Smoking in the Garage

mjdx88 · 12-17-2012, 08:36 AM

Now that winter is here, I prefer to not smoke than be outside and smoke. That was until I realized my garage is comfortable during the winter due to the construction of my condo. I live on an end unit, but my garage is in between two units, which helps insulate the garage. My furnace room is also located in the garage, although this a huge issue regarding efficiency, this is great for adding a little more warmth.

I found there are a few cons to doing this, the first the door to the furnace closet/room was not sealed as well as I had hoped....about 20 mins into my smoke, my fiance came out to say she could smell some smoke in the house. The other problem I found is that even with a small fan propped under the garage door on one side and piece of wood and foam blocking the draft for the rest of the door. The smoke was not being pulled out fast enough.

I'm planning on sealing the furnace closet door with a little weather stripping to solve the problem of smoke getting pulled in the house. My solution for venting the garage is to just keep the door shut and then every 20-30 mins open the door and let the garage air out for a few mins. I tried this during the second half of my smoke the other night and it seemed to work well, just need a small space heater to help with the shock of opening the door.

You guys have any other suggestions? Smoke eater candles? I am not a daily smoker or even a weekly smoker so I am not looking to invest a lot into this, also I am renting so I can not permanently modify the property.

363 · 12-17-2012, 08:50 AM

I might try a stronger fan, and I may be incorrect but I think you also need an air source coming in to assist in the flow of air.

CigarSquid · 12-17-2012, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 363

I might try a stronger fan, and I may be incorrect but I think you also need an air source coming in to assist in the flow of air.

Yep, in order for the fan to work, need some air coming in. I use my garage all the time..

I will either heat it up before I go out there, with a small space heater.. Then smoke and do the same thing.. Open it up a bit. Sometimes I can just bare the smoke building up and then air it out after I am done.

cobra03 · 12-17-2012, 02:30 PM

Not sure how tall your garage is but i bought a patio heater for mine. i leave my garage open and sit under it with no problems. If the wind happens to be blowing into my garage or its really cold out i close the door half way. Works great for me but i have tall ceilings.

CigarSquid · 12-17-2012, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cobra03

Not sure how tall your garage is but i bought a patio heater for mine. i leave my garage open and sit under it with no problems. If the wind happens to be blowing into my garage or its really cold out i close the door half way. Works great for me but i have tall ceilings.

It that won't work.. Use those heaters that adapt to a propane tank.. I used that before.. Good heat with the door open.

mjdx88 · 12-17-2012, 09:46 PM

I think I may just rough it with the door closet till about the 1/2 way mark and vent it for a few mins. I rather save the cash for smokes and a real smoking room for the new house.

markem · 12-17-2012, 09:51 PM

I smoke in my garage all the time in the winter. As long as the wind isn't blowing at the garage door opening, I open the double car door, leave the single one closed, use a space heater and smoke near the opening of the garage. When done, I put my ash tray outside where it won't tip over, start a fire or stink up the garage. I've been doing this for years. Of course, I have a large collection of hoodies and wool blankets from Goodwill to keep me warm.

forgop · 12-17-2012, 09:58 PM

My mancave is situated in the garage and is directly under our primary living area. It used to be that my wife complained the smell came through, but I added a dedicated Hvac for th upstairs and pulled the duct. I get some complaints on occasion, but I think a lot of it is because I'll roast coffee at the same time and go between the house/garage a few times and that let's the smoke in. I also need to crack the overhead door to get enough airflow to vent all the smoke out the back door. I'm searching for a propane heater to generate enough heat to do it.

CigarSquid · 12-17-2012, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgop

My mancave is situated in the garage and is directly under our primary living area. It used to be that my wife complained the smell came through, but I added a dedicated Hvac for th upstairs and pulled the duct. I get some complaints on occasion, but I think a lot of it is because I'll roast coffee at the same time and go between the house/garage a few times and that let's the smoke in. I also need to crack the overhead door to get enough airflow to vent all the smoke out the back door. I'm searching for a propane heater to generate enough heat to do it.

This is too much heat for me but I use it every so often.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-000-.../dp/B00005LEXK

the jiggler · 12-17-2012, 10:36 PM

I got an infrared heater (think goat pens...) from Tractor supply for 50 bucks. Since it heats surfaces and not the air you can open the door and have a fan running and be toasty warm. Best 50 bucks I spent on the man cave. Here is a link: http://www.tractorsupply.com/redston...heater-2171132

dwoodward · 12-17-2012, 11:19 PM

I just pictured this all in my head btw, i have no problems sitting outside for a cigar if I can get out of the wind lol.

