Factors to consider when heating your Antioch garage this winter

Need to work on the car? Have a project you’re trying to complete? Just want a place to sit down with a beer or a cup of coffee and relax? The garage can work extremely well for these activities. But the garage isn’t nearly as hospitable when the Antioch winter temperatures drop to and below the freezing mark.

Of course, if you’re garage is heated, that’s an entirely different story. On the other hand, if you want to put some heat in your Antioch garage, you can create that hospitable environment where the garage is an extension of the house.

There are several questions to consider when heating your garage, including:

• What type of heater you’ll use?
• Insulating your garage?
• Ensuring that the garage door and garage door opener operate properly?

When it comes to the type of heater, considerations include:

• Gas?
• Electric?
• Portable?
• Suspended?
• In-wall or Roof-top installation?

An essential factor to consider with the type of heater is safety. This could move the idea of a portable heater down several notches on your list. But, even if you’re installing a more permanent heater, you want to ensure that it’s installed properly so that there is nothing that would make its operation unsafe.

You may also want to consider a cooling aspect with the unit you install. In other words, do you want to provide air conditioning in your garage to keep it cool during the next Antioch summer and summers to come.

When installing a heating unit in your garage, as well as with a unit that has a cooling capacity, efficiency is dramatically affected by the amount and quality of insulation you have in the garage. You’ll want to insulate the walls and the roof or ceiling. But, do a proper job of insulating so that you don’t have problems with condensation. 

Think about your garage door, in terms of insulation, too. An insulated garage door will make a world of difference. And, whether the garage door is insulated or not, you’ll want to have a proper seal around your garage door – top, bottom and on the sides.

Finally, if your garage door doesn’t open efficiently, how much of that heat will you let out while it creeps up or down. For that matter, if your garage door gets stuck, there’s nothing to stop the cold of this Antioch winter from stealing your cozy garage away from you.