Can Cracking Your Garage Door Really Help Beat Summer Heat?

In order to keep bills down during the hottest months of summer, you could try any number of tips and tricks. The trouble is, some of the supposed hacks you'll see online simply don't work, while others like the Dollar Tree hack to cool your garage aren't as cost-effective as you might initially think. One common trick that plenty of people have heard of is to crack your garage door open during the hottest parts of the day to provide extra ventilation and stop heat buildup.

Unfortunately, this is another one of those tricks that experts say isn't as effective as it might seem. In a blog post, Jeffrey Sanford, owner of Indianapolis-based Garage Door Doctor, notes that cracking the garage door open won't allow much heat to escape, since hot air naturally rises. By creating an opening at the bottom of your garage door, you won't shift the hottest air that's trapped higher up in the garage, even if you might get some temporary respite from a gust of wind blowing through.

Leaving a garage door partially open can also give bugs an easy entry point into your garage, and if you leave the door unattended, it potentially allows intruders in too. If you're working in or near the immediate area of the garage, fully opening the garage door for a shorter period of time might be a better compromise. It should cool the space quicker by allowing a greater volume of air to escape, although it still leaves your garage at risk of being invaded by bugs.

In general, opening your garage door isn't the best option for keeping the garage cool on hot days. If you have the budget, there are a few ways to upgrade your garage for year-round comfort, with one of the most affordable ways being to insulate your garage door and seal any gaps around it. In doing so, you'll limit the amount of heat that's transferred by your garage door, and help keep cooler air trapped for longer.

Adding A/C to your garage is another option, but the cost of installation means that's arguably only worth doing if you plan to spend a lot of time in your garage during hot days. If you spend most of your day elsewhere, it might not be worth the money.

One of the best methods to beat the heat is to improve the ventilation of the garage. It won't be as expensive as installing A/C, but it still has the potential to make a big difference to the temperature on hot days. Installing a fan is the best way to improve ventilation, since it can help prevent the buildup of hot air. A smart fan can be a particularly effective way to save money, since it can be programmed to activate only when the garage reaches a certain temperature. Even a standalone fan placed near a window can significantly improve garage airflow, but an exhaust fan is an even better option if you're able to install one.

There are multiple reasons why you might want to install a fan in your garage, and it isn't just about staying cool. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends installing an exhaust fan if you have a garage that's attached to your home, not for the cooling benefits, but to ensure that the garage has a continuous supply of clean air.

Storing household cleaning products, paints, solvents, fertilizers, gasoline, and many other common products can increase the level of pollutants in the surrounding air. If you then open the door between your garage and home, these pollutants can potentially spread into the living areas of the house.

By installing a fan to properly ventilate your attached garage, you'll be solving two problems in one. Not only will you be preventing the buildup of airborne pollutants, but you'll also help beat the summer heat, without needing to resort to leaving your garage door open.