs replacing as the frame is quite rotten in places. It's not secure so can't currently be left open. I could replace this with a unit that just had a fanlight (which could be left open if necessary) and also some trickle vents ... do you think this would be enough, or should I look at wall vents etc. as well? There are no eaves so no way to add anything there.




There's a plasterboard ceiling inside so the loft space is separated. Any other options? There's power inside so a mains dehumidifier could be a possibility.

 

[MrGreedy]

Dehumidifier with a hard drain line plumbed in so you don't have to keep emptying it, and a good oscillating fan on the wall on a timer to run several times a day would be my recommendations.

 

[D2028]

Replace the window with one with trickle vents and put a hit and.miss vent on the opposite wall e.g

Map Vent Adjustable Vent White 229mm x 152mm - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Designed to fully cover double brick aperture. Adjustable flyscreen helps protect from bugs, dust and allergens. Suitable for use in most areas, including larders, cupboards and wardrobes. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Riva811]

You can get a humidity sensitive extractor fan. Or obviously the vent above. A dehumidifier will require emptying the water on a regular basis.

 

[NJSS]

A dehumidifier will require emptying the water on a regular basis.

Unless plumbed in as MrGreedy suggests.

 

[alabbasi]

The little window with a round vent like they had back in the day in bathrooms with the draw string to open and shut them will do the job. Or even a window that you can crack open. You just need air to circulate.

 

[Will]

A dehumidifier would be ideal and would help all year round.

I imagine you could justify the cost of operation against the solar you have installed?

 

[grober]

CARCOON?

Carcoon Storage Systems - official manufactures and distributors

Established back in 1990’s, we are the official manufacturers and distributors of the Carcoon, Bikebubble and Workstation product ranges.

www.carcoon.com

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[BPD07]

Replace the window with one with trickle vents and put a hit and.miss vent on the opposite wall e.g

Map Vent Adjustable Vent White 229mm x 152mm - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Designed to fully cover double brick aperture. Adjustable flyscreen helps protect from bugs, dust and allergens. Suitable for use in most areas, including larders, cupboards and wardrobes. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

&gclsrc=aw.ds

Do the window anyway, but could you buy some of these and cut them into the garage doors? High enough to be away from rain bouncing.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

I can't see from the photo, but is the floor sealed. If not the problem will be that the unsealed concrete will just absorb any water off the cars and I can't see window vents being good enough to cope with it. My garage floor is sealed but during wet weather I have to mop out the water that just sits on top of the floor, surprising how much water the cars deposit on the floors when put in wet.

 

[BTB 500]

A dehumidifier would be ideal and would help all year round.

I imagine you could justify the cost of operation against the solar you have installed?

Yes it would be free if timed to run during daylight hours

 

[BTB 500]

I can't see from the photo, but is the floor sealed. If not the problem will be that the unsealed concrete will just absorb any water off the cars and I can't see window vents being good enough to cope with it. My garage floor is sealed but during wet weather I have to mop out the water that just sits on top of the floor, surprising how much water the cars deposit on the floors when put in wet.

It looks like bare concrete but there's a big barrel of sealant there from when we moved in so I assume it was treated with that previously. There are puddles underneath Mrs BTB's car when she puts it away wet. Wouldn't hurt to treat it again sometime this summer.

 

[BTB 500]

Do the window anyway, but could you buy some of these and cut them into the garage doors? High enough to be away from rain bouncing.

I've just found out they do a ventilation 'add on' that pulls in the top panel of the door to create an opening ... might investigate that:

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[MCFastybloke]

Fan with humidistat as mentioned.

 

[BTB 500]

As a small update, I found that the doors actually had hidden downward-facing vents at the bottom, just above the rubber sealing strip. I've also found that by cracking the doors slightly open the top section opens a significant distance - not secure as the doors are unlocked, but quite weatherproof. Will probably add a dehumidifier for the winter - thanks for all the advice & suggestions!

 

[D2028]

You'll still need a vent or slightly open window on the opposite wall to create airflow.

