The Reasons For and Against Parking in Your Garage in Winter | Whitby Garage Doors Ltd. (2024)

FAQs

Should I park car in garage during winter? ›

In cold weather, fluids in your car will begin to thicken, making your car work less effectively. This is true of all fluids: antifreeze, oil, power steering, transmission, brake fluids, etc. Keeping your car in the garage will help keep those fluids warm so that your car can work properly.

When you park your car directly in your garage and it's covered in snow and ice, the snow will melt, but also, the warmer temperature, along with humidity and any salt residue will accelerate rusting (oxidation).

Metal contracts in the cold weather, so the springs and other metal pieces have the potential to seize up. If this is the problem, lubricant maybe required. Lubricating the springs, hinges, rollers and other moving parts will help keep your garage door working through the winter months.

Because a garage keeps a vehicle warm, the fluid and oil are kept in a stable condition which leads to an engine that runs better than one that is kept outside. Also, with a warmer car comes faster AC and heat. On cold days, the heat will warm up faster than being out in the elements.

When it comes to heating your garage, you do not need to heat it to a comfort level equal to the remainder of your home (often between 65°F – 68°F). Keeping your garage thermostat steady at a temperature between 40°F and 50°F will give you benefits to the three listed items above.

Most garages aren't designed to stay warm inside when outdoor temperatures are frigid. Garages usually lack insulation, and their concrete floors remain chilly all year around. Even with a small space heater running, the temperature inside the garage probably won't rise more than a few degrees.

It is true parking your car in the garage protects it from harsh winter weather such as ice, rain, and snow.

Most of the time, garages are colder than the rest of your home's living spaces. They don't need the same degree of insulation to pass inspection, so your garage's temperature can drop as the rest of your home stays warm. However, this cold air can seep into your living space.

Because parking lots accumulate a lot of pollutants (such as oil, grease, heavy metals and sediment), a major environmental issue is the runoff of these into waterways[sc:4].

Safety and Security is Most Important

It's common for homeowners to leave garage doors open while their cars are warming up because of gasoline fumes. However, it's imperative to lock car doors and the home entry door during this time.

Should I leave my garage door open in the winter? ›

If you leave your garage door open, weather fluctuations, even rain, sleet, and snow, can make their way into the garage. Even if you don't store anything of importance in there, that still makes it harder to maintain the right temperature within your home.

Are the lenses fogged? Sometimes in cold weather, these lenses develop a fine film of condensation that will break the connection between the two sensors, and keep your garage door from closing. Wipe them very gently, with a soft cloth, to avoid upsetting the calibration.

Never warm-up or operate a vehicle in the garage or other enclosed area, even if the garage door is open. Do not start the vehicle until everyone is in the vehicle and vehicle doors closed. Open the garage door, start the vehicle, and immediately back the vehicle out of the garage.

Even with the garage door open, a car running in the garage can build up enough carbon monoxide to kill. Cold engines running in Winter produce even higher levels of carbon monoxide than in Summer.

Rain, mud, slush, wind, extreme heat from the sun, can all damage the exteriors of a car for life. Parking your car inside a garage protects it from the elements. Your vehicle has many rubber components that can wear out if they get exposed to the harsh weather and fluctuating temperatures for an extended period.

Garages are usually about 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. This is because they are enclosed spaces that retain heat better than open spaces. The insulation in the walls and ceiling also helps to keep the heat in.

Infrared Heater

If you are looking for a highly efficient heater for your garage, the infrared heater should be your top choice. These heaters use 100% of the heat they produce and consume less energy. They do not heat up the surrounding air; instead, they warm the nearby object through infrared radiation.

Fiberglass Insulation

Fiberglass is the most commonly used type of insulation in garages (just as it's the most popular type in homes). It's sold in precut batts and long blankets that fit between wall studs and ceiling joists.

Metal garage doors can use any type of insulation. An affordable option is fiberglass insulation batts. Insulating a garage door can be even easier with DIY garage door insulation kits. These kits provide pre-cut insulation, fasteners or tape and sometimes tools like gloves and utility knives.

Where is most heat loss in a garage? ›

Your garage door can be a major source of heat loss in the winter. If your garage door is not well-insulated, it can also defeat the purpose of your other heating efforts. A chilly garage door will make your garage more uncomfortable and put extra strain on the heating and cooling system inside your home.

In a garage setting, park close to the entrance to the facility, exit or elevator. The closer you are to the points of entry or exit, the less is spent in darker areas of the garage. An easy way to remember where you park, is to drop a pin with your phone or take a picture of a landmark.

Garages act as a nice buffer as far as temperature goes from the outdoors to inside your home. Garages should be warmer than outside, and, though they may not always be as warm as your home indoors, you should be able to go from your home to your garage to grab something without having to put on all your winter layers.

To check if you have any garage insulation, you can remove outlet covers and use a flashlight to get a peek into the interior of the walls. This simple method is your best bet to get a good look.

Requires Regular Maintenance

Regular maintenance of parking systems requires not only money but also time. Hence it could be considered a downside of having a parking management system.

Garages are not the most secure living spaces, nor are they the most sanitary. Living in a garage likely means you share your home with biting bugs, spiders, mice and disease-carrying varmints. And, unless you've installed an industrial lock, garage doors are fairly easy to break into.

Environmental Impact

Another issue with traditional parking lots is the negative impact they can have on the environment. Standard lots collect gas, grease, oil, and other pollutants from leaking vehicles, which can pollute the nearby environment through water runoff.

During summer, a lot of homeowners leave their garage door open because of the heat. If you don't have a ventilation system or an AC unit in your garage, it can become extremely uncomfortable to work and spend time in. This is why opening the door while you are in the garage is perfectly fine.

