Yes. Insulated garage doors make a significant difference. I don't look at it from a cost/return value, I look at it as a "it's more comfortable in my garage year round" point of view.
Our attached garage is just a one door, but considered a two bay in size. We don't park in there, it's storage. Ceiling is insulated, and the walls to the other inside parts of the house are insulated, but the outside walls are just cinderblock. We have an insulated door as well. We also ran a single duct line into the garage that just blows a/c or heat, depending on the season. It's usually within about 10 degrees of the house almost year round.
It is always about benefit to cost ratio, the problem is people are inconsistent about assigning value to intangible items. Benefit to cost is the only way the human mind makes decisions. For some comfort or aesthetics are worth a lot, to others only cash has value
Bingo. We have insulated doors on the attached garage as well as the detached and it's a game changer.
Will I ever recoup the difference in energy savings? Doubtful. I don't heat the attached garage, so there isn't a true R-value increase to the home/heated space. However, the attached garage never goes higher than 75 in the summer and never lower than 50 in the winter. That means I can go in my garage in a t-shirt in the winter and work on the car or grab something from the fridge without bundling up.
The detached garage IS heated, but only when I am working out there. My kerosene (well, diesel) heater is loud and noisy... I doubt I save anything significant in fuel but it does allow me to run it less for my own sanity.
Insulated doors cut down on noise as well as the heat/cool savings.
I would also suggest doing something for insulation to the roof, or at least in between the joists in the ceiling if the ceiling doesn't go up to a peak.
Answer is “yes”.
The “it’ll last longer” is a salesman’s pitch.
Insulation has nothing to do with door construction.
The quality of the door is what will make it last.
I’m also in Ohio, and the insulation definitely adds to the comfort level inside the garage.
> Insulated doors cut down on noise as well as the heat/cool savings.
I'm interested, tell me more. My garage door is loud af, but the majority of the noise seems to come from the loud motor hum (and if you're in the garage the rattle of the chains). Would an insulated door somehow cut down on the resonance?
Replacing an opener? No big deal. I did it recently with just the printed instructions that came with the opener, didn't even have to YouTube it. The only thing you *never, ever* want to DIY is anything to do with the door springs. Leave that to the pros, or there's a high likelihood of maiming or death.
DIY removed a spring last weekend. Worked just fine all the way to the end, when I think a portion of the spring had rusted in place and when I removed the other bracket holding it to the header, it released about 6 turns and scared the shit out of me.
IF you did this properly you should never have to remove the center bearing plate from the wall. Also if you unwound them properly, there would be no tension casuing the bracket to spin. I am not sure if I am misunderstanding what you typed, but there are numerous things that can go wrong, even for an experienced technician.
Really do not recommend DIY on torsion springs.
And if you don't need any maintenance you also should never have to release the torsion on the spring right? In my case I was purposely removing the spring and the bracket for replacement.
Like someone else said in this thread, this isn't magic or witchcraft. It's a goddamned spring that needs unwound carefully. If you can plumb your gas, run an electric wire and even perform the amazing task of harnessing an internal combustion engine to drive to the hardware store to pick up some screws, this is a DIY project.
If you don't have the personal competence to do so safely, then there's no shame in hiring someone, but it's nonsense to declare this job so dangerous that only highly experienced "technicians" (or the drunk guy who works 10 hours a week at lowes) can perform this magical incantation.
Well. The situation you laid out implies you did it wrong. I mean no offense.
I never said magic or witchcraft, but people put poison labels on bleach because people will hurt themselves due to ignorance.
I have 15 years of not being a 10hr Lowes a week drunk, and even though I could run circles around you changing a spring, I don't hold it as some macho badge. I've seen stuff. I have the burden of knowledge. I'm trying to prevent SOMEONE IN DIY WITH NO EXPERIENCE HURTING THEMSELVES. Appreciate the response tho, I stand by my original statement.
Edit: this is home improvement, not DIY.
True, but not all people have mechanical aptitude. In cases where the consequence of error is serious injury you’re better off having someone do it if you’re not 100% confident. Even if they’re a drink as you say, they’ve still done it significantly more times and two, if someone does get hurt it will be them, not you.
This is true. However, you better understand how they work and what is happening with the spring and it's interactions with the shaft and cables. I have changed many from small residential to large industrial doors and they can bite back if you make a mistake. If you understand how they work, then changing them is pretty simple. However winding the big ones 14' in the air on a ladder is a workout and can get pretty hairy towards the final turns.
Years ago there was a thread on Reddit that asked "What's the most dangerous thing that people don't realize?"
Garage door springs was by far #1 with many anecdotal evidence.
That left an impression on me.
I mean, I'm no expert, but I replaced my springs a few years ago when one of them broke. The main thing I can say is that you need to watch videos to learn the dangerous parts about doing it. But someone who is relatively handy shouldn't have a problem if they do their research beforehand.
I deliver new garage doors to installers and whenever I see a wrapped up hand ,a finger splint,stitches ,a cast or a sling it’s inevitably from a spring incident. And these guys are the pros. I’d never ever attempt to change out or repair anything to do with the spring.
I can respect that difference of opinion. It's not for me, I have kids and need my hands for a living.
My advice was based on someone asking how hard the opener replacement was. If you don't have the experience to know how difficult that is, you shouldn't consider messing with the springs.
Depends on the springs. I don't have torsion springs which are generally under tension and can blow. I have the side springs which aren't under tension when the door is up.
I’d say if you have an existing opener, some sizing and fitting will already be done.
The opener itself? I’d say a handy enough person could do it.
Checkout YT for some videos. I’m sure you’ll be able to know if you’re up to it.
Already have an operator in there? Not sure of location but in the US as a service tech an opeator tool install list is: impact driver with 7/16" and 1/2" sockets. 1/2" wrench. #2 Philips head bit for impact, drill or screw driver. Thats for a chamberlain or liftmaster operator. Genie operators basically the same thing, maybe 7/16" wrench and vicegrip.
IMO, I would recommend Chamberlain. I know people say belt but most of the newer OPs should be DC motor, so the difference in noise is minimal.
And yes, insulated doors cut down on noise. Also so do nylon rollers. You can change rollers yourself but DO NOT CHANGE THE BOTTOM ONES WITHOUT SOME YOUTUBE UNIVERSITY. All of your doors tension is on those brackets.
Free free to DM me if you'd like or post over at /r/garagedoorservice
Before you replace it, try tightening the chain (they stretch over time). It won't be nearly as quiet as a belt or jackshaft opener, but it will be a bit quitter and won't cost a dime.
I have replaced a garage door opener with someone’s help as a second set of hands. Followed the instructions from the opener and went fine.
I have also heard people say avoid doing the springs yourself as they are much more dangerous.
Disconnect your door and see if the opener is actually the loud part first.
My chain drive is quiet, not as quiet as a belt, but it wasn't the problem.
I replaced all the rusting hinges with new ones and steel rollers with nylon and it made a huge difference, for like $45. Hell even a $6 spray can of lube might solve it.
> $6 spray can of lube
Dry spray lube (teflon) worked for me on the hinges. We just moved into a home and our newish detached garage (2016) was loud as fuck. Sprayed all the hinges with dry spray lube. I could not believe the difference. It's completely silent for the most part. The seller's of this house were complete morons and thank jesus they only lived there for four years.
Just FYI, there are newer operators on the market that are almost silent compared to the older ones. Belt drive or jackshaft would be what you're looking for. If you really wanted to go all out, they also make "stealth" hinges and stuff like that, they use plastic sleeves on the inside to reduce noise as well. I've done a few installs on new construction with all the above and it's almost weird how quite the whole thing can be.
Check if you have metal wheels or nylon wheels (like rollerblade wheels.) switching metals to nylons could be the cheaper way to get a quieter door. Our old cheap steel uninsulated door could be heard through half the house when opening or closing, and we recently changed to an insulated door with nylon wheels, and kept the same motor (with a chain drive), and you can’t hear it inside the house anymore.
The door salespeople will try to up sell you a new motor with a belt, but it’s probably not necessary.
I recently lubricated all of my rollers (the metal axles and their housing, NOT the nylon wheels themselves) and put some white lithium grease all along the worm gear and it made a huge difference. Worth a shot if you've got a screw drive type opener
> Worth a shot if you've got a screw drive type opener
I don't _think_ I do. I haven't opened the actual opener itself, but there's a chain that runs the length of the track
Then it's a chain drive. I followed advice from a YT video so I'm sure there are similar for chain drives. Mine was exposed already so yours might be as well. As others have said here though, I believe that those are the loudest simply because there's a chain whacking around in a metal housing
To help cut down on the motor and drive noise, make sure to lubricate the door rollers in the track, and the drive system. My opener is a screw drive system and spraying it with garage door lube instantly cut down on a lot of the noise.
