need to semi-insulate unfinished garage cheaply and quickly
 

Ok, now that it's time to fix my truck, I've come to the grim realization that I'm going to be spending some serious time in the garage (in the really cold wisconsin climate)

I bought an 80,000 BTU propane trash can cooker, and a 20lb cylinder. It bairly raises the temperature, and frosts up the cylinder at the highest setting...

I've got a 2.5 garage, open rafters, no insulation...

How can i insulate this thing cheaply, and quickly? Budget of around $150

I was thinking of getting some 2" pinkboard, and making a "ceiling"... Dont know if that's the best way, but, it's an idea

please let me know what you think

~Nate

IIRC, the R12 insulation isn't that expensive, but I don't know if it can be used in the ceiling (don't know why it wouldn't). I insulated my parents' garage walls with it, and I think it was decently priced.

For 150 your best off just insulating yourself. There is some long underwear in the rafting... world that is polypropylene on the inside and wool on the outside, that should eat up about half your budget... then think layered socks and layered gloves. An insulated Carhart jump suit is about right for rolling around in the grease.

Cheap? Broken down cardboard boxes, old blankets and clothes, hay.

Watch out for open flames.

how about some typar house wrap!!

Try contacting a contractor/re-modeler. I toss out a lot of insulation in the course of demolition on my projects. I would have no problem giving the stuff to someone who needed it. You need to find a house that is being rebuilt from fire or water damage. Another good source may be Servpro or another insurance damage cleanup service. Call around, you might be able to get it all for free. RT

Well probably cost more than the 150, but not as bad as you think.

Get some R-11 and do the walls, do the R-19 in the ceiling.
I like the idea of using the pink board to create a ceiling, either nailing them to the underside of the rafters. Or just laying them on top, then put the insulation on top of that.
You want to create a reasonably airtight area, not to suffocate, but no major drafts.

What you save on propane, and frozen fingers will make up the difference REAL quick.

Maybe even for now, use some plastic to isolate and insulate just half the garage.

Instead of pink board I would install fiberglass with visqueen between it and the drywall. Pink board is very flamable and vulnerable to being dented or broken. drywall is fire resistant. your life is worth more than risking fire. if you can't do it up right put on more clothing and aim the salamander at yourself. with proper insulation it won't take much heat.

YOu won't be able to do it for 150 but it isn't that expensive. spend what you have and borrow a couple of hundred from your folks or other loved ones. They will want you to be safe.

Good luck.

returned the 80k btu one after it made the shop go from 15* to 35* in 4 hours
spend another $25 and got the 200k btu one. It's a trash can cooker, not a salamander.

Shop went from around 30 to 60 in 30 min, I'm sure it used a ton of propane, but hell it was nice working. I got a great 3 hours of labor in before I had to come in and eat... and prepare myself for the drill this weekend (we have inspection, breifing, and shots:lipsrseal ugh)

Mabey I'll rethink the exposed flamible pink board... Could I put some thin drywall over it and would that fire proof it, or does it need to be 1/2" thick?

Might insulate 1/2 of the shop, and make a twin layer house wrap devider between that side and the un insulated side. but then I gotta come up with an idea for a door or something. ugh

Anyways, sleep well all, I'm off to work in 7 hours
~Nate

Heat rises so the most bang for your buck will be in insulating the ceiling. I would lay the rolled fiberglass insulation across (perpendicular) to the rafters and then staple a vapor barrier (plastic tarp) to the underside of the rafters.
I would then insulate the walls, however if you cant then just staple plastic tarp over all the walls, a heavy plastic tarp should be sufficient as a door to contain the heat in your work space.

People give leftover insulation away on Craigslist all the time around here but then again, it's not as cold here as in Wisconsin.

Free carpet remnants might be a good way to go. That and egg-cartons work well for sound insulation, not sure how well that translates to temp. insulation.

I believe the national standard for Garage drywall is 5/8" thick on any wall adjacent to a living area, and 5/8" on all ceilings. Standard fiberglass insulation can be exposed since it is flame retardant.

