Garage Door Insulation

[Ted]

I spend a lot of time in my garage, both winter and summer. I do all the work on my cars and my 2 year old loves spending time in there. I have infrared heaters, but the doors are still a huge heat loss.

I'm curious what products others have used to help reduce heat loss from garage doors. See picture for what my doors look like. I also do have daylight coming in around the doors on the sides, so I should do something to address that.

It's a 2.5 car with two individual doors and an exterior door in between. In the summer especially you notice the radiant heat from the garage doors.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

http://www.rewci.com/garage-door-insulation.html?gclid=CMupnIDt8sICFRQQ7AodFwkAlQ

This stuff works pretty well. Neighbor has it. If you don't want the radiant barrier, I suppose you could just glue up foam board.

 

[Clark1961]

Installing an insulated garage door is an option which a previous homeowner did for the house I'm in. It also has weather stripping on the sides.

 

[Ted]

http://www.rewci.com/garage-door-insulation.html?gclid=CMupnIDt8sICFRQQ7AodFwkAlQ

This stuff works pretty well. Neighbor has it. If you don't want the radiant barrier, I suppose you could just glue up foam board.

This looks like a good option in combination with some better seals around the door. I'm not too keen on installing new doors as the old ones are fine and that's a bunch of cost and hassle.

 

[CharlieTango]

I think you have an insulated garage door. Your door is in 5 panels and has 4 horizontal seams as well as the seals at the perimeter. Leakage is likely your big problem.

Look at it with a Flir camera to see the pattern and location of heat loss.

Without cavities to fill and/or the ability to insulate with a single blanket insulation may have little or no effect.

 

[N801BH]

Door perimeter seals are pretty cheap, and VERY effective.. The Home Debit /Lowes should have them in stock...

Probably the same place you bought that 5 gallon bucket of sheet rock mud I see sitting on the floor.... Ya know,, the green one.....

Ok. spill the beans,, who put holes in the walls Ted ??...

 

[Badger]

You could cut 35 squares of say 1" extruded insulation and glue in the panels of the door.

What about 'sealing' one door all winter and just using one overhead door? Do you have quality weatherstripping on the exterior along the door?

 

[Ted]

The garage doors are original with the house ('79), so not new and sure don't feel insulated. But the seals are probably a bigger deal. I think both are needed, especially for summer.

 

[G-Man]

The floor tiles are a big help, especially in terms of perception and comfort, since they'll keep your feet of the concrete.

The Radiant Barrier looks very nice. I did a ghetto version by cutting 1" backed foam (as Badger recommends). It's a noticeable improvement but still leaves a lot of gaps.

Door side seals, etc., are huge. If you can see daylight, you'll never keep it warm.

I got a Northern Tool (Canadian Harbor Freight) gas heater and it works well, but will take 1-2 hours to heat the garage to 65F from 20F.

If you can seal as much as possible, even with tape and clear plastic, that will help a lot. Please remember to leave adequate ventilation, especially with heaters.

I also find long underwear and a knit cap help a lot. Good luck!

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

I got a Northern Tool (Canadian Harbor Freight) gas heater and it works well, but will take 1-2 hours to heat the garage to 65F from 20F.

When did we cede Minnesota to Canada? :wink2:

 

[N801BH]

When did we cede Minnesota to Canada? :wink2:

You didn't get the memo.....

The POTUS did it yesterday by executive order while playing golf ...

 

[Sac Arrow]

Before you get hung up over seals, does your garage have open vents to the outside? I'm sure it does. An insulated door will help with radiative losses as long as the rest of the garage is insulated too, but you will still lose a lot more heat through the vents than you wil lose through the door perimeter.

 

[G-Man]

When did we cede Minnesota to Canada? :wink2:

A ) The War of 2015. We got Nova Scotia. Seems fair.
B ) Minneapolis is a dagger pointed at the heart of Ottawa.
C ) Northern Tool is part of that pipeline they're building.
D ) Oh, what the heck. We're all part of The Flyover States.

(Thanks for the correction!)

 

[Gary]

The garage doors are original with the house ('79), so not new and sure don't feel insulated. But the seals are probably a bigger deal. I think both are needed, especially for summer.