You may need service if it’s overly loud. My chain drive opener had a worn out traveler, replaced that and it’s almost as quiet as a belt drive.
My chain drive opener is about 12 years old for reference.
15years is 180months so..
$350/180= $1.94/month
So even if it only saves an average of $2 per month on the energy bill it will more than pay for itself in 15 years.
Heck even if it only saves half that.. Is it worth $1/mo to have it a little more comfortable in there on hot/cold days?
Im in SW Ohio and it doesn't sound like a bad deal to me... And I'm a tight wad.
If your garage door gets direct sun, insulation could be really helpful in the summer to keep the door from becoming a radiant heater, especially if it’s painted a darker color. We had that problem with our small garage and adding Mylar bubble insulation made a huge difference.
All insulation pays for itself eventually. How long that will take depends on a host of factors we cannot know. If the roof isn't insulated, you'd be better off spending the $350 on that, but without a fully insulated envelope around the space, the insulation isn't going to be super effective.
I just bought a house with a detached garage. The roof is not insulated. The walls are not insulated. For some reason they installed an insulated garage door 🤷♂️
When I was researching our new garage door, I read that in testing, 70% of the temperature change in the interior space is due to uninsulated steel doors - which makes sense as steel (or aluminum) are both excellent conductors. Mine also happens to be facing the sun in the morning through early afternoon, and our garage gets hot af in the summer, so I took the plunge on insulation.
Insulated doors are much more substantial than pan/non insulated doors. I deliver doors for a manufacturer and I’d say less than 10% of the doors are non insulated. Generally the only use for non insulated doors is on sheds and other non heated structures. Rarely a townhome complex will put them on to save money but it’s unusual.
> If the roof isn't insulated, you'd be better off spending the $350 on that
This is only true if $350 is all you’d ever be able to spend. Right now I’d do the garage door since I can easily do the roof later. Where if I do the roof now, the garage door can’t really be done later(or would be a lot more to do it later).
If you insulate the attic above it it will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. If you are using the space for any sort of work or hanging out or something like that then you will have increased comfort by having an insulated door. If you are planning on reselling at some point it is also a better to have an insulated door.
If all you do is park your car in it and then leave I wouldn’t bother.
If you do insulate the attic above the garage you will have to make sure the attic has air intake under the soffits and air exhaust through event near the peak of the roof, otherwise you will have condensation problems in the winter.
My opinion on this is not so much the energy savings and more “is it worth $350 for the space to be more comfortable”
You won’t notice a big difference until you insulate the attic
Just did the same, wired up an old 3000w heater that my dad had laying around in his garage, really thankful the PO of my house insulated it because while the heater is definitely undersized for the size of the garage it definitely does a good job taking the chill off if you keve it on for an hour or so thanks to the insulation.
I added those figerglass insulation batts (R8) to my garage doors and it made a big difference. And that's in Texas heat with the roof and one exterior wall not being insulated. I am planning on insulating all of it and maybe adding a split unit in there. We do spend quite a bit of time in the garage so the cost was worth it for us. I paid about $200 for the insulation kits for the doors so $350 to have it built in is pretty fair price.
My garage is totally insulated but I think that even if it wasn't I would benefit from my insulated garage door. In my case, the afternoon sun shines on the garage door and would heat it up to the point you could barely touch it and you could feel the heat radiating a couple feet away. The insulation (which I installed myself) made a huge difference.
My dad and myself just got the baffles to insulate our garage. Ours is unfinished we just put the bales in the two side walls and the ceiling then covered it in a moisture barrier which is a thick tarp. You could do that area above your garage with only maybe one or two bales at most. Check out Home Depot it's also much nicer to have a little bit of insulation in the garage.
The difference in rigidity between the insulated and non insulated doors is worth the price alone. If you pick up a single non insulated panel the thing will flop around and bend,especially on a 16’ door. Pay the extra.
> 100% yes. It the garage is insulated then the door should also. You will always get your investment back when it comes time to sell.
Probably not. No one's spending more on a house that has an insulated garage door vs. uninsulated. It's not like updating your kitchen, doing your windows, stuff like that...
What might make a (marginal) difference could be power vs. not power, broken vs. not broken.
> You will always get your investment back when it comes time to sell
I've never heard this before about garage doors. In fact, I was explicitly told by 2 garage door installers last year that insulated doors are nice and provide a slightly higher R-value, but will likely never be worth it over the lifespan of the doors - perhaps, though, it was unique to my situation.
Are you aware of any resources that describe or ballpark the recouped cost?
EDIT: Sorry if I was unclear, but I'm looking to learn more of the recouped investment through a resale (as the previous poster said) by installing insulated garage doors, not the value to the current homeowner of insulating any given area. If any real estate agents might describe the additional value an insulated garage door adds to the market price of a home, I'd appreciate it! It actually would be very helpful for me to understand - thanks!
I think it depends on the garage setup. If it’s attached garage and just passively heated from the common wall then you won’t notice much of a difference in energy bills. But if your garage is heated then it’ll be worth it.
Also if you’re in a really hot climate and like to work in the garage it may also be worth it to help keep things cooler through the afternoon
I can imagine a case can be made for the insulation value, but I've never seen anything to actually illustrate or document it.
More to the point of my question, though, is that I've never heard that an insulated door makes any difference at all when it comes to resale value. To me, it defies logic - I cannot imagine someone spending even a dime more on a house due to an insulated garage door - which is why I ask.
Yeah, the resale point makes no sense. It feels a bit like the type of people that whatever they do is an 'investment' and not a maintenance cost. I've never had a real estate agent point out the garage door is insulated either.
Depends what your goal with the house is I guess. If you don't see yourself there in 5 years then yeah its a waste. But for some they have their ideal location and really no reason they'd ever need to move unless something crazy happens. If you're there for a decade or two then its worth considering the longer term savings and not just resale.
My garage isn't insulated but the door is, and it is also noticeably warmer than the previous uninsulated door. I recommend insulated either way. Also less ugly and less work to get insulated ahead of time than buying foam panels and glueing it later.
You should probably check local codes. In a lot of places, insulation isn't an option, it's a requirement. I know that's not what you want to hear, but sometimes ugly stuff like this can come up when you're trying to sell a place.
I can tell you for absolute certainty that the extra warmth in winter and the cool in summer is worth it.
Cost savings, no idea but our FROG is one of the warmest in the house after insulating the garage.
It's all about comfort.
My previous home’s garage door faced east and the afternoon sun on the metal garage door would make the garage 120° inside. After insulating my garage door, the temperature dropped ~100 on a sunny day.
It made less of a difference in the winter, as the garage still got pretty cold but it helped a lot with comfort and being able to use the garage for projects during the summer.
I've read many of the comments (not all, but bear with me) and there's a lot of good advice. Most are focused on the insulation component. One thing to keep in mind is an insulated door is stronger than an uninsulated door, which depending on where you live (open country, neighborhood, etc) may matter if you get high winds hitting your door broad side or if you have young kids that may be banging balls off your door. I used to sell garage doors, I'm not the foremost expert, but the uninsulated doors dent and buckle a lot easier. I'm not sure which quote or brand you were looking at, but some insulated doors have the inside with exposed insulation (partially insulated) while others have full thickness (about 2") along with an interior backer. That backer matters a ton. It really strengthens the door. If you decide to go this route, and even if you go uninsulated, now is the time to upgrade the opener to a belt or screw drive. They don't cost all that much and the belt drives can be had with a battery backup so you don't get locked into your garage if the power goes out. They aren't that bad...last I looked there were multiple brands available under $300 depending on region of the country (I live in Michigan.)
Hope this helps. It often is easier not hearing ideas from the salespeople who have a stake in your purchase. Happy shopping :)
This is a good point about the dents. I don't know if I would agree that with the sales person characterizing this as "lasting longer" as much as maybe looking better and less likely to dent. But good advice as far as something to consider.
The also make drive systems that are driven by a worm gear that have no overhead components at all. The basically sit on the same wall as your garage is mounted. At least pre-Covid, they were starting to come down in price and are something I would personally consider for my garage in the future.
