Keep stuff from freezing in garage

[gtixpress]

Hello All. I purchased my first house over the summer and it has a detached non-insulated garage. I'm in Illinois and with the past two weeks of having sub-zero temperatures, pretty much anything water-based in my garage has frozen solid. Makes it a little rough to work on stuff. LOL. So this spring I'm going to see about adding some insulation to the walls. Are there any issues with using fiberglass? I'm not sure what to do about the ceiling as it's open rafters and I use that space for storage. Also, are there any recommended ways to keep stuff from freezing? Insulated cabinets? I really don't have the option of bringing a bunch of chemicals into the house (no basement or storage area). I've attached a picture of the garage when we moved in for reference. In the past, garages that I've had were always attached to the house, so the freezing wasn't really an option (and they were insulated).

 

[malibu101]

Sorry I can't help, but, I feel your pain on things freezing in the garage.
My detached garage is not insulated or constantly heated. We've been single digits overnight and daytime high of 20's and windy all the time for almost a week now.

I have a smallish dorm fridge in the garage for beer and soda for me.
Last night I grabbed a few beers and went to the warmth of the house.
Opened a can and had suds and liquid mush flowing through the hole. The stuff in the fridge froze!
I don't remember ever having to warm up a can of beer to make it drinkable.

 

[920kip]

I have found drinking full caloried beer can withstand slightly lower temps. And it tastes better too.

 

[matt_i]

Easiest solution is a heat source (natural gas, propane, electric) and low-temp thermostat. I keep my shop held at around 35F. The insulation will help reduce the total number of cycles on the heat source.

 

[firebirdparts]

Insulation in the roof/ceiling will do more good even than the walls. Closing the ceiling has several advantages, but you don't have to. I would suggest if you need to insulate the rafters, put self-supporting faced fiberglass up there, but don't expect it to really support itself. It's the easiest thing to install overhead, assuming your rafter spacing is something normal (big assumption). Put something under it as well so it doesn't fall 10 years down the road. You should not fill up the whole space between rafters with fiberglass. Leave some room for ventilation. So if you have 2 x 6 rafters, I would stop at R13 insulation. That is just me. Bigger rafters, you can use bigger insulation.

In my own shop, I tried to seal up the interior purposefully, but that was a lot of work. My walls are not finished inside, and air movement would be natural in an uninsulated garage. With free air movement you aren't going to do much heating.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Most of your heat loss is going to go UP, so insulating just the walls will do very little if you aren't going to address the ceiling...

Plywood above to store your stuff on, either get a folding staircase or leave a hole you can use a ladder with. Then insulate like normal from the bottom...

One guy that was on a tight budget used a thick plastic to run across his ceiling, effectively lowering the amount of sqft he needed to heat.

 

[KenB]

For insulated storage, a non-working refrigerator with a lit incandescent bulb in it is easy and cheap.

Ken

 

[RWorth]

For insulated storage, a non-working refrigerator with a lit incandescent bulb in it is easy and cheap.

Ken

that's a good idea, you could even put it on a t-stat if you wanted.

 

[MarlynOC]

Get an old freezer that does not work. Install a couple 60 watt bulbs in it and store your stuff in it.

 

[garagelogician]

For insulated storage, a non-working refrigerator with a lit incandescent bulb in it is easy and cheap.

Ken

This is a good suggestion if you can corral your freeze-prone items into one. It should work in non-insulated cabinets too.

 

[mrramsey]

Hello All. I purchased my first house over the summer and it has a detached non-insulated garage. I'm in Illinois and with the past two weeks of having sub-zero temperatures, pretty much anything water-based in my garage has frozen solid. Makes it a little rough to work on stuff. LOL. So this spring I'm going to see about adding some insulation to the walls. Are there any issues with using fiberglass? I'm not sure what to do about the ceiling as it's open rafters and I use that space for storage. Also, are there any recommended ways to keep stuff from freezing? Insulated cabinets? I really don't have the option of bringing a bunch of chemicals into the house (no basement or storage area). I've attached a picture of the garage when we moved in for reference. In the past, garages that I've had were always attached to the house, so the freezing wasn't really an option (and they were insulated).

