Community Forums

Bullseye · 06-25-2020, 10:27 PM

I would suggest a mini split, best performance. I am a building inspector and foam insulation and mini split will serve you well. Just a FYI you can't add a register from house, has to be a separate system.
Dennis
2019 34H5 Georgetown

hitchman2 · 06-26-2020, 08:04 AM

Radiant heat punches right through insulation. Don't forget to install aluminum reflecting under shingles.

rsteinhart · 06-26-2020, 08:28 AM

Had my garage for about 5 years. North Peoria, West facing doors. Kept a 39' toy hauler in it for several years. I concur, sun is the biggest factor. I installed a ventilator fan in the upper east corner and a louvered vent in the lower south corner. I have a differential thermostat so if it is cooler outside than in, it turns on the fan. It gets hot in there even then. Only real issue is traps dry out. I only have 30 amp service, but I can run two out of three of my Coach AC's and I can get it cooled down before a trip. I also ran water to a hose real mounted inside. I also have a macerator system on coach and can pump slightly up hill about 100+ feet to my septic. My house was built for 4 people, there is only two of us. When we are gone, no water use so when we get back the septic has capacity for the minuscule 130 gal of combined gray and black.

Michael Van · 06-26-2020, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAWKDW10

I also live in Phoenix and have for over 50 years. It does get hot!!. I have been looking into parking my unit with National Indoor RV Center in Surprise. Have not compared the cost of their storage to building and maintaining my own storage unit.

NIRVC is a good place to store your rig and the valet service is nice. The hassle of driving an hour to pick up the rig is a pain for me. I also want the coach in my own garage so if I do want to work on it then all I have to do is walk into the garage. NIRVC installed my AF1 and Blue Ox tow system and did a good job. Storage is $10 a foot.

inkahauts · 06-26-2020, 03:25 PM

My 2 cents...

I’d use a mini split over swamp cooler...

Getting insulated doors and well insulated walls and attic is a big factor...

If you are thinking of doing solar, look into solar roof from Tesla today and maybe do it now. Might cost less than doing solar panels after your roof is done. And the roof system looks pretty Dang nice and probably will produce as much or more than panels depending on how many panels you’d be able to install.

I’d also recommend celing fans. Since you’ll have double garage doors opening them and turning on a couple big celing fans might be enough on some hot but not to hot days and any days where you might be working in the garage when it’s not so hot you’d need the ac. And by comparisons a big fan or two aren’t that expensive.

If it’s an actual attic about, I’d spray the rafters with insulation and blow in on the celing joists. This helps a lot especially if you put in an attic fan or two.

stuccosteve · 06-26-2020, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivylog

Insulating the garage door is impossible if it’s a roll up. I made the pivoting door below out of 2X6s so it’s well insulated. Pivots on 2” pipe nipples and floor flanges... moves easily.

Nice docking arrangement Dick, is that part of the residence foundation or detached?

Pole barns are competitive alternatives to stick or block and allow for nice volume that can be used creatively. I favor rigid Poly-iso 3” with mat coating 4’x8’. Put a fire rated gypsum board over top, it leaves a air space between siding as well as a nice chase for mechanical’s.

After having so many rv’s parked out for years and despairing over weathering I made myself a promise that before I purchased the next rv I would initiate the barn first with specific dimensional specs. As expected the finished shell reflected maybe 35% of the current coach value intrinsically but nothing compared to the significance in preserving the visuals.

I think it is worth the cost

Ivylog · 06-27-2020, 08:39 AM

Steve ^^^^, it’s part of the house and 4’ lower than the main level of the house... the lot sloped to the lake that’s on the left and in front. The house gets wider as it steps back from the lake. The MH bay can be converted into living space by putting in a 4’ high false floor. All switches/outlets are at that level.

Kountry_star · 06-28-2020, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivylog

Insulating the garage door is impossible if it’s a roll up. I made the pivoting door below out of 2X6s so it’s well insulated. Pivots on 2” pipe nipples and floor flanges... moves easily.

Neat idea! BUT!!! We live in the Great White North and have the opposite problem. Well insulated roll up doors are quite available. Our garage is 20 x 44 x 17 (at peak with sissor trusses). Door is 14x14'2 R14 energy star rated. Can add a kit to it and bring it up to r21. We heat it with a 80000 btu hanging furnace. We keep it at 40 all of the time with a ceiling fan at both ends, then crank it up to 70 when ever I'm working in there. Hot or cold insulation and proper ventilation is your friend.

Ivylog · 06-29-2020, 08:58 AM

The roll up door I was referring to are those metal ones that roll up into a drum above the door that takes up 2’ of the door opening size and has to be straight across. Yes some R can be added to them, but not much as the diameter of the drum has to increase taking up even more of the opening.

Yes, a garage door that’s rectangular sections hinged together and “rolls???” up parallel with the floor can have a good R valve but here again the opening has to be straight across which would have decreased my height to only 12’.