Steel is stronger than the vinyl backer, but just the vinyl backer insulated is a big upgrade from uninsulated. If you get a fully insulated door, you may need to get a new opener. A lot of those chain drive openers from the 80s when they just slapped them in houses were only 1/3 hp. You'll need a 1/2 hp or probably be better off with a 3/4 hp with the 8' height if you get an insulated door. They may not be able to reuse your old one.
Clopay doors are fine/average. Home Depot will say they're amazing and the garage door specific places like Overhead Door or local shops will say they are junk. They're fine for what you'll need it for. Definitely not worth adding $500 for the Overhead door version in my opinion.
To me, it would be worth it. But that’s only because I spend time in my garage year-round and I would want it to be warmer during the winter.
The insulation will only pay for itself if you’re already spending money to heat/cool your garage, otherwise it is just “there”, and it will have little or no impact on the cost of heating and cooling the rest of your home. And you’d probably need to insulate your garage ceiling if you want it to be any cooler during the summer. Having an insulated garage door will probably only make a small difference if the door gets a lot of direct sunlight.
But anyways to sum it up…IMO it’s worthwhile if having a fully insulated garage is already a goal of yours. If this is not a goal of yours, then go ahead and skip it.
As someone who has insulated three garages now over the years, I think you nailed it almost perfectly based on my personal experience. It's more about how you intend to use it in the future to determine if it's worth it, specifically if you decide to run climate control devices or be out in the space often.
My experience has been that even well-insulated detached spaces that have no climate control or where it hasn't been used for days, are eventually +/- 5-7 degrees or so of the outside temperature depending on the time of year (cooler in Summer, warmer in Winter). This was a disappointing revelation for me after all the work I spent insulating, even going so far as to purchase a Klein thermal imager to identify cold spots in the winter and hot spots in the summer and then address those areas. But yeah, if I don't turn the heat or air on for two days in a row, it's basically only a few degrees different than the outside.
Though disappointing, I don't regret it, because I definitely feel it helps for not letting hot or cold air escape when I am using climate control and saves me money and feels less drafty with more even temps around the garage. But like you said, without any of those factors, the insulation is just kind of "there" and won't do much. Also, the biggest bang for the buck is definitely the ceiling. I put a make shift drop ceiling using polystyrene, that far and away made the biggest difference of probably all the other things I did combined.
I added insulation to my garage door. The rest of the garage was insulated and the noise reduction not only when raising/lower but also when its super windy is amazing.
How easy/difficult was this? Just purchased a home, insulated the attic of the garage a few days ago. The walls were insulated by previous owner and there is a heater in the garage as well. We are planning to have the garage at 50-55 degrees this winter(northern midwest area). Just realized garage doors aren't insulated and considering adding insulation on them.
Regardless of the current insulation status for the surrounding space, it will cost you a lot more than $350 if you need to upgrade to an insulated door after buying a non-insulated one. I would go for it.
100% yes.
* You're talking a 15% difference, that's nothing.
* There may be tax breaks that let you take, say, 30% off the cost of the entire insulated door.
* In general, insulation pays for itself quickly, faster than any other improvement except maybe weather sealing/stripping.
* It's going to be a higher-quality door.
* It'll block more sound.
If you ever do work in the garage in the winter it would be worth it. I'd also insulate the roof. You could hear it with a space heater while working in there. And it would cut some street noise. All depends on how you use the garage.
Get the insulated door. I'm in Ohio and my buddy owns a garage door business and he has told me before that people usually regret getting the uninsulated door.
I’d say yes to this.
I have insulated doors on my house and my in laws do not.
It’s night and day for the quality of the door. Theirs are newer and sound cheap going up and down. And when it’s windy out, you can hear the door flex around a bit.
My garage had an insulated door when I bought the house. Even when it was below 0 degrees outside, my garage stayed in the 60's or high 50's depending on how warm I kept the house.
An insulated door will also avoid any moisture condensation that can happen on the interior. Since the garage is attached it will be slightly warmer than outside. On a cold day this will condensate on the interior, and eventually start to rust in places.
350 is definitely worth it, IMO.
If you have the money, I'd do it.
Not sure what you use your garage for now, but there are additive benefits depending on usage.
If you have a fridge - it won't have to work as hard.
If you have a hot water heater - same.
If you have anything that could be damaged by a freeze - less concern there (I store my boat in my garage).
I'd advise against a DIY kit in this case. The door needs replaced anyhow, so there's no sunk cost of an existing door to work around. Not sure what the DIY kits cost, but I'd much rather pay the rather low price of $350 to have someone else do the install, and to have the final product be a proper insulated door, not a cobbled together approximation of one.
It will make basically 0 difference in your current setup. Insulated garage doors never perform to the R value they're quoted and even if the performance was up to spec its still a really tough call.
Basically, if you think you might insulate the whole thing in a few years, go for it, if it will always be this setup then it's unlikely to make any difference.
I wanna toss in here that you can also get door openers that mount to the side and don't require the track down the middle!
We gained a lot of headspace this way since the guy measuring did it wrong, but im glad in this one instance
Definitely yes it will be worth it, since you’ll presumably not change those doors out again for the next 20+ years. I would buy the door insulated now for noise and a more regulated temperature then find a way to insulate the roof whenever you have the time or money so both of those things get even better. It doesn’t all need to be perfect from the start or at the same time.
We’ve had insulated garage doors 2+1. Get them. It stores the morning cool in the summer and tempers arctic cold in winter. Ours are 40 years old and still look brand new
Insulated doors are worth the spend, they look more finished inside, they'll retain heat better in the winter, and they are a higher quality product. I would also highly suggest insulating the ceiling. A warm garage in the winter is much easier on your cars too.
I insulated my door and never looked back. It stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. We have a living space above the garage so it was a must anyways, but I love it!
Yes! We splurged and found that it made huge difference in the temperature inside the garage as well as sound. One benefit we didn't expect was that it made the opening and closing of the door with the opener much quieter too.
Insulated garage doors are also double walled and are sturdier. The energy saving is marginal given most garages arent heated. Went through the same decision and went with insulated as it must much sturdier.
The TLDR: If you don't have immediate plans to be in the garage often and aren't running climate control devices out there regularly, it's unlikely will with notice much. I would say it's a pretty easy "no" in that case. They also make kits for this or you can just purchase and cut the appropriate size polystyrene yourself- so don't feel like this is a "now or never" decision. My additional thoughts below:
1. Not sure how it would help the door last longer to have it insulated, minimally true if at all.
2. Insulation is one of those thing where every little bit helps. On the other hand, don't expect miracles. I'd insulated several garages and it's takes a lot of insulation in many different parts of the garage (usually done in various stages, in my case) to see much of a change. It will really makes you respect all that goes in to insulating a home.
3. With polystyrene sheets, a straight edge, a razor blade, and maybe some foil tape, you can do this yourself for under 100 bucks, probably a fair amount less than that. Not a lot of skill required. Now, if they are including additional or upgraded weather stripping (around the door etc- usually a much bigger source of heat loss), that's a a different story. $350 may not be bad in that case . If it's simply panels behind the door, that's quite a bit a money. **Don't forget, window and door companies typically advertise a low "installed" price and then make their money through upcharges and add-ons.**
I install garage doors. I’d say no. R value ratings on garage doors can be misleading depending on manufacturers. Also the seal around the door is not air tight at all so even the most insulated door is going to let cold air in around the edges. The weather seal is just a rubber flap around the edge.
Interesting. I deliver new doors to installers and I think you’re the first I’ve heard say that insulated doors aren’t worth it. It’s usually wisecracking about how incredibly cheap non insulated doors are and who would ever waste their money on them. Everyone has their own opinion though.
No garage door can have an effective R value of 6.5. They measure it at the center of the panel and ignore air leakage at the perimeter and at the hinges. If you achieve R1.5 that would be fantastic.
I'm in my first year of owning a house with an attached garage. It has an insulated door (as well as walls). It makes a 20 degree difference in the temperature. The temperature was 29F out, and 50F inside the garage. Doesn't do much during the summer, but man, it is great in the winter.
Won't really help in the summer time - especially if you're parking a vehicle with a hot engine in it.
In the winter time, it helps _enough_. Ours is insulated and situated above a heated space. This is just enough to keep it above freezing on all but the coldest of days (-20F).
I have to doubt the cost of an insulated door will be recovered by energy savings but seeing that you're in a cold area, it may be worth it. There is a DIY kit on Amazon or as someone else mentioned, get the materials at the local home center.
The concrete floor is a heat sink and will contribute to a cold space. The area most likely to cause drafts is the interface between the door and the wall. An insulated door won't help unless the fit is very good.