Most garages have a window. Just use your fan idea and open the window a crack, and you should have a decent draft moving thru the garage, it might be a little chilly, but should be enough to keep the air moving out. The key would be sitting near the draft but not in it, so you are warm, but when you exhale, the smoke moves towards the moving air because it's lower pressure, it should (according to physics) get slowly pushed out thru the fan.

Big Maduro · 12-17-2012, 11:45 PM

I am planning to use a small fan and duct it out through near the roof.

omowasu · 12-18-2012, 01:50 AM

There are a couple really good HVAC guys on the forum that may be able to chime in on this one - here are my thoughts...

First, having the furnace in the garage should not present an efficiency issue. The furnace heats recirculated air from the return ducts in your condo and does not intake air from the garage to push into the living area. If it did, that would violate a number of building codes...

The furnace will draw air from the garage in for combustion if it is a gas furnace, but the combustion air is not pumped into the residence. In modern HE furnaces, the exhaust from the combustion air is recirculated into the heating element and moisture is extracted for delivery to an outside vent.

I would NOT recommend insulating the furnace area door, as you may starve your furnace of combustion air which could cause a TON of problems.

Rather, I would suggest going to the hardware store and getting some of that aluminum tape. Use the tape to seal around the filter assembly where air may accidentally get sucked in, and seal any holes or vents in the return duct that are in the garage. You will need to remove the tape to change the filter, but its a very minor inconvenience. That should give you plenty of air sealing, and the combustion will help get some of the fumes out of the garage.

You could also look for an infrared (low spectrum) heater that can be hung on the ceiling and plugged into a 20A outlet. That will keep you nice and warm, even with the door open...

Far infrared heater example: http://www.amazon.com/Optimus-H-9010...dp/B0041G69CM/

Wharf Rat · 12-18-2012, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by omowasu

There are a couple really good HVAC guys on the forum that may be able to chime in on this one - here are my thoughts...

First, having the furnace in the garage should not present an efficiency issue. The furnace heats recirculated air from the return ducts in your condo and does not intake air from the garage to push into the living area. If it did, that would violate a number of building codes...

The furnace will draw air from the garage in for combustion if it is a gas furnace, but the combustion air is not pumped into the residence. In modern HE furnaces, the exhaust from the combustion air is recirculated into the heating element and moisture is extracted for delivery to an outside vent.

I would NOT recommend insulating the furnace area door, as you may starve your furnace of combustion air which could cause a TON of problems.

Rather, I would suggest going to the hardware store and getting some of that aluminum tape. Use the tape to seal around the filter assembly where air may accidentally get sucked in, and seal any holes or vents in the return duct that are in the garage. You will need to remove the tape to change the filter, but its a very minor inconvenience. That should give you plenty of air sealing, and the combustion will help get some of the fumes out of the garage.

You could also look for an infrared (low spectrum) heater that can be hung on the ceiling and plugged into a 20A outlet. That will keep you nice and warm, even with the door open...

Far infrared heater example: http://www.amazon.com/Optimus-H-9010...dp/B0041G69CM/

A few points, all assuming we're talking about a gas furnace.

1. Maybe 1.5 or 2% of a furnace's available heat comes out through the walls of the furnace. This is what's helping warm the garage, so it's either a loss or used beneficially, depending on your viewpoint.

2. It's a matter of life or death to provide adequate combustion air for the furnace or the space heaters mentioned in other posts. There's not enough info about the exact type of furnace. Lacking more info, the door to the garage should not be sealed. For the space heaters, the garage door or a window should be open.

2. One way to provide combustion air to a small furnace room is to have holes in the wall to the outside. You can look this up in your local Codes or the National Fuel Gas Code by looking for "Air for combustion and ventilation in a confined space." Of course, if you close up the furnace room and take air from outside, the warming effect from the sides of the furnace is lost.

363 · 12-18-2012, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the jiggler

http://www.tractorsupply.com/redston...heater-2171132

Quote:

Originally Posted by omowasu

You could also look for an infrared (low spectrum) heater that can be hung on the ceiling and plugged into a 20A outlet. That will keep you nice and warm, even with the door open...

Far infrared heater example: http://www.amazon.com/Optimus-H-9010...dp/B0041G69CM/

Question, would one of these blow a 20a circuit breaker if say i had the lights on and a tv running at the same time?

CigarSquid · 12-18-2012, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 363

Question, would one of these blow a 20a circuit breaker if say i had the lights on and a tv running at the same time?