The nice, warm summer season has passed, leading all of us to wrap up our outdoor exercising efforts and slowly start moving indoors. For some time, moving inside your garage gym will be enough, but soon, the cold season will start, and your garage gym can become quite cold and uncomfortable for exercising.
If you haven’t done it by now, it is time to think about how to heat the space up. It doesn’t have to be too warm because it would be uncomfortable to exercise in a hot space, but it has to be warm enough to feel pleasant before you warm up for exercise, during the exercise, and while stretching afterward.
Check the garage walls and ceiling insulation
There are so many ways to heat up your garage, but none of them will work unless your garage is insulated. Only with proper insulation will your garage gym be comfortable for exercising.
So, first, check if there’s any insulation installed, and if not, consider installing some insulation for the garage wall and ceiling before even trying to heat up the space. Without proper insulation, heating will be a waste of both time and money. Only with good insulation can you think of an intelligent way to heat up your garage gym because insulated walls and ceiling will keep the space warm longer.
Although this isn’t the space where you will be spending most of your day, it has to be comfortably warm for your workout. To maximize its effect, the insulation must be properly installed, which means that no gaps and spaces between insulation and walls or ceiling are allowed.
Seal and insulate the garage door
Insulating the garage wall and ceiling is not the end of the story. There is another very important and big thing to consider, and that is the garage door.
Since the garage door has very low or no thermal resistance when installed, you’ll need to insulate this part of your garage as well. Being a big and wide opening in your garage, they lose lots of heat, and this is why they require some serious work.
They need good insulation, but first of all, they need to be sealed. Without sealing the door, there will be lots of airflow, which will make keeping the garage warm rather impossible. So, make sure you find the gaps that are to be sealed and take care of them.
You can do this by simply putting some blankets or cardboard on your garage doors during the day and turning the lights off. If you see any light still coming through, those are the gaps you need to fill. Choose a self-adhesive weatherstrip for the sides and the top of the door, and go with a draft stopper at the bottom.
Keep in mind that sealing the door may not be enough, so you’ll also need to think of a good insulation for them. Browse the internet to learn more about the options you’ll have at your disposal.
Insulating and sealing your garage door is a must if you want your garage gym to stay warm and not be drafty.
Seal garage windows
Do not forget to seal the garage windows, either, because they can also contribute to heat loss and make your workout space colder than it needs to be. A high-quality caulk or sealant will prevent drafts and air leaks. It would be good to upgrade single-pane windows to double-pane, which will make your space warmer and more comfortable and provide better protection from the outdoor elements.
Choose the heater
Now that your garage is properly insulated and sealed, you can use any kind of heater you choose: space heater, mounted infrared heater, or forced air heating system. Space heaters are portable and inexpensive, but they generally don’t heat up the space much. Forced air heating systems may be expensive, but they will heat up the space very well. Infrared heaters radiate warmth and can easily warm up objects and people, not only the air. So, make sure you make your choice according to your own personal needs.
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