Garage temperature and humidity control

[pvr]

What do you think of this?

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/VAPAHH.html?source=adwords&ad_position=&ad_id=454654373914&placement=&kw=&network=u&matchtype=&ad_type=&product_id=VAPAHH&product_partition_id=957814854954&campaign=shopping_8_Percent&version=finalurl_v3&gclid=CjwKCAiAm7OMBhAQEiwArvGi3BKeXbm8Z_r9z6lEtUXnslzU2pIVq-5iPPZBWfIGTaW7gIVqyj9cShoCCsYQAvD_BwE


It looks like it would do the job

 

[Pondrew]

FYI. If anyone wants any Vent-Axia products, let me know, as I have a trade account with them, so may be able to save a few quid.

 

[pvr]

Thanks Pondrew, might take you up on that. Their headquarter s are only a couple of miles away.

What do you think of that product for the purpose of a garage?

 

[earthdweller]

Thanks for the additional suggestions and input, much appreciated.

Yes, the automatic roller door is insulated - I've checked. [ref]Pondrew[/ref], moisture becoming trapped is likely, I agree. A humidity controlled extraction fan is an interesting idea. However, I spoke to a friend last night that has done some work controlling humidity and temperature on an industrial scale. He pointed out that the extracted air has to be replaced and at this time of year the outside air is likely to be a very high humidity so it won't work very well.

A dehumidifier looks like the best first step, but I'm still researching them. I think that a good desiccant dehumidifier would be the right choice because of the potential for low temperatures in the garage and the fact it will generate some heat when in use as well.

I did that research and really the only option is a desiccant one to deal with the low temps

Mine has a vent that blows air in various directions on the top which puts out some heat and moves dry air around the garage

Where I am today we have torrential horizontal rain and 60 mph winds

I do think what you need to do depends very much on the location. I think if I lived on the south coast it would be a very different proposition but the damp, wet and very humid weather here needs a different approach I think

 

[Pondrew]

What do you think of that product for the purpose of a garage?

Not seen that before TBH. I don't really get involved with domestic stuff and certainly not garages! I did design and install a 'whole house' heat recovery ventilation system (using a V-A system) for my last house which worked fantastically well and saved ££££s on heating as well as zero condensation in all the bathrooms. I would recommend these to anyone (if it's feasible)
Vent-Axia are a good brand (although not the cheapest) and the current demand for 'eco-friendly' ventilation and the Covid vent push is making all of these people market some weird and wonderful devices ATM. Ultimately you can't change the laws of physics, or chemistry, it's how you apply them that is important.

 

[pvr]

Uh, what is a heat recovery system … I am on oil so anything that I can put in the loft and reduces that would be good (think £500 a month on oil in the winter)

 

[M1k3yC]

[ref]earthdweller[/ref], thanks - that's where I think that I'm at. Currently favouring a Meaco DD8L Zambezi Dehumidifier. I found it sold elsewhere online at c. £230.

 

[Pondrew]

I am on oil so anything that I can put in the loft

I was on oil too. My oil usage for the last complete year (2019) was c.£450. House was 260m2, the only other heat was a woodburner in the main living room (4kw max) used only occasionally.
They are known as MVHRs (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery). Only problem is they are extremely difficult to retro-fit into an existing house, as you need lots of ducting everywhere.
It's basically a fan unit with two fans. One is intake, the other is extract. There is then a 'heat recovery cell' which all air passes through. The cell retains the heat of the extracted air and releases it into the fresh ambient intake air. So you save the heat but change the air. Brilliant (and very simple) idea and work extremely well if installed correctly and balanced correctly.
Put it this way, if I ever build another house, this will be top of my list for 'essentials'.
They are not very popular because a). builders know nothing about them and b) they can be a pain to install in 'standard' construction methods.
LABCs have tried to push them for a good few years, but developers have pushed back for the reasons above.