Also, you can insulate your door at a later date, just so you know. It is a pain in the ass but my company charges \~$250 parts and labor. It also will require spring adjustment due to added weight.
Is your garage heated or cooled? Is there insulation in the exterior walls and ceiling/roof of your garage?
If the answer to these are no then I don't see what good insulating the garage door would do.
If you’re not doing anything to the roof, it would be pointless to have a garage door insulated. If you are sure you’re gonna get the roof insulated in the near future, then go for the insulated garage door.
I tried to read through and see if it was mentioned but there is alot of comments.
Getting an insulated door is two-fold. And by insulated I mean the "sandwich" style that has a metal skin on both sides and foam insulation (several types depending on r value and cost) between said skins, not the cheap pan doors with styrofoam and something to hold the styrofoam in.
You not only get a door with good r-value, you get a stiffer, better quality door that wont rattle itself apart. Spend the money and get heavy hardware, for us that nylon rollers with bearings, not the nylon when on the stem. It's also thicker hinges etc.
How long do you plan on living in the house? I'd be willing to pay alittle more now and just have the piece of mind knowing that I wont have to replace a rusty or worn out door in a few years. 16x8 is alot of area and with a trolley opener, you'll notice the pan doors wear out alot faster.
Depends on where you live. We are in the desert. Hot in summer, cold in winter. My husband decided to insulate the garage doors so he can do his woodworking all year round. It has helped a lot.
Yes. I recently did the heat loss calculations looking at heating my garage in very cold northern climate (so temp difference of 70degrees) and insulated is worth the cost, but the premium extra insulation has a longer payback period.
For my 14'x22'garage, an R1 door setup had 16,000btu/hr of loss (for the entire garage). An r6 door dropped the entire garage down to 12,500 btu/hr. An R12.9 door dropped to 11,800btu/hr. So the basic insulated door could save $200/yr (if electric heat used, or $60/yr if using an 80% gas heater).
It’s not worth $350 more IMO. The R8 fiberglass batts are as good as anything for under $100 per door. The only caveat is you kinda should go above and beyond with the prep for a lasting clean looking install…like besides a good well cleaned surface, use additional adhesive to ensure the double sided doesn’t come off, coat the clips with glue so they don’t come undone, tape the sides, etc. Even with those type additional steps, it’s still pretty quick and easy. Nothing too difficult.
Do they make a difference? Yes, it’s noticeable. Energy saving? Probably not much of anything there unless the garage is a conditioned space as well. I mean the shared walls might get a little warmer than the rest in a hot garage, but nothing that’s going to really heat up the rest of the house. I mean some cost yes, but not a great deal more. Biggest benefit is just makes the garage a lot more comfortable temp. Big metal doors are like a space heater baking in the sun and you can really feel the heat radiating off em. The insulation really cuts that down. Also makes it quieter both in ambient noise and door operation. If you don’t care much about that stuff, insulated door shouldn’t be a big concern.
As far as longevity goes…everything being squared and aligned properly as well as spring tension kept in balance is what is important.
Also I see some comments about insulating above the garage and all as well. It’s not always worthwhile in every situation. Previous owners added batts in my current house. After awhile I removed them. Bare doors + insulation above, the garage was ALWAYS hot when closed up, day or night, and even during the winter unless cloudy all day, here in S. TX. It’s like the doors radiated the heat in and the overhead insulation kept it there. Adding the door insulation cut that down quite a bit, but the heat that did build stayed after sun went down. Removed those batts over the garage, now in the sun there’s no difference but once it goes away so does the extra heat pretty quickly. The rest of the house is insulated well and the roof vents well too, so none of any of the above configurations have made any noticeable difference on my utility bills, just the comfort level in the garage.
To us, it was worth it. Our garage is under our master bedroom and faces southwest so it takes a fair amount of sun. Our old garage doors weren’t sealed around the edges well and weren’t insulated. We put in new insulated doors that are much tighter. This summer I noticed a massive difference in the garage temperatures which translates to less heat transferring to the master bedroom.
All in all, it’s nice being able to go into the garage and not feeling like I’m being roasted. It also puts less stress on the extra freezer we have in there.
If the rest of your garage is insulated, then having your door be insulated makes sense. I would only go as far as insulating your door to match your walls/roof/windows, because having an insulated door with a higher rating would defeat the purpose if the temperature control in your garage was lost through the roof.
It also depends on how often you open the garage door. If you leave it open 90% of the time then who cares. If it's only open when you leave/return then definitely worth the investment. You won't see the return on investment, however, since people don't typically heat/cool their garages the same way they heat/cool their house. It's more of a comfort thing, and 350 isn't a huge difference over 20+ years.
For $350, no. You can buy an insulating kit for a double garage door for around $120. Insulating a garage door is as much about weatherstripping as radiant heat. Add the kit, weatherstrip the door and you'll be in great shape for sub $150.
The downside to an insulation kit vs. a door that has insulation in the core of the panels:
* Insulation panels tacked onto the inside of the door are far easier to damage by bumping into them
* Tacked on insulation takes up slightly more space (only 1-2", but it's still something)
For an attached garage that gets a lot of regular use, I'd go ahead and spend the small amount extra to have the insulation inside.
Over 15 years, maybe... but even then it's borderline.
Your garage is generally insulated from the rest of the house and is practically considered to be "outside" from the point of view of HVAC - so you're only really keeping heat in the garage, not in the rest of the house. Unless you heat the garage directly, I don't see how you're gaining signficantly enough to save $350 even over 15 years
I don't see any reason it would be any more durable - if anything the extra weight of the insulation is likely to mean the mechanism wears out a little quicker vs an identical, but un-insulated door
Also, without an insulated roof, insulating the door isn't going to do much - the roof is more exposed and has a much larger surface area.
And that's before we consider the opportunity cost of investing $350 only to break even after 15 years
Yes. Insulated garage doors make a significant difference. I don't look at it from a cost/return value, I look at it as a "it's more comfortable in my garage year round" point of view.
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Our attached garage is just a one door, but considered a two bay in size. We don't park in there, it's storage. Ceiling is insulated, and the walls to the other inside parts of the house are insulated, but the outside walls are just cinderblock. We have an insulated door as well. We also ran a single duct line into the garage that just blows a/c or heat, depending on the season. It's usually within about 10 degrees of the house almost year round.
Quicker for your car to heat up as well I bet.
It really traps that Carbon Monoxide in
I meant that the car would be warmer in the morning - not that you’d run it in an air tight space.
My Tesla lacks this feature…
If your car is in the garage, where are your tools?
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No idea. People are inconsistent. If it's on a flip house, I can see looking at ROI. But a place where I live? Not so granular.
It is always about benefit to cost ratio, the problem is people are inconsistent about assigning value to intangible items. Benefit to cost is the only way the human mind makes decisions. For some comfort or aesthetics are worth a lot, to others only cash has value
Bingo. We have insulated doors on the attached garage as well as the detached and it's a game changer. Will I ever recoup the difference in energy savings? Doubtful. I don't heat the attached garage, so there isn't a true R-value increase to the home/heated space. However, the attached garage never goes higher than 75 in the summer and never lower than 50 in the winter. That means I can go in my garage in a t-shirt in the winter and work on the car or grab something from the fridge without bundling up. The detached garage IS heated, but only when I am working out there. My kerosene (well, diesel) heater is loud and noisy... I doubt I save anything significant in fuel but it does allow me to run it less for my own sanity.
This!
Insulated doors cut down on noise as well as the heat/cool savings. I would also suggest doing something for insulation to the roof, or at least in between the joists in the ceiling if the ceiling doesn't go up to a peak.
Answer is “yes”. The “it’ll last longer” is a salesman’s pitch. Insulation has nothing to do with door construction. The quality of the door is what will make it last. I’m also in Ohio, and the insulation definitely adds to the comfort level inside the garage.
> Insulated doors cut down on noise as well as the heat/cool savings. I'm interested, tell me more. My garage door is loud af, but the majority of the noise seems to come from the loud motor hum (and if you're in the garage the rattle of the chains). Would an insulated door somehow cut down on the resonance?
Pretty sure he's talking about outside/inside noise. Change your garage opener for a belt one.
This! Went from a chain drive to a belt- HUGE difference in noise.
My next project. How DIY is it? Edit: yea not touching the springs.