Oftentimes, rooms adjacent to and above the garage are the hottest in the house because of this buildup of heat. Some garage doors have vents in them, but cracking the garage door relieves some of the heat.

Why do doors not close in the winter? ›

Cold temperatures will cause your door to expand, which means it may stick and be difficult to close. If it's made of wood, it may soak up water from humidity and eventually become damaged. Door parts, including the frame, hinges, jamb, and hardware, can also be damaged by extreme cold.

If you park it in the garage immediately after you arrive home, that heat will warm up the air in your garage. If the garage door is closed, all of that hot air remains trapped inside of the garage, raising the overall temperature of your space.

Metal Contracts in the Cold

The most common garage door issue in the winter is contracting metal. It's simple physics that cold temperatures cause metal to contract. As temperatures outside drop, the metal in your door will start to tighten, making movement more difficult.

Sectional garage doors are the most sturdy and reliable in terms of security. The door splits into sections and the door folds back into the roof of the garage. Offering better security due to no obvious points of attack, a sectional garage door is a strong option for homes looking for a secure garage door solution.

Garage door sensors are sensitive, and they can freeze, frost over, and struggle with plummeting temperatures due to their inner workings.

The sending light needs to be always lit. Otherwise, the door will not operate. You will have to make sure that both the lights are on. The receiving sensor will show the green light when sensors are unobstructed and aligned properly.

What all this has to do with garages is that when you run your car in a garage, carbon monoxide levels can rise to dangerous levels in just a minute or two, even if the garage door is wide open.

“Do not do that. Back the vehicle up, shut the garage door and let it run if you need to,” Whitsel says. He says warming the car up in the garage can allow the odorless, colorless gas to seep into your home and that can create levels that cause problems.

It is safe to sleep in a car in the garage provided the engine is turned off and fresh air can enter easily. Ensure your garage is not airtight before choosing to sleep inside. Take extra care when getting in and out of your vehicle to avoid hazards such as sharp objects or harmful materials.

What are two warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning? ›

What are the symptoms of CO poisoning? The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” If you breathe in a lot of CO it can make you pass out or kill you.

You may lose balance, vision and memory and even consciousness. This can happen within 2 hours if there's a lot of carbon monoxide in the air. The smaller an animal or person is, the faster they'll be affected. Pets are often the first to show symptoms.

In cold weather, fluids in your car will begin to thicken, making your car work less effectively. This is true of all fluids: antifreeze, oil, power steering, transmission, brake fluids, etc. Keeping your car in the garage will help keep those fluids warm so that your car can work properly.

In fact, frequently removing ice and snow buildup can damage your car's bodywork and windshield wipers. Furthermore, parking your car indoors helps keep fluids like the motor oil warm. This makes it easier to start your car and keep all the mechanical parts lubricated.

When your car is covered with snow or salt, storing it in a warm garage every night can slightly speed up the process of rust.

Unheated garages warm and cool with outside temperatures, causing condensation to build up on the interior and engine of your car. Condensation will corrode car parts, which can result in costly repairs. Install a garage dehumidifier to help control moisture and keep a fan running to circulate air.

Parking your car outside in cold weather may accelerate the rusting process on your brakes. While some amount of rust is unavoidable during the winter months (especially if you're driving down salted roads), you may reduce the amount of exposure to moisture your vehicle gets by keeping it parked inside.

Never leave your car running in the garage with the door closed. Instead, open your garage door and drive out as soon as possible. Leave the garage door open to let the air circulate. Modern cars often only need only 30 seconds to warm up.

A car cover can serve as shelter from the elements when you have no garage. A car cover also acts as a barrier against dirt and debris that can cause scrapes and weak spots in your car's paint. Car covers can help save you time by eliminating the need to sweep off snow or scrape ice off the windows.

Should I put a tarp under my car for winter storage? ›

3. Keep It Covered. Another reason to give your vehicle a good wash before storing it is that you'll want to keep it covered for the duration of its long winter nap. A car cover is excellent protection against dust, drips, dirt, and the oopsies that can occasionally occur if your garage happens to be in active use.

“Try Bounce fabric softener dryer sheets. Mice don't like the smell, but you'll like it better than moth balls. Use them in several places in the car.” “One of the best things to deter rodents is to put multiple sheets of a fabric softener inside the car (“Bounce” is excellent!).

Parking your car's hot tires on a cold garage floor will accelerate tire flat spotting. In addition to "Cradling" your tires, Tire Cradle also insulate your tires from these temperature variances. An excellent long term investment to protect your tires and prevent costly tire replacements before the tire is worn out.

If your car gets extremely cold, the battery could freeze. Now, the good news is that it must get extremely cold before that happens. Some experts suggest as cold as negative 76 degrees. That said, even at 32 degrees, your battery can start having problems.

But when your vehicle is sitting, your car's battery will likely go dead in just two or three months. Why? Because when you drive your car, the vehicle's alternator continually recharges the battery to replenish the power you're using. No driving means no charging — and a dead battery.

Leaving a car unused for 3 months—or even 3 weeks—is not ideal. If possible, start your vehicle a couple of times per month when it is not being used. It's best to not only start the vehicle, but to also drive it for about 10 miles before putting it back in storage.

Studies by the Centers for Disease Control found that CO concentrations reach the Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) concentration of 1,200 parts per million (ppm) in only 7 minutes when a small 5 horsepower gasoline engine is run in a 10,000 cubic foot room.

Exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can quickly build up to lethal levels in an unventilated area. As a general rule: Do not idle or run a vehicle in an enclosed space for more than 30 seconds.

Gasoline

If you see that gas has dripped from your vehicle, have the leak repaired immediately. Fill gas-powered equipment outside rather than in the garage. Never install a gas-fired furnace or water heater in the garage because gas fumes can reach the ignition flame and explode.