tds0 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I live in an apartment with an garage The temperature is always about 10 degrees cooler in the summer..... it has not gotten above 84degrees this summer. Do you guys think its possible to pull this off during the winter with heaters? Forgot to mention i live in the Midwest Link to comment
AZDesertRat Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 How much can you afford to spend on the electricity to run heaters 24/7/365 in winter months and fans or a chiller in summer months? Depending on the size of the tank and the room temperature this can be several hundred watts continously which can really add up over a months time. Link to comment
tds0 Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 I dont think ill be needing a chiller in the summer since it maintains about 82 Link to comment
Neebles Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I would definitely worry about Midwest winters. Does your garage door open or does it stay closed all the time? I live north of Chicago and my garage is cold as shit in the winter. If you were to pull it off, I would make sure that that garage door stays shut and find a way to insulate the crap out of it. Insulate the door and even go as far as to cover all 4 sides of the door to block drafts. You may think it's tight, but it's not. It doesn't have to be pretty either. Use some foam boards for insulation, velcro them on the back side of the door if you have to, then cover the whole door, past the edges with plastic and then something like moving blankets. Shoot at that rate you might be better getting some 2x4s and building a wall to block off that exterior door. I have a hard enough time heating my house in the winter let alone a garage warm enough to maintain a tank. Link to comment
ajmckay Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 So is this a space issue (like you don't have enough room for the tank you want inside)? I'm just curious because while it's definitely something that's been done before, it's still not very common - certain parts of the country can sort of get away with it if the tank is large enough. The vast majority of reef tanks operate at a stable 78-80 degrees. If you can keep the tank around that range then I think you are fine. It's too hard for someone on this forum to say since there's so many variables in play. My garage probably gets into the low 100's during a hot sunny day. During the winter it's usually just warm enough to melt the snow off my car. I assume your garage must be enclosed by buildings on 4 sides with just the door exposed to the weather? That's the only way I can think that it would stay 10 degrees cooler. BTW are you testing these temps while the doors been closed all day? IMO it just seems like a less than ideal situation but it's up to you. At the very least the tank should have a larger water volume to keep the day/night swings to a minimum. Link to comment
Hammerstone Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I never go into my garage unless I have to. Maybe he converted it into a room? Link to comment
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