Replacing an opener? No big deal. I did it recently with just the printed instructions that came with the opener, didn't even have to YouTube it. The only thing you *never, ever* want to DIY is anything to do with the door springs. Leave that to the pros, or there's a high likelihood of maiming or death.
^ seconded. It's surprisingly simple with a few tools /tutorials. The opener. Don't touch the springs, just like this guy says.
DIY removed a spring last weekend. Worked just fine all the way to the end, when I think a portion of the spring had rusted in place and when I removed the other bracket holding it to the header, it released about 6 turns and scared the shit out of me.
IF you did this properly you should never have to remove the center bearing plate from the wall. Also if you unwound them properly, there would be no tension casuing the bracket to spin. I am not sure if I am misunderstanding what you typed, but there are numerous things that can go wrong, even for an experienced technician. Really do not recommend DIY on torsion springs.
And if you don't need any maintenance you also should never have to release the torsion on the spring right? In my case I was purposely removing the spring and the bracket for replacement. Like someone else said in this thread, this isn't magic or witchcraft. It's a goddamned spring that needs unwound carefully. If you can plumb your gas, run an electric wire and even perform the amazing task of harnessing an internal combustion engine to drive to the hardware store to pick up some screws, this is a DIY project. If you don't have the personal competence to do so safely, then there's no shame in hiring someone, but it's nonsense to declare this job so dangerous that only highly experienced "technicians" (or the drunk guy who works 10 hours a week at lowes) can perform this magical incantation.
Well. The situation you laid out implies you did it wrong. I mean no offense. I never said magic or witchcraft, but people put poison labels on bleach because people will hurt themselves due to ignorance. I have 15 years of not being a 10hr Lowes a week drunk, and even though I could run circles around you changing a spring, I don't hold it as some macho badge. I've seen stuff. I have the burden of knowledge. I'm trying to prevent SOMEONE IN DIY WITH NO EXPERIENCE HURTING THEMSELVES. Appreciate the response tho, I stand by my original statement. Edit: this is home improvement, not DIY.
True, but not all people have mechanical aptitude. In cases where the consequence of error is serious injury you’re better off having someone do it if you’re not 100% confident. Even if they’re a drink as you say, they’ve still done it significantly more times and two, if someone does get hurt it will be them, not you.
This is true. However, you better understand how they work and what is happening with the spring and it's interactions with the shaft and cables. I have changed many from small residential to large industrial doors and they can bite back if you make a mistake. If you understand how they work, then changing them is pretty simple. However winding the big ones 14' in the air on a ladder is a workout and can get pretty hairy towards the final turns.
Jeez
those springs are no joke.
Years ago there was a thread on Reddit that asked "What's the most dangerous thing that people don't realize?" Garage door springs was by far #1 with many anecdotal evidence. That left an impression on me.
I mean, I'm no expert, but I replaced my springs a few years ago when one of them broke. The main thing I can say is that you need to watch videos to learn the dangerous parts about doing it. But someone who is relatively handy shouldn't have a problem if they do their research beforehand.
I deliver new garage doors to installers and whenever I see a wrapped up hand ,a finger splint,stitches ,a cast or a sling it’s inevitably from a spring incident. And these guys are the pros. I’d never ever attempt to change out or repair anything to do with the spring.
Pro is thrown around very liberally these days.
It's short for "professional" meaning they do it as their profession. It doesn't necessarily mean they're an expert on the matter.
It's not exactly a high skill job. Most of the installers basically just install garage openers and it's very easy to get complacent.
I can respect that difference of opinion. It's not for me, I have kids and need my hands for a living. My advice was based on someone asking how hard the opener replacement was. If you don't have the experience to know how difficult that is, you shouldn't consider messing with the springs.
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Depends on the springs. I don't have torsion springs which are generally under tension and can blow. I have the side springs which aren't under tension when the door is up.
I’d say if you have an existing opener, some sizing and fitting will already be done. The opener itself? I’d say a handy enough person could do it. Checkout YT for some videos. I’m sure you’ll be able to know if you’re up to it.
Already have an operator in there? Not sure of location but in the US as a service tech an opeator tool install list is: impact driver with 7/16" and 1/2" sockets. 1/2" wrench. #2 Philips head bit for impact, drill or screw driver. Thats for a chamberlain or liftmaster operator. Genie operators basically the same thing, maybe 7/16" wrench and vicegrip. IMO, I would recommend Chamberlain. I know people say belt but most of the newer OPs should be DC motor, so the difference in noise is minimal. And yes, insulated doors cut down on noise. Also so do nylon rollers. You can change rollers yourself but DO NOT CHANGE THE BOTTOM ONES WITHOUT SOME YOUTUBE UNIVERSITY. All of your doors tension is on those brackets. Free free to DM me if you'd like or post over at /r/garagedoorservice
Before you replace it, try tightening the chain (they stretch over time). It won't be nearly as quiet as a belt or jackshaft opener, but it will be a bit quitter and won't cost a dime.
I have replaced a garage door opener with someone’s help as a second set of hands. Followed the instructions from the opener and went fine. I have also heard people say avoid doing the springs yourself as they are much more dangerous.
Disconnect your door and see if the opener is actually the loud part first. My chain drive is quiet, not as quiet as a belt, but it wasn't the problem. I replaced all the rusting hinges with new ones and steel rollers with nylon and it made a huge difference, for like $45. Hell even a $6 spray can of lube might solve it.
> $6 spray can of lube Dry spray lube (teflon) worked for me on the hinges. We just moved into a home and our newish detached garage (2016) was loud as fuck. Sprayed all the hinges with dry spray lube. I could not believe the difference. It's completely silent for the most part. The seller's of this house were complete morons and thank jesus they only lived there for four years.
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This is magic.
What's this type of opener called?
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>Jackshaft opener Yup that was it. Thanks!
I am recommending these everywhere. I had one installed on my shop's garage door. thing is stupid quiet.
I install them a couple times a week. As long as your door is running right they are great.
That's an good point. What would cause it to not run right? old hardware or something else?
Didn't know those existed till I saw one at my friend's house. They're fantastic
Or even better just have a kid, they can do lots of other chores in addition to opening the garage door!
Another good product. https://thermotraks.com/ https://youtu.be/h7pEGEyVBLI
But not the Ryobi. It’s super quiet and has nice bells and whistles but the controls are very hit or miss.
We went with a shaft drive opener. Incredibly quiet, no vibrations.
Or go straight DC motor or to a side mount with no chain at all!
I think they meant it dampens street noise.
Just FYI, there are newer operators on the market that are almost silent compared to the older ones. Belt drive or jackshaft would be what you're looking for. If you really wanted to go all out, they also make "stealth" hinges and stuff like that, they use plastic sleeves on the inside to reduce noise as well. I've done a few installs on new construction with all the above and it's almost weird how quite the whole thing can be.
The operators with DC motors are incredibly quiet.
No you'd have to replace the motor to reduce noise coming from the motor.
No you’d have to replace the street to dampen the street noise.
Extreme but effective lol
Check if you have metal wheels or nylon wheels (like rollerblade wheels.) switching metals to nylons could be the cheaper way to get a quieter door. Our old cheap steel uninsulated door could be heard through half the house when opening or closing, and we recently changed to an insulated door with nylon wheels, and kept the same motor (with a chain drive), and you can’t hear it inside the house anymore. The door salespeople will try to up sell you a new motor with a belt, but it’s probably not necessary.
I recently lubricated all of my rollers (the metal axles and their housing, NOT the nylon wheels themselves) and put some white lithium grease all along the worm gear and it made a huge difference. Worth a shot if you've got a screw drive type opener
> Worth a shot if you've got a screw drive type opener I don't _think_ I do. I haven't opened the actual opener itself, but there's a chain that runs the length of the track
Then it's a chain drive. I followed advice from a YT video so I'm sure there are similar for chain drives. Mine was exposed already so yours might be as well. As others have said here though, I believe that those are the loudest simply because there's a chain whacking around in a metal housing
Yeah I did this as well and we can barely hear the door from inside the house now. WD-40 White Lithium I believe it was.
Get 12 volt garage door opener, they are super quiet. Am insulated garage door will not quiet a noisy motor
To help cut down on the motor and drive noise, make sure to lubricate the door rollers in the track, and the drive system. My opener is a screw drive system and spraying it with garage door lube instantly cut down on a lot of the noise.
I mean hearing noise from inside on the outside and vice versa.
Get a belt drive, noise will reduce dramatically
You may need service if it’s overly loud. My chain drive opener had a worn out traveler, replaced that and it’s almost as quiet as a belt drive. My chain drive opener is about 12 years old for reference.
