I ran into the same thing when I helped my uncle redo his shed roof last fall. We went with vented closures too, thinking it’d help with the heat and moisture buildup. It definitely made a difference—felt way less stuffy in there, but man, the amount of dust and random bugs that found their way in was more than I expected. Not a dealbreaker, but it’s something you notice after a few weeks.
Did you try any kind of mesh or screen over your vents? We ended up adding some fine mesh after the first month, just to cut down on the bigger critters getting in. Still get a few gnats and the occasional spider, but it’s manageable. I guess it’s always a trade-off—either you’re sweeping out bugs or sweating through your shirt. Curious if anyone’s found a perfect balance, or is it just one of those “pick your poison” situations?
That’s exactly what I ran into on my garage project last summer. I thought vented closures would be the magic fix for airflow, but yeah, it’s a magnet for dust and bugs. Tried a stainless mesh—helped a lot, but like you said, still get the odd spider or moth. I haven’t found a perfect setup either. Seems like every tweak just shifts the problem around a bit, but at least it’s not sauna-level hot in there anymore.
Seems like every tweak just shifts the problem around a bit, but at least it’s not sauna-level hot in there anymore.
Totally hear you on that. I ran into the same issue—vented closures help with heat, but dust and critters find their way in no matter what. One thing I tried was layering a finer mesh over the standard vent closure, almost like a filter sandwich. It cut down on the bugs a bit more, though airflow dropped off some. Trade-offs everywhere... but at least it’s not unbearable to work in the garage now.
That’s been my experience too—every improvement seems to come with its own set of headaches. I tried a similar mesh layering trick, but honestly, the airflow loss was more noticeable than I expected. I ended up going with a mid-grade filter material instead of the super-fine stuff, just to keep a bit more air moving. It’s not perfect, but it’s cut down on the dust and most bugs. Still get the occasional spider, but at least it’s not stifling in there anymore. Sometimes feels like you’re just picking your battles with these projects...
Funny, I’ve seen the same thing with filter grades—go too fine and suddenly you’re sweating just sitting there. I tried a double mesh once, thinking it’d be genius, but it was like living in a sauna. Ended up peeling one layer off after a week. Sometimes it’s just about finding what you can live with... spiders and all.
