Rooms over the garage are colder than the rest of the house? Where is the leak?

Question

Our bedrooms are over the garage and we are freezing in there! My husband just replaced the insulation in the garage ceiling. How important is it to drywall over that? Where can we find the leak that is causing the colder temps in these rooms? What kind of contractor should we hire? A heating/cooling type or what?

The garage is not heated.

The garage is not heated, the bedroom floors are carpeted, the house was built 1961, hotwater baseboard heat (old school copper pipe kind of thing still) which are warm to touch but may not be cutting it. Is it worth it to replace these? Or is my problem just that I am over a cold area and need to add space heaters?

Answer 1

Lots of good responses but, to me, the issue is clear. It has to do with being over the garage, an unheated space.

Insulation and carpets help but the theory of insulation is that it SLOWS (retards) heat movement. It was never intended to STOP it.
Air gaps would be a brutal problem, even downstairs in the garage.

If it were my problem, I'd:
* install gyp board on the garage ceiling
* buy insulation board and epoxy it to the garage door
* weatherstrip the garage door and every other door & window
* check the walls for "infiltration" holes and gaps. Seal ALL holes and gaps, exterior and between garage & bedroom. Use batt insulation or, if you're also concerned about rodents, use steel wool and expanding foam insulation. Squeeze the steel wool into the gap, insert the nozzle of expanding foam and fill the gap. The steel wool keeps the mice from pushing the foam out of the way.
* the garage doesn't need to be heated, but it needs to be sealed (still air) and thermally neutral. Keep the doors closed as much as possible. In theory, since the garage is stealing heat from the bedroom, sealng it and insulating the door would create a garage space warmer than outside which would help a lot.
* if your windows aren't double glazed, have storm windows built and installed.
* augment your heating system during this period. Chances are that the heating system was designed to handle the bedrooms only (by sq footage). Reality is that it is currently handling the garage as well. At some point, when you're done with the above, re-assess. You might need to upgrade your heater permanently.

Answer 2

You have to figure that the garage is going to be about the same temp as outside, so you are losing heat to the floor, outside walls and the attic if that is what is above you. The insulation in the walls is hard to improve if it's already insulated. The floor (the gargage ceiling) and the attic should be as well insulated as possible. How deep are the floor joists on the garage ceiling? They should be filled with the thickest insulation that will fit without being compressed. Foam insulation, cut to fit into the joist spaces, directly under the floor of the bedroom is a good way to start, then put fiberglas up. Drywall will help, but not too much.
The other issue is the heating system. There is nothing wrong with copper pipe that is "that old". it's a sealed system, and the pipe will not corrode or plug up easily. Be sure the valves serving that heat are wide open, and bleed the wall fin. Be sure the fins are clean, straight and the air can flow easily around them..not blocked at the bottom or top of the fin-tube.

Answer 3

It could possibly be that some of the warm air is escaping through the garage door. I have noticed that every garage I have ever been in was cold or cooler than most other areas in the house all year round or outside in the summer. The concrete doesn't absorb or contain heat well, so garages and concrete basements are cooler in general. You could possibly try making the door to the garage contain heat more effectively to help with that problem. Maybe you should try replacing that door with the same type as a front door instead of one like a bedroom door. Also, if the floors in the bedrooms are tile or wood, you could try putting down some carpet, the carpet would keep your feet from freezing on contact with the floor and would hold in much more heat than a smooth, solid suface.

I think that if there are no leaks in the bedrooms themselves then you should try adding something to or changing the door to the garage, putting carpet in the bedrooms, or putting thick curtains in front of the windows and the door to the garage that leads from the inside of the house.

Answer 4

I assume that the garage is not heated. Garages are generally not designed to be airtight or well-insulated. There is also most likely just a slab of concrete on the garage floor. Because of the way garages are built, unheated garages will reach a temperature that is close to that of the outside air. So, your bedroom is sitting on top of a cold spot in the winter.

While insulation will help this by reducing the conduction of cold from the garage, this conduction will still occur. There isn't necessarily a 'leak', it's just that the floor will get cold because it is in contact with insulation, which is in contact with the garage. Insulation is not a perfect heat/cold barrier.

Also, in your bedroom the warm air from the furnace will rise. It is important to have good air circulation so that the temperature in your bedroom is constant throughout the room. That will help. There is also the option of installing an in-floor conductive heating system using wires or piped hot water.

Talk to a recommended HVAC company (heating and air conditioning). Their professionals will do an evaluation and provide recommendations.

Answer 5

Room Over Garage

Answer 6

The cool air could be coming from above. Check the insulation above. If you have forced air heat, make sure warm air is getting to these rooms. If its baseboard heat make sure it too is hot. If not call a heating contractor. Check the obvious like the thermostat, if this is on a different zone. The drywall isn't critical. Did your husband put enough insulation in?

Answer 7

Yes, plenty. I live in a very remote area of SE AZ (Portal) and I either see or here them daily and nightly (I even howl with them if the mood strikes me). For the most part rural Coyotes are not a problem. They mainly eat rodents and snakes but are curious, as are most canines, about humans. Usually a loud holler or banging will frighten them off. However, they are susceptible to rabies and if a Coyote insists on coming closer rather than running away it should be considered rabid and eliminated (shot). City Coyotes are another matter altogether. Many of them have lost there fear of man and will not be easily deterred by him. Additionally, they will prey upon what is easiest to catch. many times this will be smaller dogs and cats. They can become a nuisance in cities. It is probably best to call animal control if one is spotted in the city. Overall, Coyotes should not be considered a menace. Yes, they are predators, just like man, but they help keep vermin at bay and adapt to new environment's better than any other animal I know. Remember, my friend, you are eight times their size, have a bigger brain, and have opposable thumbs. If a mere Coyote scares you, then you really shouldn't ever, ever leave your house...to many other, far worse, things lurk about our planet.

Answer 8

simple question....the rest of your house has heat ...your garage does NOT.. thus your bedroom will always be cooler than the rest of the house...unless you have a zone speciafically set up for yur bedroom area with its own Tstat....I am confused when you said you REPLACED the insulation in the garage... as to why? I would add as much insulation as possible in the ceiling under you bedroom..

Answer 9

yes sheet rock would help, it sounds like ,you need to seal in the draft, ,
hire a remodeler, he can do for you ,
he can check if you have the right insulation for the ceiling ,lowes has a web site , lowes ,com they have all the info you will need, also your garge door may be lettting in cool air check your door , most of us guys charge $ 45 to 65 hour, so do your home work then call ok ,then you know ,what you paying for

Answer 10

Have you tried caulking around the baseboards? Have you checked for a draft with your hands? Do you have carpet in the rooms, maybe that would help. You could try space heaters. I swear by mine.