Insulation alone will ultimately do nothing except slow the speed at which it cools down or heats up. Eventually the temperature will stabilize and be the same as it is outside. Insulate the walls, drywall the ceiling and walls, then blow in insulation into the attic space. that in itself would not cost that much to do. Then add a heater of your choice.

 

[lakeroadster]

Insulation alone will ultimately do nothing except slow the speed at which it cools down or heats up. Eventually the temperature will stabilize and be the same as it is outside.

What? Not true at all. You'll get warmth from the sun shining on the roof in the winter and shade in the summer. Just insulating the space will make a huge difference.
_______________________________________

gtixpress

Do you have an insulated garage door? Not a lot of sense in throwing a bunch of money at insulation if you don't.

If you do.. or when you do.. Insulate the ceiling and walls with fiberglass batt insulation. Your local zoning may have minimum requirements for what R level is required.

Install a pull down attic ladder on the ceiling to keep the attic storage.

We did all the above to our garage 2 years ago and it's amazing how much more "stable" the temperature is year round.

 

[lilredex]

I have a similar garage and similar climate to yours. I built out the studs to 2 X 6 and used Fibreglas to insulate the walls. The ceiling is open as I also use it for storage. No heat and it does not freeze in there, even with the cold temperatures of late. It definitely is not a waste of time just insulating the walls. It helps with noise control also if that is an issue. The (uninsulated) lean to tool shed on the right also helps with both the temp. and noise.

 

[Falcon67]

FWIW - My shop is R13 wall, R13 ceiling. We went 100ish hours below 32 with a low of 9 and two mornings at 11, several days overcast with highs in the 20s. Shop never got below 48F.

 

[Joe69]

I think an incandescent light bulb, in as small of a cabinet as you can get away with, would have an excellent chance of keeping things above freezing. JMHO

I've heard for years, that keeping a candle in your vehicle can save your life. The small amount of heat a single candle puts out, could mean the difference between life and death, in the event you get stranded in the cold. Just putting it into perspective.

Joe

 

[EOC_Jason]

I've heard for years, that keeping a candle in your vehicle can save your life. The small amount of heat a single candle puts out, could mean the difference between life and death, in the event you get stranded in the cold. Just putting it into perspective.

A candle will put out between 60-80 watts of heat, so yeah it can help warm up a vehicle and you in a survival situation.

 

[sberry]

Many spend lots on homes, the garage is cheaper and easier to get lots of space. If it didn't take food off the table would definitely fixer upper, ceiling, insulation, then insulate walls and hooked up a heater and keep it above freezing. My shop isn't hot like southern sun but it never freezes, 50 or a bit better if busy.
We are not working constant for long times and are few in numbers, guy or 2 at a time.

 

[sberry]

Once something is inside it's secure from frost and it's a comforting feeling for sure.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Even with insulation, unless the shop is always heated it will eventually get too cold. I just bring all my spray paint and chemicals in the house every winter, in the closet by the porch so they're ready to go if needed. I might put a natural gas heater in if we stay here, and keep it at 40 all the time.

When you do insulate, the ceiling will have much, much more effect than anything else. Also proper air sealing.

 

[gtixpress]

Thanks for the info everyone! To answer a few questions. The garage door does appear to be insulated. So that's a good start. Everything appears to be made from 2x4 including the rafters. So I may take things in stages to getting the garage updated, starting with adding fiberglass to the walls. I usually don't work out there in the winter, but it's good if I have to do emergency car repairs. I'm not crazy about paneling up the ceiling, so I may have to work out something there. It's just a personal preference thing. And I don't think there is any ventilation at the top of the roof. It has soffet vents, but I don't notice anything at the top of the roof.

I do have a fridge in the garage that's unplugged for now since it pretty much does nothing in the winter. Maybe I can try the light bulb trick with it. I also have to get some more electrical run out to the garage. It's only got a single 110v line run out there, which I'm pretty sure shares a breaker with something in the house. I want to have 220v run out there along with a dedicate 110v circuit for the garage. That way I can have decent heat out there when needed.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I have the shop thermostat set to one degree Celsius and the shop has ceiling fans to keep the air in circulation. So far, so good. If the temperature is forecast for much colder, I put an incandescent trouble light on the floor, under the toilet tank.

 

[mikester]

I had that issue for years. Insulated everything, new insulated doors. Nothing really helped. Finally broke down and put in a Modine Hot Dawg. I keep the temp at 50. When Im out there I kick it up a little. I was tired of being cold when I had stuff to do. I also threw out a lot of paint over the years.

