Air Conditioning for Garage Gym

Spending a few hours in a searing hot garage is one of those inconveniences you might have had to put up with as a homeowner. 

But if you are thinking of making your garage double as your home gym, then you need to do something about the heat, no two ways about it. 

Wait, isn’t working out all about sweating it out anyway? Well, there are the natural body heat spikes that come with exercising. But if you have to do it in a room that feels like you’re in the oven, then you can bet it’s going to be hell. 

And hey, we need all the comfort we can get when exercising, it keeps the motivation up and that means more gains. 

Besides, who doesn’t like a nice refreshing breeze no matter what you’re doing in your garage anyway?

So yeah, if you have an extremely hot garage that you want to use as a home gym, then here are a few ideas to turn the heat down. 

How do I Cool My Garage Gym? 

One question I often get from gym bros, clients, friends, and family is; how can I cool my garage without AC? 

It might sound counterintuitive, but it makes sense – a lot of sense at that. You don’t have to splurge on a costly AC if you can get away with cooling your garage naturally and get it a few degrees cooler, right?  

Turns out, there are a few tricks in the book. Let’s look at some of the most effective ones. 

Clear the Clutter

All the stuff in your gym is probably the reason the temperatures in there are going through the roof.

I mean, seriously, there could be a hoard of stuff obstructing the flow of air around the garage space.

All you’ve got to do is get rid of what you can and keep the space organized and see how that works out. Also, consider parking your vehicle in the driveway to create more room for cool air.

Keeping the Door Open 

With all the clutter out of the way, the next easy way around this is to keep the door wide open.

Well yeah, I know guys, I know. It’s a no-brainer really, but hey, there’s every chance you forget to open your garage door or windows once in a while when you’re in there. 

If you don’t like to keep your garage door open for whatever reason – say safety or privacy, you can instead consider working out in the early morning or late evening hours when temperatures are low.  

Go Green

Know that feeling you get when you lay under a shady tree during the heat of the day? Your garage could benefit from a similar effect with a nice shade from a nearby tree. You won’t cool your garage gym overnight with this one, but it’s worth a shot. 

Such trees as tulip poplar, tulip, birch, or dawn redwood do grow quite fast and tend to have remarkable shade. 

I would recommend getting one of these, two if you can, depending on how strategic you can have them around without any risk of structural damage to your property from the roots – keep that in mind, too. 

Do a Paint Job 

Dull paint on your garage door (or even the interior) could be another reason the heat is so intense. Thing is, the paint color has a role to play in either reflecting or absorbing light – and this effect could easily cause fluctuations in temperatures inside your garage. 

If you have dull color paint on either the door or inside your gym, doing a repaint with a bright one could help lower the temperatures a bit – but you are likely to experience the difference.

Upgrade the Insulation 

Here’s another long-term fix for y’all folks. And the thing I love about this one is that you will start realizing the change virtually overnight. I’m talking about garage insulation. 

The cool thing about good insulation is that it reduces the level of heat transfer in and out of your garage gym. That is to say not only will it help keep the interior cool during the warmer summer days, but it will also avoid a frigid nightmare during winter by keeping the heat in when it’s freezing outside.

Talk about an all-around temperature regulation at one go. 

Use Fans 

If all of these don’t seem to get the temperatures down enough, then you can consider getting powerful fans to keep that breeze flowing. This could be in the form of movable ones, or a ceiling fan depending on how big the room is. 

Lucky for you, fans aren’t all that expensive, at least not as costly as an AC. And it gets even better, since you can use your household fan in the garage when working out, and bring it back in the house once you’re done. 

What’s cool about ceiling fans is their energy efficiency and the fact that they keep the room cooler without getting in the way of your exercise or taking up valuable real estate. 

Speaking of which, if space is at a premium for you, this guy at fitlifefanatics.com does have very handy tips, tricks, and space-saving workout gear for garages, basements, and even apartment gym setups.  

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the use of air conditioning units and whether getting one for your garage gym is a good idea.

Can You Put an Air Conditioner in a Garage?

 The short answer is yes. The long answer, however, is that there are considerations you need to keep in mind. 

Choosing Between Commercial and Home AC

The first hurdle you will likely have to clear is deciding whether to go with a small unit meant for home use or a commercial-size one. 

Albeit costing more, commercial AC units make for a great option in this case. The good thing about these units is their rugged, heavy-duty construction and sturdy materials they are made of. 

Although it might cost you a bit more upfront, you will love the high output that such a robust unit can offer. However, this depends on how high the temperatures get in your area. 

Pick the Right Unit Size for Your Garage Gym

Although I have already mentioned that a commercial-size unit is a better option, the first step is figuring out the square footage of your garage gym. 

If you have a tiny room, you might not need such a robust unit unless you are looking for durability. 

Figure out the BTU rating you will need for the size of your room, which you can do easily with the use of a cooling capacity calculator. 

The takeaway here is that the bigger and more robust the unit, the faster it will cool your gym.