Insulated doors make a HUGE difference. When the big tree fell and wiped out that side of the house, the old wood, non-insulated, no weather stripping doors were replaced with steel insulated doors with weather stripping along the top/sides and a substantial seal along the bottom. Not only is a garage warmer, so is the house! Guess you could try to retro-fit insulation/weatherstripping, but if the existing doors are old or in less-than-good condition, new ones might be more cost effective long term. Plus the new doors are lighter.

Gary

 

[kevmor99]

Before you get hung up over seals, does your garage have open vents to the outside? I'm sure it does. An insulated door will help with radiative losses as long as the rest of the garage is insulated too, but you will still lose a lot more heat through the vents than you wil lose through the door perimeter.

I insulated my garage door with the foam board inserts in each panel, they seem to help a lot in the summer. In the winter, I think I lose a lot through the vents near the gas water heater. These vents are for the gas heater, correct? It's not some sort of code for the vehicles in the garage? I've seen gas water heaters indoors also, which is why I'm curious. If you could seal those vents up it would help tremendously...

 

[Ted]

I already have two infrared heaters that do a good job of heating up the objects, but I like efficiency. Plus I don't have AC.

The garage is kinda an interesting setup. It's on the basement level of the house, right below the kitchen and living room/dining room. So the other aspect is that if I'm able to better insulate it both winter and summer, that should lower my heating/cooling bills.

There's only one other hole outside for the air compressor hose, I already plugged it up.

 

[CharlieTango]

Flir cameras are not cheap and common. Borrow one and look at your house including the door when it is loosing heat.

Your path will become clear when you see what to attack.

 

[TheTraveler]

We've got a 2.5 car garage, and live just outside Chicago. I would second the side flap seals on the doors. I've got them on mine. They go on from the outside, and rub up against the sides of the door. Looking at my door, the top and bottom are touching the floor and frame when it's closed, and the side flaps are up against the sides of the door. They are very inexpensive, no daylight visible, keeps out the wind, and does a good job of insulating in the winter.

The garage will warm up (not to room temp, but noticeable) by just parking the hot car inside. The downside...in the summer I leave the door open until the cars cool down because it really heats up in there and will stay that way all night long.

I'll post a pic if I remember to take one when I go out.

 

[Scrabo]

I have the opposite issue...in AZ the garage door just absorbs the suns heat and makes the garage too not by about 10:30 most mornings. July thru sept is the worst

 

[TheTraveler]

Here are the photos.

The seal (rubber or vinyl strip) is between the last piece of trim and the frame on the outside and just sticks out like a flap against the door on the outside.

Last pic is with the door closed. No daylight. Kind of hard to tell, but the garage door frame is on the left, the panel is butted up against the door frame on the right. I can get daylight if I pull on the panel a little bit with my hand, but otherwise it's a nice seal.

Just saw a pack of this stuff at Menard's this morning for less than $20.

 

[Alexb2000]

+ whatever on insulating the door and getting seals, easy to do. Depending on your door they sell insulation kits at a real garage door supplier. For most steel doors mine charges about $200.

The other thing I've noticed in my commercial buildings, leave the heat on. Even if it is on low 55-60ish. Keeping the cars, lift, tools, and other objects reasonably warm makes a HUGE difference, HUGE. I found that going into a cold building and trying to warm it up to work for a couple of hours took forever and created a lot of drafts that just made it feel colder. It sent me back to the house many times. I'm leaving mine set at 60 this winter and it has been worth every penny.

 

[warthog1984]

+ whatever on insulating the door and getting seals, easy to do. Depending on your door they sell insulation kits at a real garage door supplier. For most steel doors mine charges about $200.

The other thing I've noticed in my commercial buildings, leave the heat on. Even if it is on low 55-60ish. Keeping the cars, lift, tools, and other objects reasonably warm makes a HUGE difference, HUGE. I found that going into a cold building and trying to warm it up to work for a couple of hours took forever and created a lot of drafts that just made it feel colder. It sent me back to the house many times. I'm leaving mine set at 60 this winter and it has been worth every penny.

