Insulation question

[jamie]

My attached 3-ish car garage is my shop. Originally, the only walls that had insulation were the ones that are common to the house. I recently drywalled it all up, to help with lighting and looks.

When I did the drywall, I went ahead and put in insulation. I neglected to take in to consideration that the ceiling might not have been insulated either -- it wasn't.

So, the question is-- will insulating the ceiling help maintain the temperature in the garage?
The attic space above the garage has both soffit and gable vents, so there shouldn't be a problem with airflow up there.

The garage doors have a good 2" of insulation, not great, but better than none. It obviously gets hot in there in the summer time, and I can't help but think that it is the sun heating the attic, which in turn heats the garage (since the garage floor is usually cool to the touch).

Thanks,

-jamie

 

[Trent Mason]

Jamie,

Do you have AC/Heat in your garage? If so, then insulation will help keep the cool/warm air in. If it isn't heated in the winter time, insulation in the ceiling might help keep the heat in, as heat has a tendency to rise. I'm no expert on this, but I know that much. :icon_thum

 

[Bryan S]

Yes it will go a long way in helping. You want go with at least R-19 value R-30 will be better. Remember heat is energy and energy allways tries to find it equalibriam, in other words it will move from a higher source of energy to a lower source of energy like colder air. Anything you can do to prevent that transfer will help.

 

[jamie]

There isn't any form of heating or cooling in there, and won't be

I DO have a large (think: whole house) fan in a window, which I can use to draw air in (or from the house, if I have the door open). That, along with 600 sq ft of concrete slab, are all that I have for temperature control.

 

[Sealeveler]

Insulate the overhead to keep the heat out in summer and in in winter.My garage is insulated everywhere except the floor which is concrete.In the summer I open the windows at nite with a fan in the windows and at daylite I close everything down tight.It stays around 75-80 in there on a 90 degree day.Tony

 

[jamie]

OK, I am sold.

I will look around for some estimates.
I will post to the "where can I find" to see if any ncwwers are in this line of work.

 

[Dudelive]

That may be one of the best things you can do yourself without having to break the bank and it will pay for it's self over time. Just be sure to insulate it properly, usually by laying down the first layer and then the second layer across the first.

You mentioned you have a gable vent, that would be a good spot for an attic fan to be placed behind controlled by a thermostat and also humidity. That will also pay for its self.

Good Luck

 

[Marlin]

Also get some heavy duty Al. Foil and staple that to the underside of the roof. This will help keep the heat out during the summer and the insualtion will help keep it warm in the winter.

 

[Vestus]

Has anyone else looked into blown cellulose? With these upcoming 99degree days, I'm thinking hard about getting my garage walls and ceiling done but haven't priced it out yet. Of the options (blown fiberglass, cellulose, polyurethane) it appears to be the better bang for the buck. I have a 10kbtu portable ac unit, but it struggles to make a dent.

 

[Marlin]

I like BC only if you have a floor of fiberglass insualtion. That way you can cut/repair drywall without the BC falling in.

Last house had only BC in the attic and when i did ac work and then installed the lights it was a pain.