Garage / damp / cold

[formula400]

Right as I've got loads of time on my hands I thought id try and sort this out. my garage is cold/damp. the street triple has some mold on it

It's got 1 rear entry door, a double main door, 2 windows and a sky light with 2 vents . The roof is under 2 years old and seems in perfect condition.

the rear door has some weather/draft strips around the frame and seems to not allow any/much draft in.
the windows are sealed and have vents on the top that I leave open.
the double doors at the front have gaps all the way around them so lots of air gets in.
I put door draft stoppers on the bottom of each door.
the sky light does have loads of condensation on the inside of it at the moment, vents are open.

I have a small electric heater in there but only ever put in on if I go out there for long periods (so 1 hour a month)

Now I don't really understand how much or little are flow is needed / not needed. Going into it this morning is was cold in there.
do I fill the gaps between the wood/brick on the front doors.
put weather strips along the frame
get a small heater than can run cheaply and safely.

any other suggestions

[formula400]

And the last ones

[iansoady]

I think ventilation is the key. The garage in our old house (we moved a year ago) was very draughty with a very ill-fitting up & over door and there wasn't much condensation. I always leave at least one ventilation window open in my current luxurious accommodation although don't spend a lot of time in there when it's very cold.

[Mr Moofo]

Ventilate ...
I have a man shed - 4.5 m x 10 m. It's damp - most thing fabric pick up mild dew, tools go rusty etc.
I have a greenhouse heater under the tool chest now.
Garage - also single skinned etc - faces directly east/west - wind blows through the gaps in the door.
It's never damp -and the bikes like it in there much better ...

[cheb]

As said, ventilation. Or seal it and buy a dehumdifier.

[formula400]

without sounding too thick, just leave a window open???
will removing the draft extractors from the bottom of the doors???

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

without sounding too thick, just leave a window open???
will removing the draft extractors from the bottom of the doors???

Yes

[formula400]

Will just the one be enough???

Also how can I can it slightly safer thank just leaving it open? Fit a chain to the window ??

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Try it and see
Your window is the double opening type, try it on the "little bit open" first.
And buy some decent spanners

[formula400]

Try it and see
Your window is the double opening type, try it on the "little bit open" first.
And buy some decent spanners

what do you mean double opening type???

[weeksy]

Try it and see
Your window is the double opening type, try it on the "little bit open" first.
And buy some decent spanners

what do you mean double opening type???

Open your window about 5-6mm and put lever down

[formula400]

Try it and see
Your window is the double opening type, try it on the "little bit open" first.
And buy some decent spanners

what do you mean double opening type???

Open your window about 5-6mm and put lever down

oh ok, both of them done now.
ill check the sky light in the AM for condensation,

so next job remove draft brush things on the bottoms of the doors. is it worth having some kind of vent on the front and back door???

so cold out side air is ok to come into the garage ???

"Warm humid unventilated bad, cold ventilation better." is this correct

[weeksy]

I don't have a vent on back door, but I don't think it's airtight either. my front door deffo isn't air tight.

[MrLongbeard]

Close your windows, but a 5' one of these https://www.wearetubularheaters.co.uk/s ... with-plug/ , install it, turn it on, forget about it, job jobbed.

[formula400]

Draft things removed and there is now quite a good gap under each of the 3 doors.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I don't have a vent on back door, but I don't think it's airtight either. my front door deffo isn't air tight.

My garage has a gap you can put your fingers through between the brick work and the facsias, I get no condensation at all, it is bloody cold though.

[David]

I put a dehumidifier in my large wooden, draughty large wooden (large ) garage yesterday, it has about 300cc of water in today after being set flat out. It is certainly cold in there, I have a wood fire that keeps me warm when I am in there, mainly from feeding it, but I dont get much condensation. Its quite large, btw.

[demographic]

Whatever you do, don't get one of those bloody awful paraffin/diesel heaters in there that doesn't have a flue.
They put heat in but also masses of moisture as well, warm air holds more moisture as well and then it cools and condenses on any cold surface.
The skylight being single skinned has warmer (assuming you heat the place sometimes) and moisture laden air on the inside and then its cold so that will get condensation more or less whatever you do.

Personally I would insulate it, vapour barrier so warm moist air doesn't get between the insulation and the cold outer surfaces like steel roofing panels/whatever.
Vent those to outside so the little moisture that does get in there can escape.

Then for instance, if you want it warm while you work in there, you can heat it with a lecky fan heater which doesn't make the building sweat.

I have a metal shed thats well ventilated, it still gets loads of condensation on its cold inner metal surface.

A lot of sheds with concrete floors don't have a DPM under the concrete so moisture from the ground rises through the concrete and makes the internal air damp and that doesn't help. Not much you can do about that without a coat of epoxy on the floor.

If you seal up the right parts and ventilate between the insulation and the outer to the outside you can still have a shed you can heat in winter. Just venting everything sort of works but its still bloody grim inside it during winter.

[iansoady]

+1 for electric fan heater and good advice on paraffin / propane heaters. Many years ago in the impoverished 1970s we had a paraffin heater in our house and everything was permanently damp.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

+1 for electric fan heater and good advice on paraffin / propane heaters. Many years ago in the impoverished 1970s we had a paraffin heater in our house and everything was permanently damp.

You should have tried living in a caravan with one, it was like a freezing cold swamp.