Another way is to leave the heat at 40-45, and then crank the heat to 70-75 an hour or so beforehand with some fans running. Works well for attached garages, but maybe not for standalone buildings.

 

[Sac Arrow]

I insulated my garage door with the foam board inserts in each panel, they seem to help a lot in the summer. In the winter, I think I lose a lot through the vents near the gas water heater. These vents are for the gas heater, correct? It's not some sort of code for the vehicles in the garage? I've seen gas water heaters indoors also, which is why I'm curious. If you could seal those vents up it would help tremendously...

Your water heater should have a vent pipe that goes through the roof. The open side vents under the eaves are for venting gasoline fumes. Don't seal them up if you keep a car in there.

 

[warthog1984]

I insulated my garage door with the foam board inserts in each panel, they seem to help a lot in the summer. In the winter, I think I lose a lot through the vents near the gas water heater. These vents are for the gas heater, correct? It's not some sort of code for the vehicles in the garage? I've seen gas water heaters indoors also, which is why I'm curious. If you could seal those vents up it would help tremendously...

What type of vents are they? If they are eave vents, leave them alone. If it is a sidewall vent/fan that is easily accessible it is probably supplemental in case you wanted to weld or idle a car indoors for repair purposes.

 

[Clark1961]

The open side vents under the eaves are for venting gasoline fumes.

Gasoline vapors are heavier than air...

 

[warthog1984]

Gasoline vapors are heavier than air...

Carbon monoxide isn't.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Gasoline vapors are heavier than air...

Yes and that's the reason why gas water heaters aren't installed at ground level, but convection will carry those gases out even on a calm day through the eave vents.

 

[Alexb2000]

Yes and that's the reason why gas water heaters aren't installed at ground level, but convection will carry those gases out even on a calm day through the eave vents.

I understood the reason to elevate the gas heater was to keep the pilot away from combustable vapors (heavier than air) caused by things spilled in the garage.

 

[Ted]

Oh and as for who put the hole in the wall, we pulled a fabric wallpaper off one wall in the basement that required resurfacing the wall. That was a pain...

 

[flyingron]

Just doing the door by itself isn't going to solve the problem. The roof/ceiling is a prime determiner as well.

For a while I couldn't figure out why my hangar stayed a lot cooler in the summer (it is heated in the winter) than the garage. I started by theorizing it sat lower and was partially excavated. It then struck me, duh.... I had the hangar completely spray foamed (and the door is also insulated). I wish I had insulated the garage and may go back and do that some day.

 

[CharlieTango]

... I had the hangar completely spray foamed ...

Sounds expensive. I insulate a lot of hangars and I do spray foam ccSPF & ocSPF but I haven't sprayed any hangars yet.

Did you buy open or closed cell? How thick? What did it get covered with? (Ignition barrier)

 

[Ted]

Well, the roof is the floor of the kitchen/living room. I'm not all too worried there. And, I'm also not going to do anything there.

 

[flyingron]

Sounds expensive. I insulate a lot of hangars and I do spray foam ccSPF & ocSPF but I haven't sprayed any hangars yet.

Did you buy open or closed cell? How thick? What did it get covered with? (Ignition barrier)

It's closed cell and it's covered with drywall. This is NC so it's only maybe 2-3 inches thick.

 

[CharlieTango]

It's closed cell and it's covered with drywall. This is NC so it's only maybe 2-3 inches thick.

Above 8,000' a little more resistance to heat loss is a good thing. Sounds like you hangar is well done, 2-3" of ccSPF is a lot.

We generally limit to R-25 3 5/8" on closed cell and then cover with a less expensive material. In a hangar you could rely on the spray foam for air sealing at a minimal level and then cover with MBI (metal building insulation ) to control costs.

We just did this 50 year old hangar with MBI alone.

 

[SCCutler]

Ted:

In our new (to us) house, the garage door has some sort of foam panel, perhaps 1/2 inch thick, on each of the door panels; a single piece for each door panel, full-width. I am amazed at what a difference it makes in keeping the garage from getting too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter.

I would resist the temptation to put a bunch of separate panels in the recesses; rather, I would use full-with panels (or as close as you can get), along with seals around all four sides and flexible seals at the junction between each panel. I predict you'll be amazed at the results.

