WILL EXHAUST FANS COOL A GARAGE?

Will an Exhaust Fan Cool a Garage?  

Exhaust isn't the only unwanted thing that cars bring into garages. They can also make the structures quite hot. Because of this, you may wonder if you can use your garage exhaust fan for cooling.

When an Exhaust Fan can Cool Your Garage

Most of the time, fans like Triangle Engineering garage fans are mounted in exterior garage walls to provide direct access to the fresh air outside. Because of this, if the outside air is cooler than that in the garage, the garage will end up cooled. All you need to do is keep it running continuously to bring an endless stream of cooler air into your building.

This is great during the spring and fall in most areas, but it can be a problem in locations with harsh winters. Then, you might not appreciate sub-zero air being sucked in. This is one of the reasons a garage exhaust fan typically has shutters or louvers. The shutters close when the fan isn't in use so that unwanted temperatures don't come in any more than is actually necessary.

What if the Outdoor Temperature is Hotter Than the Garage?

Unfortunately, a garage heat exhaust fan, by itself, can only be effective at cooling if it helps to pull in air that isn't hotter than what it is putting out. In these cases, you'll need to augment the cooling power.

What to Do When the Outside Air Isn't Cold Enough

If you have a season where the outside air is hot, other measures will be needed for cooling during that time. One of the best solutions for a garage is a swamp cooler. This is a fan that is augmented with a wet pad. It pulls the air through the pad, and this cools the air through the power of evaporation. Swamp, or evaporative, coolers come in sizes ranging from portable units to big, permanent installations.

Note that an evaporative cooler does not work as an exhaust fan. Instead, it cools incoming air. However, if these are installed on the intake side of the garage, opposite the wall that has the exhaust fans, they can bring about excellent cooling even on hot days.

In some situations, you can also improve cooling just by using intelligent placement for your regular intake fans. If you can pull from a shady outdoor area, you'll gain access to naturally-cooler air. When your intake fans work in tandem with your quiet garage exhaust fan, you get the most bang for your buck.

These are just some situations in which Triangle Engineering garage fans can work to cool the area. As you can see, there are seasons in which simply running fans that lead to the outside can bring in enough cool air. In warmer seasons, pairing them up with other fan-based cooling methods can be enough to allow them to keep the garage temperature within a reasonable range.