As cooler temps begin moving into Georgia, many people are finding certain places in their homes are not as warm as they would like them to be. On windy days, it is easy to tell which windows are allowing in drafts of cold air. Your attic can feel like an icebox on cold, cloudy days. It is often easy to find these drafty areas in your home because you are inside and expect to feel warm and insulated. However, a considerable area of your home is often a source of draft problems: your garage. If your garage is connected to your house by a single door, any cold wind inside your garage can easily seep into your home.
Most garage doors do not come insulated. They are large, quality products, but they are typically sold without insulation. You can protect your belongings inside your garage, increase your home’s energy efficiency, and keep miserable drafts out by insulating your garage door before winter hits. Adding insulation to your garage door is a relatively simple process that can be done over a weekend time frame.
The first step in insulating your garage door is to match your door to an insulation that is easy to install and appropriate for the climate here in Georgia.
Steel Garage Doors
The most common type of garage door is steel doors. These doors can accommodate any type of insulation. People typically use either solid polystyrene sheets or soft-spun fiberglass for insulation. The polystyrene sheets pop into place between the panels on your door, while the soft-spun fiberglass is held in place via clips. You can choose either option based on your budget and the ease of which you feel that you can install the insulation. Make sure you have a utility knife on hand so you can cut the insulation to the size you need it.
Wood Frame and Panel Doors
Insulating a wooden garage door is a bit more tedious than insulating a steel door. A wood frame door is made up of several sections that are connected by hinges. You will have to get exact measurements of each garage door section to ensure that the insulation will not cover the hinges or any hardware. A polymer insulation should be used, and it will be attached to the garage door panels with an adhesive. You will need to work quickly in sections because the adhesive is very strong and will set quickly. Working one section at a time, you will need to affix the insulation to the garage door using the door’s hardware as a guide. You will need to adjust the piece quickly to make sure it is straight before the adhesive sets. You will continue, working section by section, until the entire garage door is framed with insulation.
Flat Garage Doors
Flat garage doors that lift without rolling in sections are the easiest to insulate. Foam board or reflective insulation is best for flat garage door insulation. You will simply measure the insulation and glue or tape it to the garage door.
There are plenty of garage door insulation kits available for homeowners who wish to save money and insulate their garage doors themselves. These kits come with insulation rolls or boards that are pre-cut, but you will typically need to trim them for a perfect fit. They also come with the tape or fasteners necessary to hold the insulation in place.
It is vital to understand that adding insulation to a garage door will also add extra weight. Most 9-foot-wide doors can handle the extra weight, but doors any larger than 9-feet may not.
At HABPRO Garage Doors, we understand homeowners’ desire to insulate their homes properly. You have bills to pay, and adding to your energy bills due to poor garage door insulation is not ideal. However, we want to help to ensure that your garage door is safe. With any extra weight added to a garage door, your garage door’s spring tension may need to be adjusted. This adjustment is NOT a do-it-yourself project. Our professional technicians can easily make a house call to properly adjust your garage door springs to make sure your garage door is safe and will run properly. Call us today.
Jeanie S.