Snowy Driving Resulting In Lots Of Water In Garage

[Haselsmasher]

This is the first winter with our Model Y. We live in northern Colorado.

The car seems to capture quite a bit of snow in the wheel wells and (presumably) underneath, which then melts when parked. We're getting a lot more water on the garage floor after parking than we ever did with our ICE. I assume the heat on the underside of the ICE would melt most snow long before it got to the garage.

The garage floor does not drain water well. We're trying to sweep it out....and we've left the garage door open so it airs out. But now we're getting mice in the garage.

We're struggling to figure out how to deal with it.

Has anyone else dealt with this?

Thanks.

Jim

 

[MPlato]

Just do a search for garage mats, get something like this that has raised edges to contain the water.

 

[csrpenfab]

This is the first winter with our Model Y. We live in northern Colorado.

The car seems to capture quite a bit of snow in the wheel wells and (presumably) underneath, which then melts when parked. We're getting a lot more water on the garage floor after parking than we ever did with our ICE. I assume the heat on the underside of the ICE would melt most snow long before it got to the garage.

The garage floor does not drain water well. We're trying to sweep it out....and we've left the garage door open so it airs out. But now we're getting mice in the garage.

We're struggling to figure out how to deal with it.

Has anyone else dealt with this?

Thanks.

Jim

We get a bit of snow here in Idaho, but luckily my garage floor is sloped so any liquid runs out to the doors. I covered my entire garage floor (about 1,000 sq. ft) with RaceDeck "FreeFlow" tiles. The open design allows any slush to drain through and flow under the tiles. Very happy with this setup!

 

[GtiMart]

I thought all garages had a water and crap capture tank in the middle with some minimal sloping. Must be a local building code. I've always had as much snow on other cars than on my 3. I have a dehumidifer in the garage to help with all the moisture from the snow melting but I guess that doesn't help you much.

Are you having more fun driving in the snow with the (dual motor) Y than you were with your previous ICE, thus catching more snow? I wouldn't think this car is any worse than others. Or maybe you had a very high SUV/pickup before ?

 

[snellenr]

Same problem with my '14 S in northern MI - when there's a lot of snow on the road, I use a poking stick* to clear the wheel wells before I put it in the garage.

* a short piece of 1x2 with a point at one end

 

[PACEMD]

Real mud flaps helped us. Otherwise here in Montana, a lot of ice builds-up. I have Rally Armor flaps, 35K plus miles, still work great.

 

[Haselsmasher]

We get a bit of snow here in Idaho, but luckily my garage floor is sloped so any liquid runs out to the doors. I covered my entire garage floor (about 1,000 sq. ft) with RaceDeck "FreeFlow" tiles. The open design allows any slush to drain through and flow under the tiles. Very happy with this setup!

Nice setup! Looks really great.

I thought all garages had a water and crap capture tank in the middle with some minimal sloping. Must be a local building code. I've always had as much snow on other cars than on my 3. I have a dehumidifer in the garage to help with all the moisture from the snow melting but I guess that doesn't help you much.

Are you having more fun driving in the snow with the (dual motor) Y than you were with your previous ICE, thus catching more snow? I wouldn't think this car is any worse than others. Or maybe you had a very high SUV/pickup before ?

Interesting re capture tank. We definitely don't have that. I definitely wish we had better slope out of the garage. Lack of it is probably due to construction, but we also had some vandalism before we moved in which I think impacted it.

The Model Y replaced a GMC Terrain. The Y is doing VERY well in the snow....I'd venture to say better than the Terrain. The Terrain may have been a little higher - but not by much. I have to think with the exhaust system, muffler, etc in the ICE undercarriage stuff was melting off virtually immediately. We'd always get some melting from the wheel wells and such - but with the Y it's a much higher volume of water.

 

[PACEMD]

Here is a picture of mine at work before the mud flaps. Very little of this ice build-up now. Really does help here in Montana.

 

[MPlato]

We get a bit of snow here in Idaho, but luckily my garage floor is sloped so any liquid runs out to the doors. I covered my entire garage floor (about 1,000 sq. ft) with RaceDeck "FreeFlow" tiles. The open design allows any slush to drain through and flow under the tiles. Very happy with this setup!

View attachment 767453

Looks sweet but $$$, I was looking at stuff from Amazon for myself, however my Y wont arrive until May...

 

[csrpenfab]

Looks sweet but $$$, I was looking at stuff from Amazon for myself, however my Y wont arrive until May...

About $3/sq ft if you have the right hook-up... That's cheap compared to a properly done epoxy coated floor.

 

[andaconda]

But now we're getting mice in the garage.

We're struggling to figure out how to deal with it.

Kill the little bastards!

 

[Haselsmasher]

Kill the little bastards!

The war has been initiated.

 

[andaconda]

The war has been initiated.


View attachment 767508

Don't forget the water in the bucket at least a gallon or two. They do need to bathe you know! And a good cat wouldn't hurt either.

 

[jcanoe]

The water will freeze in the bucket. You could use a mix of antifreeze and water in the bucket but only if you don't have dogs or cats.

 

[Midnightsun]

Maybe I am just used to it and may not be the norm elsewhere because all homes I know of have central drains in the garage where I live. Floor has a good 4way slope and a central drain sump with a 4" pipe connected to the city sewer system. I actually wash both our cars in the garage during the cold winter months. Obviously the garage is heated and I have both hot and cold water in the garage.

That being said I really see no difference in snow accumulation under the Teslas vs other cars we have had in the past.

 

[ArcticStation]

For me it is not just melting snow, but the sand, dirt and salt (put down by hard working road crews to keep Mainers from killing themselves and each other) that arrive with it. We sweep as much out as we can, but by spring, my garage is so filthy it takes a full day to clean it properly. I would kill for Midnightsun's setup, not only to keep the garage clean, but to have a way to remove all of the winter crud from of my cars without having to frequent the corner carwash after every storm. And yes, my Model 3 (equipped with the Tesla mudflaps) collects and then deposits far more slush than my ten year old hybrid beater, even after clearing out as much as possible before driving into the garage.

 

[GtiMart]

@Midnightsun , essentially what I have and I also wash the car inside sometimes in winter. Must be a Canadian building code to setup garages like that I guess. Makes a lot of sense to me. We get so much road dirt that I sometimes need to clean the floor otherwise the amount of dirt there prevents water from flowing properly into the sump. Still, very useful in winter.

 

[rwiegand]

The idjits that did my garage floor left a low spot in the middle that accumulates an inch or so of water. This then becomes a skating rink when it freezes, and also glues the tires to the concrete, making for some interesting starts. I have a big rubber squeegee that I use to push the water out the door, but it is a perpetual fall hazard in winter. I've thought about using a leveling compound, but aren't sure that that won't make the problem worse with a crumbling thin layer freezing and thawing on top of the existing slab.

Love to have a better answer!

 

[mrwug]

my garage floor is sloped so any liquid runs out to the doors.

My floor is sloped as well but my problem is that it runs to the door...and then pools, then subsequently freezing into a big ice patch right behind my car.

Anyone have suggestions about how to get the water to flow out under the garage door? Thanks!

 

[Mattemsmy]

Okay so how is the mouse trap working