When trying to select a garage door often the question is often asked if it is worth the extra money to purchase insulation. Here are a few things to consider & what is the low-down on what insulation is & isn’t.
What R-Value Is & Isn’t
R-Value: “the capacity of an insulating material to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power.”
This is a theoretical number used in many industries but it’s a good reference & the best we have. Used alone it wont take into account other real world factors (engineers have other esoteric terminologies for those).
Take for instance a hot steel roof or garage door in the sun. The insulation behind it will perform different that if the steel was replaced with wood. This is thermal conductance or K-value, your steel garage door will transfer heat more cold faster than wood will.
That’s why in some cases even a minimal amount of insulation will act as a thermal break. If an un-insulated garage door is in the sun a good part of the day in the summer this will transfer a significant amount of heat to the inside. This will make for a very hot garage!
You never can lose with insulation IF it is what you need & if so usually the more the better. But that isn’t always the case.
Sometimes It May Not Be Worth The Expense
- If your constantly opening & closing your garage door the extra money you spent on premium insulation is going out the door.
- You rarely use the garage for anything other than storage or parking your car. Part of the reasoning for insulating is for climate control for people or animals.
- Your garage isn’t insulated. Why insulate a garage door if the garage isn’t insulated.
- The garage is on a rental unit.
Added Benefits To An Insulated Garage Door
- The insulation will fill the voids on the inside of the door. Garages tend to attract dirt & spider webs even if it’s always closed. If you like to keep your space neat & clean this may be another reason to insulate.
- An insulated door will be quieter when a garage door opener is used. An un-insulated garage door will rattle & vibrate like a drum. For example if you purchased a garage door opener with a belt drive because you have a bedroom next to the garage.
- Extra strength. If you have a polyurethane insulated garage door it will be very strong. If you have kids throwing basketballs at the door this is what you want.
- May help keep the living spaces next to a garage warmer or cooler. Especially if their is no or little insulation in between the spaces.
Different Choices In Insulation
Polyurethane (R-18.4 & R-12.9)
This has the highest R-Value. R-18.4 is about the R-value of a 2×6 fiberglass bat. It is also the most expensive but makes for a very strong door. It comes only in 3 layer doors (steel on the inside & out). Clopay Door calls this Intellicore. See my post on intellicore polyurethane insulation.
Polystyrene (R-9, R-6.3, R-4.4)
This is the least expensive & comes on two & three layer doors. It is vinyl backed on the inside for added protection on two layer doors.
Insulating An Un-Insulated Garage Door
Some garage door manufacturers sell kits to insulate your garage door. If you have a Clopay door call me & I can install it for my cost of materials plus a service call. Lowe’s & Home Depot also sell kits but they aren’t cut to size so they will look less than ideal. If you are good with a knife & tape I have seen some jobs look good though.
We are happy to answer any & all questions. Even those regarding you fixing your door your self! I service Nashville, Antioch, Brentwood, Clarksville, Dickson & all middle TN.
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[…] A non-insulated garage door will be louder because it will reverberate any vibration from the opener to the garage door. Also any noise from the movement of the doors will be louder. An insulated garage door has more advantaged than keeping the space warm or cool. See my post about Do You need an Insulated Or Non-Insulated Garage Door. […]
[…] manufacturers that offer polyurethane. You can read more about garage door insulation in my post Do You Need an Insulated or Non-Insulated Door. The intellicore polyurethane garage door insulation […]