 

[flyingron]

The hangar door is a regular Schweiss steel frame. The outside is plywood and we cut 2" rigid foam panels to fit between the frames on the inside.

The heat source is hydronic radiant floor. It's amazing how fast the room recovers after opening and closing the door. That big mass of warm concrete makes the difference.

 

[kevmor99]

What type of vents are they? If they are eave vents, leave them alone. If it is a sidewall vent/fan that is easily accessible it is probably supplemental in case you wanted to weld or idle a car indoors for repair purposes.

They're 2 vents, 15" wide by 5" tall, about a foot off the floor right next to the gas water heater and furnace. The garage is sheetrocked so no eave vents there.

I've seen other garages around here that have two of these on the opposite side of the garage from the gas water heater/furnace. I thought it was maybe fresh air for them?

I do have the top vents for the water heater and furnace going upwards. I'd sure like to close these off if they're just for automotive safety in the garage, but I haven't been able to find any definitive info.

 

[Alexb2000]

They're 2 vents, 15" wide by 5" tall, about a foot off the floor right next to the gas water heater and furnace. The garage is sheetrocked so no eave vents there.

I've seen other garages around here that have two of these on the opposite side of the garage from the gas water heater/furnace. I thought it was maybe fresh air for them?

I do have the top vents for the water heater and furnace going upwards. I'd sure like to close these off if they're just for automotive safety in the garage, but I haven't been able to find any definitive info.

Those are fresh air combustion vents, they have to allow air to come in from other than living space, so you don't risk CO poisoning if the exhaust gets restricted. If by top vent you mean the exhaust pipe you have to leave that. If you have an actual vent going into the attic space that is probably just a secondary source of combustion air, common if there is a chance someone could put boxes or other garage crap in front of the vents and block them. The eve vents are completely different deal and more about letting the rafters and roof breath than the hot water heater.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

They're 2 vents, 15" wide by 5" tall, about a foot off the floor right next to the gas water heater and furnace. The garage is sheetrocked so no eave vents there.

I've seen other garages around here that have two of these on the opposite side of the garage from the gas water heater/furnace. I thought it was maybe fresh air for them?

I do have the top vents for the water heater and furnace going upwards. I'd sure like to close these off if they're just for automotive safety in the garage, but I haven't been able to find any definitive info.

You need a source of air for the furnace and the water heater. If your garage is too tight you won't get any draft and instead just fill the garage with carbon monoxide.

By "top vents" do you mean the exhaust outlets from the furnace / water heater? Those typically have a "draft hood" which is a place for air to get in between the actual outlet of the furnace / water heater and the stack. Back in the '80's some people put in devices that would mostly close off the stack until the furnace / water heater kicked in and then the heat would open them automatically. But you really do not want to close off the stacks - again, you will just fill your garage with CO when the furnace has run long enough to reduce the O2 levels in the garage.

If you want to get all that closed off, you would need to go to one of the newer 90% or higher furnaces (don't quote me on the exact number) and high efficiency water heater that vent through PCV piping.

How old is your existing furnace?

 

[kevmor99]

You need a source of air for the furnace and the water heater. If your garage is too tight you won't get any draft and instead just fill the garage with carbon monoxide.

By "top vents" do you mean the exhaust outlets from the furnace / water heater? Those typically have a "draft hood" which is a place for air to get in between the actual outlet of the furnace / water heater and the stack. Back in the '80's some people put in devices that would mostly close off the stack until the furnace / water heater kicked in and then the heat would open them automatically. But you really do not want to close off the stacks - again, you will just fill your garage with CO when the furnace has run long enough to reduce the O2 levels in the garage.

If you want to get all that closed off, you would need to go to one of the newer 90% or higher furnaces (don't quote me on the exact number) and high efficiency water heater that vent through PCV piping.

How old is your existing furnace?

The top draft hoods is what I meant for the top vents. I think it's around maybe 8 years old? It was replaced before I moved in. It's a Bryant Plus 80v, I guess the 80 is 80% efficiency? I know what you're talking about with the high efficiency and the PCV intake/exhaust pipe. So I guess I'm stuck with leaving those ones on the floor open...