Unheated garage

[FCnota]

Good idea to stand on something. Try this, Menards and some auto parts store (Murrays in hicago) sell this 1/2 inch thin foam mat that goes together like a puzzle. They are 2x2 feet, and come in a package of 6 or 8 (can't recall). I use them in the workshop and man, do they make a dirrerence! Nothing transfers cold like standing on wet concrete!

[FCnota]

Sorry, should have mentioned this sooner. You can use a 99.9 0/0 efficent heater in a garage but it must be 24 inches off the floor. This type of heater comes in both propane and natural gas versions (again, Home Depot or Menards). Cost depends on size. Also, building the false wall shouldn't be that expensive. The wall is not supporting any weight other than its own. 1/2 drywall should be good enough, even if the garage is attached to the house, because 1/2 drywall has a longer burn through time then your normal garage door. 2x4 construction is more then adquate, and you can use R13 insulation, which is much better then your average insulated garage door. It WILL be worth the work.

[Anonymous]

Man, with all this great advice, I'd be hard pressed to mess this up! Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

I'm using 1/2 of a double garage in DALLAS TX (100 deg today). Garage has dry wall, but I added
insulation board on west wall & insulated metal garage door. I'm using a portable dehumidifier usually set @ 35%, & a portable A/C (12,000 BTU) running about 20 hours.day. This is holding
temp to slightly less than ambient (- 3 or 4 deg). The purpose is for rail expansion, not comfort.
I cut gaps for 110 F ( assuming 9.1/1,000,000 linear expansion for rail is correct,
ie 9.1 X LENGTH in inches X DELTA TEMP).
If not, I'll have to cut more gaps. I'm nailing flextrack to homosite road bed on 5/8 inch plywood with L-girder frame. I wish I would have gotten better plywood, so I painted Plywood & frame. So far so good on warpage & expansion, since last September.

[UNIONPACIFIC4018]

I live in Sachse Lipnicky I am in our 2-car garage I insulated the door with the kit. I need to insulate the attic to get it a bit cooler. I am looking at one of those free standing A/C units to keep the room bearable. What road are you modeling?

[nobullchitbids]

Most people have addressed the problem of room insulation, although a few have focused on the effects of layout expansion and contraction caused by the temperature and humidity changes. Re the latter, I might point out that some MR articles some time ago on metal "benchwork" opined that use of metal rather than wood goes a long way toward curing the mechanical problems. I think you would have great problems with wood construction, even with the capacity to heat or cool the space when you are in it. The changes in humidity well could do you worse than the temperature changes.

[Anonymous]

Whoa! This is getting more complicated all the time. I'm beginning to think a little 2 by 4 n scale layout, in the house, might be more manageable. Could stack it in a cabinet arrangement, with two sections clamping together for 2 by 8, and stored one atop the other when not in use. Yikes, I didn't know this garage thing would raise so many concerns, and worse, they're all valid! The garage could easily be too much work and not enough train fun. GE

[exPalaceDog]

QUOTE: Originally posted by geoeisele

Whoa! This is getting more complicated all the time. I'm beginning to think a little 2 by 4 n scale layout, in the house, might be more manageable. Could stack it in a cabinet arrangement, with two sections clamping together for 2 by 8, and stored one atop the other when not in use. Yikes, I didn't know this garage thing would raise so many concerns, and worse, they're all valid! The garage could easily be too much work and not enough train fun. GE

Why limit yourself to just two section? As you complete one section, start on another. Just define a standard interface between sections, then mix and match them as you please. And if the interface allows a section to do an about face, so much the better.

But note, you are going to need some sort of leg system that will allow the sections to be adjusted in heigth and leveled. Some wood working will still be needed.

Have fun



Have fun

[wxtoad]

You guys are lucky to own the whole garage. I'm in a condo, and share a two-car garage with the neighbor. There's a partition between the two halves, but it doesn't reach to the roof. Also, they did not build it with ridge vents or end-wall vents, so it gets pretty warm in there. Since I own only half, it's hard to make any significant mods. I can open the garage door and the back door and get a little cross-flow ventilation. This is in New England. I have a 3x9' switching layout there. Mostly homasote roadbed, foamboard scenery base, hand-laid Code 70 rail. Rail joints are all soldered, except for where breaks are necessary, and I have solded power connections on every piece of rail, so that if a rail joint fails, there will still be power. This layout is 30 years old and still runs like a champ.

[Medina1128]

Buy the adjacent condo and give up on the garage. Just use the WHOLE condo!

[Anonymous]

That's encouraging, wxtoad. I still want to do something with my HO track. I have a lot of it. I guess an unheated garage railroader just has to live with limited train time. Better than nothing. GE

[bogp40]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jclarke

One more suggestion to the False wall/temp wall,in some const, applications some contractors have put up temp. walls to control the swings in the working enviroments for some relief of really cold weather. so if you just stapled the plastic on theoutside of the STUDS-facing the garage doors it might help with not only wind but act as a moisture barrer. good luck!!

If you add the vapor barrier/ plastic to the outside of the studs, use an unfaced insulation then drywall. Two moisture barriers may cause excess condensation and even mold if done in a very humid enviorment. If it is on a temparary basis no problem. I have found many problems with this in the past. Never in a basement, use the plastic membrane behind drywall or blueboard. The worst cases of mold and mildew were caused by the condensation on the back of the board. Remember, houses, walls attics have to breath, many new homes are tight and minor mods not done properly can cause trouble.
Bob K.

[Anonymous]

try living in the high desert its a bit worse the heat in the summer gets to 120 and in the winter its about 30 degrees we get rain storms and I have no insulation but we have a nice roof and I got me a bedside heater out there and when its hot I wait till night fall to go out there since my mom wont spring to get me AC out there hopefully soon she will or at least a fan but, all my soldered joints are fine and I have no gaps

[Anonymous]

Nicknero, I have only visited, and have not lived in, the high deserts of Idaho and New Mexico, but the air seemed much less humid than it is here in Indiana and much of the midwest. I think I'm hearing from others on this forum that humidity can be really hard on track laid on wooden benchwork. Styrofoam sounds like a good solution. Anyway, you seem to have solved your air temperature problems pretty well so far. Good luck with that AC you're hoping for!