Pick the Ideal Location for Ventilation

Make no mistake, when the AC unit is running, the hot air has to go somewhere, and so it needs to be vented out, lest it goes in circles inside the unit and comes right back inside your garage. 

The best way to get the hot air out is through a window or the garage door. If your garage doesn’t have a window and there is no way you can use the door as an outlet, then you might have no option but to drill a vent in the wall.

Whatever you do, make sure the hot air has a way out.

Is it Worth Putting AC in the Garage?

Figuring out whether getting an AC for your garage gym is worth it or not boils down to several factors. After all, you are investing time, money, and effort in such a project, so yeah, you need to weigh everything beforehand. 

For that, a simple yet effective checklist comes to the rescue. 

• How many hours do you exercise in your garage (or spend in there) each day?

• How high do the temperatures get in your area?

• How long does the warm weather last where you live?

With this, you should be able to figure out whether an AC unit is worth it or not. 

Portable Air Conditioner 

For those who want to have an AC running during a workout session, but do not want to deal with the hassle of installing a permanent unit in the garage, a portable unit is your best bet.

And just like the portable fans we’ve discussed above, a portable AC is cool in that you can use it both in the gym as well as inside the house – provided it’s easy to move around. 

If this sounds like a more feasible option for you, here are several tips to help you pick the right one and position it perfectly for the best effect. 

Getting the Right Unit Size 

Just like with the permanent AC units, portable ones also come in different sizes, shapes, and British Thermal Units (BTU) ratings. Again, higher BTUs mean more cooling power and more suitability for larger rooms. 

Most units between 8,000 BTUs (ideal for 200 sq. ft) and 14,000 BTUs (ideal for 500 sq. ft) should suffice for most garage gyms. It’s all down to the square footage you’re working with. 

Maintenance is Key

Another aspect to keep an eye on before picking any particular unit in this category is the maintenance it might need. Lucky for you, portable ACs do not need any complicated maintenance, mostly all you have to deal with is the draining of any collected moisture, also known as condensate. 

There are several ways to go about this one; 

• You can remove the unit’s pan manually and empty it.

• The use of an external pump to get the water out of the unit also works

• Or, you could attach a hose and use gravity to drain the condensate 

Finding that Sweet Spot

Once you have your portable AC, you need to find the perfect spot to place it for the best performance. And yes, like the permanent units, these too do produce hot air that you will need to vent out of the room. 

Some portable ACs come with a window kit included – which is handy in helping channel the air out. But this means you will need to place and plug the unit near a window. 

They are Not Dead Silent

While window AC units are quiet as they extend outwards, a portable AC means having the entire unit inside the room. This means it will create a certain amount of noise – any unit that generates airflow does. The difference here is how loud any given model or brand might get. 

It’s not like you’re going to bother as much about a noise unit when working out unless you’re doing meditation during yoga or something. 

But if you do, then a look at the decibel levels produced by different units should give you an idea of which one is quieter at the highest settings.

Energy Efficiency  

Another thing you don’t want to miss when picking the right portable AC unit for your garage gym is energy efficiency for those who are conscious about the environment or want to keep energy bills down. 

To figure this out, take a quick look at the Energy Efficiency Ratio, which tells you the number of BTUs used for each watt.

In essence, the higher the EER the more energy efficient the unit is, so I would recommend going for those. 

Can AC be used in Gym? Should You Use One? 

You already know an AC can be used in your garage gym, and the same holds for any other gym setup too. 

The question is, should you use one? Before you splurge on one of these fancy units, let’s look at whether cooling down your garage when working out is a good idea. 

Turns out, there's a catch; here are some downsides to keep in mind. 

Warming up Gets Harder

Right off the bat, this sounds counter-intuitive, and it is. Most people prefer to warm up before starting their workout session. It gets harder to warm up with an ac cooling you down, which means the chance to end up using more energy for this alone and potentially gassing out before the main workout.

You Risk Catching Cold

When taking breaks in between your workout, or after you are done with the day’s session, an air-conditioned gym could mean your body cools down more rapidly than it should. 

This could mean risking catching a cold due to the fast temperature fluctuation. Also, you might have to warm up regularly during your workout to maintain optimal blood flow and keep your muscles firing on all cylinders.

There’s Also the Risk of Not Losing Toxins

One great benefit that you get from working out is detoxification through sweating. That means the more you sweat, the more toxins you’re flushing out of your body. 

In an air-conditioned room, the level of sweating is reduced, both during and after a workout, thus leading to less toxin removal from your system.

Final Thoughts

Whichever way you look at it, working out with or without air conditioning has its benefits and downsides. It could get way too hot without proper air conditioning and make your workout almost unbearable, and then there are the gripes we’ve discussed above. 

The most important thing is to strike the perfect balance depending on the climate in your area and get the ideal air conditioning for the best experience during your workout or when doing anything else in the garage. It’s all about making your time in the garage comfortable and fruitful.  

Resources;

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/4j1xiz/how_does_temperature_affect_your_workout/

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/garages/23279222/cooling-a-garage

https://www.sylvane.com/tips-buying-portable-air-conditioner.html