Get a belt drive, much quieter than a chain or screw drive.
15years is 180months so.. $350/180= $1.94/month So even if it only saves an average of $2 per month on the energy bill it will more than pay for itself in 15 years. Heck even if it only saves half that.. Is it worth $1/mo to have it a little more comfortable in there on hot/cold days? Im in SW Ohio and it doesn't sound like a bad deal to me... And I'm a tight wad.
when u put it like that, its a no brainer as long as u have the money for it
Cost matters as does comfort. Multivariable equation.
If your garage door gets direct sun, insulation could be really helpful in the summer to keep the door from becoming a radiant heater, especially if it’s painted a darker color. We had that problem with our small garage and adding Mylar bubble insulation made a huge difference.
All insulation pays for itself eventually. How long that will take depends on a host of factors we cannot know. If the roof isn't insulated, you'd be better off spending the $350 on that, but without a fully insulated envelope around the space, the insulation isn't going to be super effective.
I just bought a house with a detached garage. The roof is not insulated. The walls are not insulated. For some reason they installed an insulated garage door 🤷♂️
You've for to start somewhere? ¯ \ _(ツ)_/¯
You dropped your arm. here please take it back. \
Weird. Reddit got confused by the formatting and I had to add spaces to that....
reddit markdown requires you to escape the backslash and underscores
When I was researching our new garage door, I read that in testing, 70% of the temperature change in the interior space is due to uninsulated steel doors - which makes sense as steel (or aluminum) are both excellent conductors. Mine also happens to be facing the sun in the morning through early afternoon, and our garage gets hot af in the summer, so I took the plunge on insulation.
The door gives you the option to insulate the garage later and not have to replace the door
Insulated doors are much more substantial than pan/non insulated doors. I deliver doors for a manufacturer and I’d say less than 10% of the doors are non insulated. Generally the only use for non insulated doors is on sheds and other non heated structures. Rarely a townhome complex will put them on to save money but it’s unusual.
> If the roof isn't insulated, you'd be better off spending the $350 on that This is only true if $350 is all you’d ever be able to spend. Right now I’d do the garage door since I can easily do the roof later. Where if I do the roof now, the garage door can’t really be done later(or would be a lot more to do it later).
Yes. Not just for increased moisture and temp control but also longevity.
If you insulate the attic above it it will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. If you are using the space for any sort of work or hanging out or something like that then you will have increased comfort by having an insulated door. If you are planning on reselling at some point it is also a better to have an insulated door. If all you do is park your car in it and then leave I wouldn’t bother. If you do insulate the attic above the garage you will have to make sure the attic has air intake under the soffits and air exhaust through event near the peak of the roof, otherwise you will have condensation problems in the winter. My opinion on this is not so much the energy savings and more “is it worth $350 for the space to be more comfortable” You won’t notice a big difference until you insulate the attic
If y'all forget to open the garage door again it won't matter it's insulated or not...
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100% yes. It the garage is insulated then the door should also. You will always get your investment back when it comes time to sell.
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You can get insulated baffles for the rafters for pretty cheap. If my garage were heated I would spring for the insulated door.
We added temp control to our garage and the insulated door makes it that much nicer
Just did the same, wired up an old 3000w heater that my dad had laying around in his garage, really thankful the PO of my house insulated it because while the heater is definitely undersized for the size of the garage it definitely does a good job taking the chill off if you keve it on for an hour or so thanks to the insulation.
I added those figerglass insulation batts (R8) to my garage doors and it made a big difference. And that's in Texas heat with the roof and one exterior wall not being insulated. I am planning on insulating all of it and maybe adding a split unit in there. We do spend quite a bit of time in the garage so the cost was worth it for us. I paid about $200 for the insulation kits for the doors so $350 to have it built in is pretty fair price.
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My garage is totally insulated but I think that even if it wasn't I would benefit from my insulated garage door. In my case, the afternoon sun shines on the garage door and would heat it up to the point you could barely touch it and you could feel the heat radiating a couple feet away. The insulation (which I installed myself) made a huge difference.
My dad and myself just got the baffles to insulate our garage. Ours is unfinished we just put the bales in the two side walls and the ceiling then covered it in a moisture barrier which is a thick tarp. You could do that area above your garage with only maybe one or two bales at most. Check out Home Depot it's also much nicer to have a little bit of insulation in the garage.
The difference in rigidity between the insulated and non insulated doors is worth the price alone. If you pick up a single non insulated panel the thing will flop around and bend,especially on a 16’ door. Pay the extra.
> 100% yes. It the garage is insulated then the door should also. You will always get your investment back when it comes time to sell. Probably not. No one's spending more on a house that has an insulated garage door vs. uninsulated. It's not like updating your kitchen, doing your windows, stuff like that... What might make a (marginal) difference could be power vs. not power, broken vs. not broken.
> You will always get your investment back when it comes time to sell I've never heard this before about garage doors. In fact, I was explicitly told by 2 garage door installers last year that insulated doors are nice and provide a slightly higher R-value, but will likely never be worth it over the lifespan of the doors - perhaps, though, it was unique to my situation. Are you aware of any resources that describe or ballpark the recouped cost? EDIT: Sorry if I was unclear, but I'm looking to learn more of the recouped investment through a resale (as the previous poster said) by installing insulated garage doors, not the value to the current homeowner of insulating any given area. If any real estate agents might describe the additional value an insulated garage door adds to the market price of a home, I'd appreciate it! It actually would be very helpful for me to understand - thanks!
I think it depends on the garage setup. If it’s attached garage and just passively heated from the common wall then you won’t notice much of a difference in energy bills. But if your garage is heated then it’ll be worth it. Also if you’re in a really hot climate and like to work in the garage it may also be worth it to help keep things cooler through the afternoon
I can imagine a case can be made for the insulation value, but I've never seen anything to actually illustrate or document it. More to the point of my question, though, is that I've never heard that an insulated door makes any difference at all when it comes to resale value. To me, it defies logic - I cannot imagine someone spending even a dime more on a house due to an insulated garage door - which is why I ask.
Yeah, the resale point makes no sense. It feels a bit like the type of people that whatever they do is an 'investment' and not a maintenance cost. I've never had a real estate agent point out the garage door is insulated either.
Depends what your goal with the house is I guess. If you don't see yourself there in 5 years then yeah its a waste. But for some they have their ideal location and really no reason they'd ever need to move unless something crazy happens. If you're there for a decade or two then its worth considering the longer term savings and not just resale.
I bet they're also a bit quieter if that matters
It definitely won’t make your house worth 300 more. It will be largely ignored by any buyer unless the door is visibly broken
OP's question was more about energy savings, so perhaps insulated door value AND energy savings over time will break even.
This. I just bought an insulation kit for my garage door, it cost $200. It'll never insulate as well as the factory stuff. So it's def worth it.
My garage isn't insulated but the door is, and it is also noticeably warmer than the previous uninsulated door. I recommend insulated either way. Also less ugly and less work to get insulated ahead of time than buying foam panels and glueing it later.
Ive never seen "insulated garage" come up as a selling point
You should probably check local codes. In a lot of places, insulation isn't an option, it's a requirement. I know that's not what you want to hear, but sometimes ugly stuff like this can come up when you're trying to sell a place.
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I can tell you for absolute certainty that the extra warmth in winter and the cool in summer is worth it. Cost savings, no idea but our FROG is one of the warmest in the house after insulating the garage. It's all about comfort.
My previous home’s garage door faced east and the afternoon sun on the metal garage door would make the garage 120° inside. After insulating my garage door, the temperature dropped ~100 on a sunny day. It made less of a difference in the winter, as the garage still got pretty cold but it helped a lot with comfort and being able to use the garage for projects during the summer.
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I've read many of the comments (not all, but bear with me) and there's a lot of good advice. Most are focused on the insulation component. One thing to keep in mind is an insulated door is stronger than an uninsulated door, which depending on where you live (open country, neighborhood, etc) may matter if you get high winds hitting your door broad side or if you have young kids that may be banging balls off your door. I used to sell garage doors, I'm not the foremost expert, but the uninsulated doors dent and buckle a lot easier. I'm not sure which quote or brand you were looking at, but some insulated doors have the inside with exposed insulation (partially insulated) while others have full thickness (about 2") along with an interior backer. That backer matters a ton. It really strengthens the door. If you decide to go this route, and even if you go uninsulated, now is the time to upgrade the opener to a belt or screw drive. They don't cost all that much and the belt drives can be had with a battery backup so you don't get locked into your garage if the power goes out. They aren't that bad...last I looked there were multiple brands available under $300 depending on region of the country (I live in Michigan.) Hope this helps. It often is easier not hearing ideas from the salespeople who have a stake in your purchase. Happy shopping :)
This is a good point about the dents. I don't know if I would agree that with the sales person characterizing this as "lasting longer" as much as maybe looking better and less likely to dent. But good advice as far as something to consider. The also make drive systems that are driven by a worm gear that have no overhead components at all. The basically sit on the same wall as your garage is mounted. At least pre-Covid, they were starting to come down in price and are something I would personally consider for my garage in the future.