 

[ishiboo]

In my barn, I just placed an old upright freezer with a temperature controller and a 400W ceramic heater while I work on it. The subfloor adhesive is good down to use down to 20 degrees, but it must be stored above freezing.

Controller: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDSWXY4/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Heater: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073CVTSYB/?tag=atomicindus08-20

You can definitely use incandescent light bulbs, incredibly they are about 3% efficient at producing light (Which means 97% of it is heat!)... but I wanted a ceramic heater of a higher wattage which is 100% efficient, has a fan to distribute the air (versus purely convection), has a high temperature cut-out in case somethings goes wrong, and recovers more quickly than a standard 100W light bulb.

 

[reddog289]

Having most of my walls insulated made a difference. Hope this summer I can work on the rafters and ceiling. Like that trick with the heater in the freezer.

 

[SteveCh]

I, too, just bring indoors [main house] anything I don't want to freeze in the garage. Not perfect, but simplest thing I can do. It means a few unplanned walks to the house to grab something I need and forgot to grab in the first place, but it isn't a really big deal. In the spring, i just leave the things out in the garage as I need them one at a time.

 

[T_R]

I insulated my walls with R13, R13 in the rafter ties with poly over it and added 2 cheap pro fusion electric heaters from northern tool. It wasn't expensive at all and now I keep the heaters all the way down when I am not in there and it stays about 40 so nothing freezes.

 

[TheClaw]

Got the same situation. Chicago winters **** and I moved from a nice attached garage with a Modine heater to nothing. Already paint and some fluids have been effected by the cold. Are they toast?



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[roc_on_the_rocks]

This winter has been tough. I have a mildly insulated 600 sq-ft attached garage and I didn't do a good job prepping for winter this year (e.g.: didn't winterize the pressure washer among other things). After watching temperature hovering around 30F, I put a 1500W oil-filled radiator heater set to its lowest temperature setting (43F). Garage is at balmy 34F right now.

 

[bob15]

I just bring anything (chemicals, paint, hoses, etc) that can freeze inside and put it in the basement. It's cheap and it works all the time.

 

[Aberdale]

My solution was to insulate the garage and add a forced air furnace. The garage stays a nice balmy 65 degrees all winter.

 

[fitz11]

I keep anything that shouldn’t freeze in a metal cabinet lined with 1/2” styrofoam and two c7 Christmas light bulbs at the bottom. They are hooked to a thermostatically coltrolled outlet and it keeps the cabinet around 40 degrees no matter how cold it gets outside.

 

[RWorth]

My shop is insulated with no heat, but there is an apartment over the shop so I get some heat from there, and I have an 8' slider that gets sun most of the day. The thermometer by the garage door has never been below 42 and we've been between 0-F and 25-F for a few weeks now and the garage door leaks like a sive. I think if I fixed the door leaks it would be toasty.

 

[spudley]

I keep anything that shouldn’t freeze in a metal cabinet lined with 1/2” styrofoam and two c7 Christmas light bulbs at the bottom. They are hooked to a thermostatically coltrolled outlet and it keeps the cabinet around 40 degrees no matter how cold it gets outside.

Nice. It got so cold last week the beer in my fridge froze. I declared it a national disaster.

 

[fitz11]

Nice. It got so cold last week the beer in my fridge froze. I declared it a national disaster.

Haha I also empty my fridge into my cabinet so they don’t freeze!

 

[Dave in Mass]

Got home late the other night and noticed the garage smelled like vinegar. Yep, a bottle of Apple Cider vinegar had frozen, expanded, and burst its glass bottle. The good news is even the escaped liquid froze and I could pick it up off the shelves in sheets....

Like the winter, but an occasional break from the sub zero temps is needed in my uninsulated, but attached garage.

 

[tonyciambrone]

I would do two layers of ridgid foam if budget permits. Extruded PolyStyrene and then foil-faced on the inner layer.

That will give you ~r19. And it is much easier to install correctly than fiberglass IMO. I would also go r15 Mineral Wool before I would go fiberglass. Fiberglass is cheap though, and if that's the only option, I would purchase the R-15 fiberglass from Menard's. I know how cold it is and every last bit of insulation will make a difference here.