Garage Problems

[asimm]

Ok, so I have moved my hi fi stuff in to the garage, HC stuff to follow. Have insulated as much as I can without spending much money but - the temeprature reached 0 the other night and it will not be the last. There is an oil filled radiator in there but to keep that on all the time would cost a fortune. Damp isn't too much of an issue however the wooden speakers are begining to feel a little moist, this is pretty rare though.
Simple question - am I facing a losing battle? It is an ideal space, I use it quite a lot (with heat) but there is no way I can guarantee to keep it above 0 over the next few months and there is nothing more I can afford to do on the damp.

[alexs2]

If you're beginning to get moisture condensing on your speakers,then it will be elsewhere also,most importantly inside the electronics,where it may easily become a problem.

If you can afford to keep the heater on at a minimum level overnight at least,this may reduce the risks,but it really is asking for problems...IMHO.

[Mr Cat]

I wouldn't risk it...I've got my boxing kit and moutain bike in my garage and thats become slightly damp...looks like I'm going to have to move most of it in the house over the festive season....I wouldn't dare leave any electronic kit out there...

[Destriero]

easiest long term solution is to have a Central Heating radiator piped into the back of the garage. budget for 250 quid to have that done. but garages unless well insuylated on roof and walls will always be cold and damp. is the garage door still in place or is it bricked up?

[Gary Lightfoot]

You could always get a thermostat fitted so the heater only came on when the temp dropped below a certain level.

As destriero suggests, getting the door sealed in some way (stud and plasterboard with rockwool will also work) will make a difference.

Gary.

[IronGiant]

To turn our garage into a study I glued 2" polystyrene to the walls with fix and foam (do not allow to come into contact with polystyrene?) to keep things vaguely damp proof; and then used 4" plastic nailable plugs (from Wickes) to pin plasterboard on top of that. They didn't always take so I also used a few multi montis from Screwfix Direct to anchor everything in place before a rough DIY skim and contoured vinyl wallpaper on top. A quick loop off the boiler feed to fire up a couple of low level radiators and it's now probably the warmest room in the house.

dave

[Gary Lightfoot]

Adding to Daves idea,

if you can afford to lose some width, you could always fit some stud walls with rockwool for insulation, and finish with plasterboard. This'll also help to soundproof the room a little. Finishing with two layers of plasterboard helps soundproofing further.

For soundproofing, 4 x 2 with 4ins of insulation and two layers is prefered, but a normal stud wall should suffice if sound transmission isn't an issue. Doing the same with the garage door should do the trick there too.

Gary