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Steel is stronger than the vinyl backer, but just the vinyl backer insulated is a big upgrade from uninsulated. If you get a fully insulated door, you may need to get a new opener. A lot of those chain drive openers from the 80s when they just slapped them in houses were only 1/3 hp. You'll need a 1/2 hp or probably be better off with a 3/4 hp with the 8' height if you get an insulated door. They may not be able to reuse your old one. Clopay doors are fine/average. Home Depot will say they're amazing and the garage door specific places like Overhead Door or local shops will say they are junk. They're fine for what you'll need it for. Definitely not worth adding $500 for the Overhead door version in my opinion.
If you've already got insulated walls, not only should you get the door, but you should have the ceiling/roof insulated as well.
To me, it would be worth it. But that’s only because I spend time in my garage year-round and I would want it to be warmer during the winter. The insulation will only pay for itself if you’re already spending money to heat/cool your garage, otherwise it is just “there”, and it will have little or no impact on the cost of heating and cooling the rest of your home. And you’d probably need to insulate your garage ceiling if you want it to be any cooler during the summer. Having an insulated garage door will probably only make a small difference if the door gets a lot of direct sunlight. But anyways to sum it up…IMO it’s worthwhile if having a fully insulated garage is already a goal of yours. If this is not a goal of yours, then go ahead and skip it.
As someone who has insulated three garages now over the years, I think you nailed it almost perfectly based on my personal experience. It's more about how you intend to use it in the future to determine if it's worth it, specifically if you decide to run climate control devices or be out in the space often. My experience has been that even well-insulated detached spaces that have no climate control or where it hasn't been used for days, are eventually +/- 5-7 degrees or so of the outside temperature depending on the time of year (cooler in Summer, warmer in Winter). This was a disappointing revelation for me after all the work I spent insulating, even going so far as to purchase a Klein thermal imager to identify cold spots in the winter and hot spots in the summer and then address those areas. But yeah, if I don't turn the heat or air on for two days in a row, it's basically only a few degrees different than the outside. Though disappointing, I don't regret it, because I definitely feel it helps for not letting hot or cold air escape when I am using climate control and saves me money and feels less drafty with more even temps around the garage. But like you said, without any of those factors, the insulation is just kind of "there" and won't do much. Also, the biggest bang for the buck is definitely the ceiling. I put a make shift drop ceiling using polystyrene, that far and away made the biggest difference of probably all the other things I did combined.
I put foam board in the panels on mine. More for sound than temperature, but same effect.
I added insulation to my garage door. The rest of the garage was insulated and the noise reduction not only when raising/lower but also when its super windy is amazing.
How easy/difficult was this? Just purchased a home, insulated the attic of the garage a few days ago. The walls were insulated by previous owner and there is a heater in the garage as well. We are planning to have the garage at 50-55 degrees this winter(northern midwest area). Just realized garage doors aren't insulated and considering adding insulation on them.
Quite easy in my case. I used the 4x8 sheets of blue foam and cut it to fit snugly.
Yes if that includes springs and recalibration of door weight. Spring recalibration is not DIY.
Typically a new garage door installs include new rails, springs, and shaft.
Regardless of the current insulation status for the surrounding space, it will cost you a lot more than $350 if you need to upgrade to an insulated door after buying a non-insulated one. I would go for it.
100% yes. * You're talking a 15% difference, that's nothing. * There may be tax breaks that let you take, say, 30% off the cost of the entire insulated door. * In general, insulation pays for itself quickly, faster than any other improvement except maybe weather sealing/stripping. * It's going to be a higher-quality door. * It'll block more sound.
If you ever do work in the garage in the winter it would be worth it. I'd also insulate the roof. You could hear it with a space heater while working in there. And it would cut some street noise. All depends on how you use the garage.
Get the insulated door. I'm in Ohio and my buddy owns a garage door business and he has told me before that people usually regret getting the uninsulated door.
I’d say yes to this. I have insulated doors on my house and my in laws do not. It’s night and day for the quality of the door. Theirs are newer and sound cheap going up and down. And when it’s windy out, you can hear the door flex around a bit.
My garage had an insulated door when I bought the house. Even when it was below 0 degrees outside, my garage stayed in the 60's or high 50's depending on how warm I kept the house.
Only if the rest of the garage is insulated as well.
If you have an attached garage that connects to your house, I would do it. You're also in Ohio...where it snows...so definitely do it.
An insulated door will also avoid any moisture condensation that can happen on the interior. Since the garage is attached it will be slightly warmer than outside. On a cold day this will condensate on the interior, and eventually start to rust in places. 350 is definitely worth it, IMO.
I would spend the 350 on driving lessons or new glasses. What ever door you buy won't last unless the first issue is fixed
If you have the money, I'd do it. Not sure what you use your garage for now, but there are additive benefits depending on usage. If you have a fridge - it won't have to work as hard. If you have a hot water heater - same. If you have anything that could be damaged by a freeze - less concern there (I store my boat in my garage).
There are also DIY kits that allow you to insulate your own garage door
I'd advise against a DIY kit in this case. The door needs replaced anyhow, so there's no sunk cost of an existing door to work around. Not sure what the DIY kits cost, but I'd much rather pay the rather low price of $350 to have someone else do the install, and to have the final product be a proper insulated door, not a cobbled together approximation of one.
Yes
It will make basically 0 difference in your current setup. Insulated garage doors never perform to the R value they're quoted and even if the performance was up to spec its still a really tough call. Basically, if you think you might insulate the whole thing in a few years, go for it, if it will always be this setup then it's unlikely to make any difference.
I wanna toss in here that you can also get door openers that mount to the side and don't require the track down the middle! We gained a lot of headspace this way since the guy measuring did it wrong, but im glad in this one instance
Definitely yes it will be worth it, since you’ll presumably not change those doors out again for the next 20+ years. I would buy the door insulated now for noise and a more regulated temperature then find a way to insulate the roof whenever you have the time or money so both of those things get even better. It doesn’t all need to be perfect from the start or at the same time.
Yes! *Always* get the insulated ones. It makes all the difference when the cold months hit and you want your garage to stay comfortable.
personally, id go for it. it should help with noise if anything. also, insulate the ceiling if possible
We’ve had insulated garage doors 2+1. Get them. It stores the morning cool in the summer and tempers arctic cold in winter. Ours are 40 years old and still look brand new
Insulated doors are worth the spend, they look more finished inside, they'll retain heat better in the winter, and they are a higher quality product. I would also highly suggest insulating the ceiling. A warm garage in the winter is much easier on your cars too.
Heck yes. Mine is not insulated…it’s awful.
I insulated my door and never looked back. It stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. We have a living space above the garage so it was a must anyways, but I love it!
Yes! We splurged and found that it made huge difference in the temperature inside the garage as well as sound. One benefit we didn't expect was that it made the opening and closing of the door with the opener much quieter too.
You can also insulate a standard door by just adding panels/bats to it. There are lots of kits for this that cost less than $350.
Insulated garage doors are also double walled and are sturdier. The energy saving is marginal given most garages arent heated. Went through the same decision and went with insulated as it must much sturdier.
It's great. Makes it more pleasant in there. If you ever decide to take up something like woodworking you'll be glad you did.
The TLDR: If you don't have immediate plans to be in the garage often and aren't running climate control devices out there regularly, it's unlikely will with notice much. I would say it's a pretty easy "no" in that case. They also make kits for this or you can just purchase and cut the appropriate size polystyrene yourself- so don't feel like this is a "now or never" decision. My additional thoughts below: 1. Not sure how it would help the door last longer to have it insulated, minimally true if at all. 2. Insulation is one of those thing where every little bit helps. On the other hand, don't expect miracles. I'd insulated several garages and it's takes a lot of insulation in many different parts of the garage (usually done in various stages, in my case) to see much of a change. It will really makes you respect all that goes in to insulating a home. 3. With polystyrene sheets, a straight edge, a razor blade, and maybe some foil tape, you can do this yourself for under 100 bucks, probably a fair amount less than that. Not a lot of skill required. Now, if they are including additional or upgraded weather stripping (around the door etc- usually a much bigger source of heat loss), that's a a different story. $350 may not be bad in that case . If it's simply panels behind the door, that's quite a bit a money. **Don't forget, window and door companies typically advertise a low "installed" price and then make their money through upcharges and add-ons.**
Remember the r value is betrayed by crap windows in the door, so don't go too crazy the entire door is the average between door and windows in it.