 

[Petrol Pete]

+ stick a few roof vent tiles in . Something like this.

https://www.bing.com/aclk?ld=e8K28qd0paTvHbyJXQEunNgTVUCUxesVNpgIEcuZQ5Ayspj1r1KMesWTLiJjwgrkX1EnvP90UwZPsUufhni1982H3mKxNkvcOgC25pvae9GqDEbuCzY_R0fgN9uPOqEpFOcI56Dy7l7HTbDrhmHAP2iE-FFta455dFQXkvsyM6QOpjFSGr&u=aHR0cHMlM2ElMmYlMmZ3d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvLnVrJTJmTWFybGV5LUx1ZGxvdy1SZWRsYW5kLUZvcnRpY3JldGUtQnJlY2tsYW5kJTJmZHAlMmZCMDFCQU9FUVdXJTJmcmVmJTNkYXNjX2RmX0IwMUJBT0VRV1clM2Z0YWclM2RiaW5nc2hvcHBpbmdhLTIxJTI2bGlua0NvZGUlM2RkZjAlMjZodmFkaWQlM2Q4MDQwMTg0NTEzMDI5NiUyNmh2bmV0dyUzZG8lMjZodnFtdCUzZGUlMjZodmJtdCUzZGJlJTI2aHZkZXYlM2RjJTI2aHZsb2NpbnQlM2QlMjZodmxvY3BoeSUzZCUyNmh2dGFyZ2lkJTNkcGxhLTQ1ODQwMDE0MjA5NDMwOTElMjZwc2MlM2Qx&rlid=9d7f868790fc140d059fe0ca82c41c5e

 

[ALFAitalia]

That wont help the OP....the garage has a ceiling and separate loft area.

 

[BTB 500]

+ stick a few roof vent tiles in . Something like this.

https://www.bing.com/aclk?ld=e8K28qd0paTvHbyJXQEunNgTVUCUxesVNpgIEcuZQ5Ayspj1r1KMesWTLiJjwgrkX1EnvP90UwZPsUufhni1982H3mKxNkvcOgC25pvae9GqDEbuCzY_R0fgN9uPOqEpFOcI56Dy7l7HTbDrhmHAP2iE-FFta455dFQXkvsyM6QOpjFSGr&u=aHR0cHMlM2ElMmYlMmZ3d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvLnVrJTJmTWFybGV5LUx1ZGxvdy1SZWRsYW5kLUZvcnRpY3JldGUtQnJlY2tsYW5kJTJmZHAlMmZCMDFCQU9FUVdXJTJmcmVmJTNkYXNjX2RmX0IwMUJBT0VRV1clM2Z0YWclM2RiaW5nc2hvcHBpbmdhLTIxJTI2bGlua0NvZGUlM2RkZjAlMjZodmFkaWQlM2Q4MDQwMTg0NTEzMDI5NiUyNmh2bmV0dyUzZG8lMjZodnFtdCUzZGUlMjZodmJtdCUzZGJlJTI2aHZkZXYlM2RjJTI2aHZsb2NpbnQlM2QlMjZodmxvY3BoeSUzZCUyNmh2dGFyZ2lkJTNkcGxhLTQ1ODQwMDE0MjA5NDMwOTElMjZwc2MlM2Qx&rlid=9d7f868790fc140d059fe0ca82c41c5e

As mentioned the loft space is separate, but that's probably not a bad idea anyway. We have a single storey extension at the rear of the house with two pitched roofs - that was built at the same time as the garage and does have vent tiles

 

[StMarks]

That wont help the OP....the garage has a ceiling and separate loft area.

However if he took the advice of

,,,,,,,,,,, a humidity sensitive extractor fan. .

and

Fan with humidistat as mentioned.

and fitted something like this Xpelair DX100 100mm Simply Silent Extractor Fan
at a low level on the opposite wall & at a low level ????

I'm thinking that it would then tend to be triggered by damp being brought in by wet vehicles, and encourage the desiccant airflow to pass precisely across the area where it would be most effective.