For cheap and quick, I'd staple plastic sheet to the ceiling which will cut down on air space that you need to heat. Insulation properties are nill, though. The same plastic could be used on the walls. use a window for fresh air requirements. Temporary, but effective, and not a giant building code violation. I've used this approach when I needed to keep the garage warm at the last place I lived in while replacing the entire electric service panel in the middle of January after it caught fire. For the first day I froze my butt off. After that, an hour of stapling up plastic and my tiny propane heater was able to keep everything warm enough that I could work on the panel comfortably.

For a temporary solution the cheapest and easiest thing you can do is put up
a false ceiling using plastic.
That will retain much off the heat. And can be done in 1/2 a day with a staple gun, nails, hammer and wood flats.

Don't forget the utility knife.



Was drill from 0800-1620?

Hang plastic around the work area, like a temporary spray booth.

Don't forget plastic is flamable too.

Tom W

There's a product made of thick, non corrugated cardboard called 'Thermo-ply,' about 1/8 thick, about $7 a sheet, supposed to add 3 or 4 to the R value. Flame resistant, I believe.

0600 to 1800... I love PT tests, breifings, shots, and paperwork...
ugh, still driving the truck with no 5th or reverse, one seat, and no carpet for the time being... yuck, cold, burrrrrrrr

~Nate

Nate:

-12° will suck the life out of you... :cool:

Main thing to keep in mind is safety...I had an acquaintance, from High School, that died when he managed to start his car on fire, in his garage, and was overcome by the fumes from the chemicals in the garage that had been ignited by a salamander heater...very sad... :(

Heed the advice in getting fireproofed materials...and since you're using a "combustible" style heater...DON'T FORGET ABOUT CARBON-MONOXIDE! If the fire don't get you...the lack of oxygen will...

If you're going to "fix up" the garage, do it right...and figure that $150 is just the start of something big...ask anyone on this forum...nothing worth doing will ONLY COST $150... :P

Good luck Nate...keep a fire extinguisher nearby and know how to use it! :fireman:

Keep a fire extinguisher handy is exactly right. A good friend of mine in Seattle was a crackerjack VW mechanic. People brought him old busses to cherry out all the time.

He had a fire in his shop, either had no extinguisher or it had expired unbeknownst to him. Lost his shop and several valuable customer vehicles.

Put him out of business for quite a while. He shook his head at his negligence.

there was a sale on them, black friday last year...
$2 each for kiddi brand car fire extuingishers. bought 5... one per vehical (at the time) and one for the garage. At anytime, I've got acess to at least 2 since I've thinned my herd... when I'm working on my driver, I've got acess to 3. I think I'm OK.

The fumes is right, but the garage has 2 vents... I think that's what they're for, but I dunno really

I've used up the tank allready, got 2 work sessions outta it... jeeze 200,000 BTU's suck the fuel. O well, it was warm when it lasted. I need to insulate, but it's cheaper, for this project, to just add in more fuel.

Life's great. got the drive shafts, exhaust, t-case, crossmember and starter out... next thing's the tranny
~Nate

Good job, Nate!

Stay safe.

Tom W

any construction sites around ? insulation is easy to pick up from houses being built .. you may even come across sheets of wood and/or drywall

yeah... right.
In addition to my personal belifs that we should got back to the biblical times of cutting the hands off a theif, I doubt the Army takes kindly to theivery.
Bad idea try again.
:rolleyes: lol (i hope)
~Nate

hey fat head .. i wasnt say steal the stuff .. if you look in the containers of throw away material you'd be suprised on what you can find .. was just an idea .. :twak:

This might be an idea - Might want to start out with the original burner shown a little lower (they spent $36 on it) and then get fancy with the souped up versions.
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me4.html

A kid back in highschool got severely burned when gasoline fumes reached the water heater pilot and made a fireball in his basement. I wouldn't store any containers of gas in that room, and avoid doing fuel system work while the heater is on.