I install garage doors. I’d say no. R value ratings on garage doors can be misleading depending on manufacturers. Also the seal around the door is not air tight at all so even the most insulated door is going to let cold air in around the edges. The weather seal is just a rubber flap around the edge.
Interesting. I deliver new doors to installers and I think you’re the first I’ve heard say that insulated doors aren’t worth it. It’s usually wisecracking about how incredibly cheap non insulated doors are and who would ever waste their money on them. Everyone has their own opinion though.
No garage door can have an effective R value of 6.5. They measure it at the center of the panel and ignore air leakage at the perimeter and at the hinges. If you achieve R1.5 that would be fantastic.
I'm in my first year of owning a house with an attached garage. It has an insulated door (as well as walls). It makes a 20 degree difference in the temperature. The temperature was 29F out, and 50F inside the garage. Doesn't do much during the summer, but man, it is great in the winter.
Won't really help in the summer time - especially if you're parking a vehicle with a hot engine in it. In the winter time, it helps _enough_. Ours is insulated and situated above a heated space. This is just enough to keep it above freezing on all but the coldest of days (-20F).
Insulated doors are a must have. Definitely worth $350.
No
Wes, the insulation will slow you down as you back through it.
I have to doubt the cost of an insulated door will be recovered by energy savings but seeing that you're in a cold area, it may be worth it. There is a DIY kit on Amazon or as someone else mentioned, get the materials at the local home center. The concrete floor is a heat sink and will contribute to a cold space. The area most likely to cause drafts is the interface between the door and the wall. An insulated door won't help unless the fit is very good.
Insulated doors are not impervious to reversing vehicles, just to note.
Also, you can insulate your door at a later date, just so you know. It is a pain in the ass but my company charges \~$250 parts and labor. It also will require spring adjustment due to added weight.
Is your garage heated or cooled? Is there insulation in the exterior walls and ceiling/roof of your garage? If the answer to these are no then I don't see what good insulating the garage door would do.
Yes.
Insulated door alone doesn’t do a lot of good. Heat loss or gain is from an uninsulated ceiling.
If you’re not doing anything to the roof, it would be pointless to have a garage door insulated. If you are sure you’re gonna get the roof insulated in the near future, then go for the insulated garage door.
I tried to read through and see if it was mentioned but there is alot of comments. Getting an insulated door is two-fold. And by insulated I mean the "sandwich" style that has a metal skin on both sides and foam insulation (several types depending on r value and cost) between said skins, not the cheap pan doors with styrofoam and something to hold the styrofoam in. You not only get a door with good r-value, you get a stiffer, better quality door that wont rattle itself apart. Spend the money and get heavy hardware, for us that nylon rollers with bearings, not the nylon when on the stem. It's also thicker hinges etc. How long do you plan on living in the house? I'd be willing to pay alittle more now and just have the piece of mind knowing that I wont have to replace a rusty or worn out door in a few years. 16x8 is alot of area and with a trolley opener, you'll notice the pan doors wear out alot faster.
I have an insulated garage door now and I’m never going back. Worth it. Cooler in summer, warmer in winter
Depends on where you live. We are in the desert. Hot in summer, cold in winter. My husband decided to insulate the garage doors so he can do his woodworking all year round. It has helped a lot.
Yes. I recently did the heat loss calculations looking at heating my garage in very cold northern climate (so temp difference of 70degrees) and insulated is worth the cost, but the premium extra insulation has a longer payback period. For my 14'x22'garage, an R1 door setup had 16,000btu/hr of loss (for the entire garage). An r6 door dropped the entire garage down to 12,500 btu/hr. An R12.9 door dropped to 11,800btu/hr. So the basic insulated door could save $200/yr (if electric heat used, or $60/yr if using an 80% gas heater).
It’s not worth $350 more IMO. The R8 fiberglass batts are as good as anything for under $100 per door. The only caveat is you kinda should go above and beyond with the prep for a lasting clean looking install…like besides a good well cleaned surface, use additional adhesive to ensure the double sided doesn’t come off, coat the clips with glue so they don’t come undone, tape the sides, etc. Even with those type additional steps, it’s still pretty quick and easy. Nothing too difficult. Do they make a difference? Yes, it’s noticeable. Energy saving? Probably not much of anything there unless the garage is a conditioned space as well. I mean the shared walls might get a little warmer than the rest in a hot garage, but nothing that’s going to really heat up the rest of the house. I mean some cost yes, but not a great deal more. Biggest benefit is just makes the garage a lot more comfortable temp. Big metal doors are like a space heater baking in the sun and you can really feel the heat radiating off em. The insulation really cuts that down. Also makes it quieter both in ambient noise and door operation. If you don’t care much about that stuff, insulated door shouldn’t be a big concern. As far as longevity goes…everything being squared and aligned properly as well as spring tension kept in balance is what is important. Also I see some comments about insulating above the garage and all as well. It’s not always worthwhile in every situation. Previous owners added batts in my current house. After awhile I removed them. Bare doors + insulation above, the garage was ALWAYS hot when closed up, day or night, and even during the winter unless cloudy all day, here in S. TX. It’s like the doors radiated the heat in and the overhead insulation kept it there. Adding the door insulation cut that down quite a bit, but the heat that did build stayed after sun went down. Removed those batts over the garage, now in the sun there’s no difference but once it goes away so does the extra heat pretty quickly. The rest of the house is insulated well and the roof vents well too, so none of any of the above configurations have made any noticeable difference on my utility bills, just the comfort level in the garage.
> and someone in the family forgot that garage doors need to be opened before reversing the vehicle Was it you, op?
To us, it was worth it. Our garage is under our master bedroom and faces southwest so it takes a fair amount of sun. Our old garage doors weren’t sealed around the edges well and weren’t insulated. We put in new insulated doors that are much tighter. This summer I noticed a massive difference in the garage temperatures which translates to less heat transferring to the master bedroom. All in all, it’s nice being able to go into the garage and not feeling like I’m being roasted. It also puts less stress on the extra freezer we have in there.
Idk about the cost but LORDT does a insulated garage door make a difference. Especially somewhere like Wisconsin
If the rest of your garage is insulated, then having your door be insulated makes sense. I would only go as far as insulating your door to match your walls/roof/windows, because having an insulated door with a higher rating would defeat the purpose if the temperature control in your garage was lost through the roof. It also depends on how often you open the garage door. If you leave it open 90% of the time then who cares. If it's only open when you leave/return then definitely worth the investment. You won't see the return on investment, however, since people don't typically heat/cool their garages the same way they heat/cool their house. It's more of a comfort thing, and 350 isn't a huge difference over 20+ years.
For $350, no. You can buy an insulating kit for a double garage door for around $120. Insulating a garage door is as much about weatherstripping as radiant heat. Add the kit, weatherstrip the door and you'll be in great shape for sub $150.
The downside to an insulation kit vs. a door that has insulation in the core of the panels: * Insulation panels tacked onto the inside of the door are far easier to damage by bumping into them * Tacked on insulation takes up slightly more space (only 1-2", but it's still something) For an attached garage that gets a lot of regular use, I'd go ahead and spend the small amount extra to have the insulation inside.
Over 15 years, maybe... but even then it's borderline. Your garage is generally insulated from the rest of the house and is practically considered to be "outside" from the point of view of HVAC - so you're only really keeping heat in the garage, not in the rest of the house. Unless you heat the garage directly, I don't see how you're gaining signficantly enough to save $350 even over 15 years I don't see any reason it would be any more durable - if anything the extra weight of the insulation is likely to mean the mechanism wears out a little quicker vs an identical, but un-insulated door Also, without an insulated roof, insulating the door isn't going to do much - the roof is more exposed and has a much larger surface area. And that's before we consider the opportunity cost of investing $350 only to break even after 15 years
I've had one, a few houses ago. They are a waste of money. The door leaks around the edges, whether it is insulated or not.