Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT Washing car in garage!

[timneagroup]

got my dream garage completed and was able to test out the floor drain. Living in MI, its so nice to be able to wash a car in the winter!

anyone else wash there car in the garage?

 

[Lu-Max]

That's the dream but my garage is too small.

 

[sick467]

I love an indoor drain for washing the car/s. It's fantastic in the summer for staying out of the heat and having a place to wax without the sun cooking it on. My shop has AC and a wood stove which is nice. I don't do much washing of the fleet in the winter, but the winter driver gets the salt slush hosed off several times a year. I used to do it outside before the shop and frozen fingers and a frozen driveway were typically the big results, not to mention the occasional door that would get froze shut.

 

[timneagroup]

my wife is going to have a clean truck

 

[Klokwerk]

Love the idea, but I too, have a small garage.
But having a drain would be a good idea in areas where you get snow and that stuff melts off in the garage.

 

[slik560]

Pure luxury. Enjoy

 

[rancherbill]

I have a drain in mine also, initially for the ice droppings from the car. I do not wash in the garage normally the humidity skyrockets and you'll spend next month cleaning rust spots on all your tools.

 

[shoey]

Not many residential garages can make a suburban look small.

 

[Poolshark314]

Do you just run that to a graywater drain outside?

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I don't have a floor drain, just a dehumidifier. works well enough. Door doesn't freeze to the ground when the garage is heated.

 

[Jeepster04]

I use to wash mine in the garage all the time. Now I have too much **** in my garage....

A dehumidifier is something you may want.

 

[alien]

I do not have a garage and have to wash a car this week outside. I do have a dream of a nice three or four car garage but it will be a few years.

 

[GARAGE-DWELLER]

Not exactly... I have an electric pressure washer with a pass through fitting to hook up the hose outside. I'll wait till a "warm" 30 degree day or so and do a good rinse, paying attention to the rockers and wheel wells. I drive it back into the warm garage to dry. Surprisingly the driveway doesn't turn into a skating rink as bad as you would think.

 

[kabinenroller]

The attached 2 1/2 car garage on my house has a floor drain also hot and cold water. The walls, and ceiling are drywalled and insulated, the 16’ door is R17. It is not heated but it hardly ever dips below 40 degrees inside. I have a ceiling fan that drys the floor after I wash the car.
I had planned to install a unit heater but so far I have not really needed it.

 

[MOP_zero]

I've been doing this for the last couple years. I got tired of the using the coin wash and the vehicles still being dirty after. I bought some tarps and hang them off a cable to make a wash-bay. I've also since installed some ceiling exhaust fans for humidity and a trolley system for the hose.

 

[Jazz1]

Do you just run that to a graywater drain outside?

I did not install floor drain as there are legal issues in my area that would have to be met and not on my dime.
I lay down this lumber tarp with 2" x4"s around the perimeter when I have to bring in one of our vehicles or they will drip ice and lots! I don't wash in garage,,washing seems to be seasonal,,once in spring and again in fall. Once drip dried I shop vac up the water. Without tarp all the water runs to the walls.

 

[timneagroup]

Do you just run that to a graywater drain outside?

The city initially wanted me to get an oil/water separator, but based on cost they allowed me to run the drain into a catch basin filled with stone and then half way up in the basin it has corrugated pipe that runs out to the back of the property. Still ironing out issues with the drain functioning properly in cold conditions.

 

[timneagroup]

I use to wash mine in the garage all the time. Now I have too much **** in my garage....

A dehumidifier is something you may want.

I am considering a dehumidifier. It seems ok if I leave the heat set around 55.

 

[Greg_STL]

I have a heated (and cooled) garage but no drain. I use the rinseless wash from Griot's. It is basically just a bucket wash with out a hose and works surprisingly well. You wipe once per face of your wash rag then back to the bucket to knock all the dirt out - then repeat. You do need to follow up with a drying cloth. I think it actually leaves a cleaner finish to the paint then when I use the hose. The wash solution has something in it that encapsulates the dirt and it falls below the grate in the bucket. I think that is why I do not get water spots because it precipitates out the minerals in the hard water. I sometimes use a bit of the rinseless wash in my normal bucket if I'm doing a hose wash to get the minerals in the hard water to precipitate out.

I also do this method when it is 105 degrees out and too hot or 8pm at night and too dark outside. When the car is particularly nasty in the winter, I will run it through a brushless wash to knock off most of the salt then bring the car into the garage and go over it with the rinseless wash bucket method.

This is the stuff I use. Griot's has some without wax now but I have not had a chance to try it yet.



I have to agree that it is a wonderful feeling to be washing your car in a 70 degree F garage when it is 10 degree F outside.

 

[Poolshark314]

Griot's is really good stuff. I miss the days when Advance stocked them and had their coupons apply