Garage Door Insulation?

[ColonelCash]

With the cold weather making its way across the US, I was wondering what everyone uses to insulate their garage doors? I've seen some photos and noticed a foil / bubble wrap type product on some door, but I'm not sure what it is.

I figured that I need to insulate the door before adding my heater to my garage to maximize the efficiency.

Thanks!!

[sstg]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

They sell material to do the job at Home Depot.

[gb387]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

You can buy 'kits' that are pre cut making it very easy to install but a cheaper way would be to buy a full size sheet of foam insulation and cut it your self to fit. Look at both options easy to find at the Depot or Lowes.

[BlueZero]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

You can buy 'kits' that are pre cut making it very easy to install but a cheaper way would be to buy a full size sheet of foam insulation and cut it your self to fit. Look at both options easy to find at the Depot or Lowes.

[ColonelCash]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Would this insulation be something similar to the blue or pink foam they use for most houses / commercial projects? I've seen it and considered that an option, but I CANNOT listen to an afternoon if cutting foam with a blade. It's 100x worse than fingernails on a blackboard to me (styrofoam at least).

Haven't seen the kit, but I did find something that most HVAC guys use to wrap around ductwork. Sticky on one side, but has a really low R value, so it would need a few layers. Also seen something called Reflectix and it also looks to be expensive.

Next question: If adding foam insulation, would I need to adjust the garage door opener to compensate for the added weight? I've got an old 2-car garage door with a Chamberlain 3/4 HP chain drive (about 6 months old).

[gb387]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Yes, we are talking about the blue and/or pink insulation.

I have often thought about the same thing when adding the additional weight to the door although it doesn't seem like all that much weight. If you can find one of those 'kits' (I have seen them located with the garage doors at the HD or Lowes) read over the directions on the kit, maybe there is something about the added weight on there?

[BlueZero]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Make sure that your weather striping is good around the door too.

[ColonelCash]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Thanks guys, I've got a project for next weekend.

[jfelbab]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

I'm sure you already have thought of these things but just in case...

If you are sealing up your garage for a portable propane or kerosene type heater be very careful. Those unvented types of heaters can kill you without proper ventilation. If using one of them leave the door ajar and be sure to have a carbon monoxide detector in the garage. If using an electric type of space heater be sure to position it so that it will not get wet or knocked over. Also think about where you might be storing your gasoline for the snowblower or other similar items. Spare propane tanks should never be stored in the garage either. A home just went up recently not far from me because the guy stored a propane tank for his grill in his garage. He just exchanged the tank and it turned out to be a leaker. Keep combustibles and flammable liquids away from heat.

I have a 36x32 insulated garage. The garage doors are factory insulated. I use one of these infrared heaters to keep my garage warm when I need it. http://www.toptenimports.com/1500w-i...-sale-379.html

Works pretty well, heats up quickly and is not noisy. When it is below freezing (10-20°F) I can get my garage up to 55-60°F.

I wish I had some way to insulate the concrete as that is where I think the most heat loss is. Maybe some cheap indoor/outdoor carpeting would work? Have to visit one of the factory carpet outlets one of these days.

[BlueZero]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Very good point Jim! Everyone should have a carbon monoxide detector in the garage. The one I have also detects explosive gasses in case something like a propane tank would leak. They can be a little pricey but well worth it.

[ColonelCash]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Great advice. This is actually one reason I decided on a ceiling mounted electric heater / blower for my garage.

[Nick Chapman]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Here's a picture of mine. I only used Radiant Barrier that I bought from Home Depot. At the time, I was strapped for cash, and didn't want to dump a lot of money getting the door done. It was very affordable, and very easy to do by myself. I only had to cut the lenth and thats it. The top and bottom tucked in and fit perfectly. I used silver duct tape to hold it in place(you can hardly see the tape).

The bennifits of going this route were the ease of installation, the silver actually reflects light(so it's brighter in the garage), and I didn't have to re-spring my garage door. All in all, I think I may have added 5-8lbs to the total door weight. If you add any substacial weight to your door, you will have to call a garage door company to come out and re-spring your door. The garage door opener is only meant to replace your arm when opening and closing. It is not meant to pull a lot of weight. If you don't re-spring your door, your opener will burn out a lot faster and will need to be replaced.

So far, I'm VERY pleased with the results! Our door faces east, so it doesn't get that north wind in the winter or the blasting summer sun in the afternoons, so I can't comment on extreme conditions. But I can fire up the heater, get it nice and toasty. After about an hour with the heater on, I shut it off and I don't have to turn it on again for about 4-5 hours. So it works very well!


Here's the picture of what I did...

[ColonelCash]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Thanks Nick. Are you referring to a product similar to this?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...egoryID=503272

(hope that link works!)

[Nick Chapman]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

Thanks Nick. Are you referring to a product similar to this?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...egoryID=503272

(hope that link works!)

No, thats not it. That looks more like a sheet of paper. The stuff I bought was thicker, maybe 1/4" thick. The rolls were about 1 foot in diameter. Can't find it on their site, may be an in store only item

[wally_guy]

Re: Garage Door Insulation?

With the cold weather making its way across the US, I was wondering what everyone uses to insulate their garage doors? I've seen some photos and noticed a foil / bubble wrap type product on some door, but I'm not sure what it is.

I figured that I need to insulate the door before adding my heater to my garage to maximize the efficiency.

Thanks!!

I sell garage door parts at my company and we have a great insulation product,

http://garage-doors-and-parts.com/insulating-products.html

It's a cool kit that you buy and we also have extras that you can order to add to the kit.

I think that it's worth checking out and it is really nice looking from the inside, at least watch the video.

Wally