I have a raised ranch which has two bedrooms over a garage. Last winter,
these rooms were colder than the other rooms in the house. I'm going to
insulate the ceiling of the garage with the following:

http://www.owenscorning.com/around/i...s/foamular.asp

Then I'll have drywall installed over that. I'm going to add more
insulation to the attic.

I was also planning on insulating the walls (having blown in insulation
put in) and possibly insulating the garage doors, adding better weather
stripping around garage doors, etc. My goal would be to increase the
temperature of the garage so that the bedrooms stay warmer. I would have
to insulate one full wall, one half wall (the foundation makes up half the
wall), and the wall where the garage doors are. The interior wall to the
house is insulated.

However, the following site:

http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/...es2001/12-01-4

says that if you're not going to heat the garage, insulation may actually
make the garage cooler in the winter and not warmer. Because my garage is
completely packed with stuff when both cars are in there, I doubt I'll use
it much for any work. I may change oil and the like every once in a
while. I may also use it every once in a while for other projects, though
these projects would be few and far between (by this, I mean the amount of
times I'd actually want to heat the garage would be maybe once per month
or less during winter).

So, is there a benefit to insulating a garage in Connecticut, if one does
not necessarily want to use the garage as a working space?


--
Bob M
remove ".x" to reply

"Bob M" wrote in message
news
I have a raised ranch which has two bedrooms over a garage.
However, the following site:

http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/...es2001/12-01-4

says that if you're not going to heat the garage, insulation may actually
make the garage cooler in the winter and not warmer.

The cave effect is interesting. For a free standing building, the loss of
solar may be a real factor, but the garage under the house is already a cave
and probably have little sun exposure. I'd insulate.

The only heat, of course is going to be what you introduce from the heated
house, and possibly from bringing in a car with a hot engine. I don't know
the balance between a hot engine and a cold mass of metal though. Right
now, the garage is acting as a big vestibule like older houses had.
Ed

Bob M wrote:
I have a raised ranch which has two bedrooms over a garage. Last
winter, these rooms were colder than the other rooms in the house. I'm
going to insulate the ceiling of the garage with the following:

http://www.owenscorning.com/around/i...s/foamular.asp

Then I'll have drywall installed over that. I'm going to add more
insulation to the attic.

I was also planning on insulating the walls (having blown in
insulation put in) and possibly insulating the garage doors, adding
better weather stripping around garage doors, etc. My goal would be
to increase the temperature of the garage so that the bedrooms stay
warmer. I would have to insulate one full wall, one half wall (the
foundation makes up half the wall), and the wall where the garage
doors are. The interior wall to the house is insulated.

However, the following site:

http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/...es2001/12-01-4

says that if you're not going to heat the garage, insulation may
actually make the garage cooler in the winter and not warmer. Because my
garage is completely packed with stuff when both cars are
in there, I doubt I'll use it much for any work. I may change oil
and the like every once in a while. I may also use it every once in
a while for other projects, though these projects would be few and
far between (by this, I mean the amount of times I'd actually want to
heat the garage would be maybe once per month or less during winter).

So, is there a benefit to insulating a garage in Connecticut, if one
does not necessarily want to use the garage as a working space?

From my experience you are better off with insulation. That theory is
correct, but it is also incomplete.

Most of us are interested in having the garage warm in the morning when
we are leaving for work, not at sundown. Their theory would mean that the
garage would be the coldest in the morning. With insulation I have to
believe (and my personal experience also agrees) that it is warmer in the
morning with insulation.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Bob M wrote:
I have a raised ranch which has two bedrooms over a garage. Last
winter, these rooms were colder than the other rooms in the house. I'm
going to insulate the ceiling of the garage with the following:

http://www.owenscorning.com/around/i...s/foamular.asp

Then I'll have drywall installed over that. I'm going to add more
insulation to the attic.

I was also planning on insulating the walls (having blown in
insulation put in) and possibly insulating the garage doors, adding
better weather stripping around garage doors, etc. My goal would be
to increase the temperature of the garage so that the bedrooms stay
warmer. I would have to insulate one full wall, one half wall (the
foundation makes up half the wall), and the wall where the garage
doors are. The interior wall to the house is insulated.

However, the following site:

http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/...es2001/12-01-4

says that if you're not going to heat the garage, insulation may
actually make the garage cooler in the winter and not warmer. Because my
garage is completely packed with stuff when both cars are
in there, I doubt I'll use it much for any work. I may change oil
and the like every once in a while. I may also use it every once in
a while for other projects, though these projects would be few and
far between (by this, I mean the amount of times I'd actually want to
heat the garage would be maybe once per month or less during winter).

So, is there a benefit to insulating a garage in Connecticut, if one
does not necessarily want to use the garage as a working space?

From my experience you are better off with insulation. That theory is
correct, but it is also incomplete.

Most of us are interested in having the garage warm in the morning when
we are leaving for work, not at sundown. Their theory would mean that the
garage would be the coldest in the morning. With insulation I have to
believe (and my personal experience also agrees) that it is warmer in the
morning with insulation.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

My personal experience agrees with Joseph...my insulated garage is
noticeably warmer than the outside air in the morning.