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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: LeRoy on April 04, 2015, 09:15:47 PM
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We're moving house shortly and I'm giving up a heated workshop in a walkout/driveout basement. In return, I'm insulating, equipping and heating a 24x24-foot garage. That's all under way but my biggest question is how best to insulate the garage door. Our weather in Michigan runs the four seasons very hot to very cold gamut. A new insulated door isn't in the budget.
The door in question is a conventional roll-up metal door with four horizontal sections and no windows. I've seen several alternatives, including fiberglass bats, rigid Styrofoam panels that fit the individual door sections and many homemade improvisations.
Who can recommend a good, workable solution? Pictures would be great.
Guzzi content: This is to keep me and my Guzzis comfortable in a variety of weather conditions.
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rigid styofoam will work best, the bats can collect moisture from the metal. use some spray foam insulation for cracks (low expansion blue label) as the glue to hold the styrofoam boards in.
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On our previous door, I did rigid foam (as above) styrofoam.
Each section got cut at least horizontally, slipped into the upper and lower frame lip of the section to present no gap when done then I used proper, silver, insulation duct tape across the seam. They never came loose over 7 years of a south facing Arizona garage door.
End segments with lips on all four sides got a four section piece with the silver tape locking it up. While against logic - I appreciated inserting the insulation silver side in. The silver tape disappeared and the overall illumination in the garage fairly exploded.
The stuff is available at "big box stores"in 4'x8' pieces. Coincidentally... or maybe not, the thickness was a perfect match.
Todd.
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When I lived in Anchorage I had the same size garage with a roll up wood door. I found rolls of a silver sided insulation that looked like thick bubble wrap. At first I used it to insulate my water heater and then thought this will work on the door. So I tried a section and it easily bent as the door rolled up so I covered the whole door with it. Double sided carpet tape works to mount it. It's very light.
Found it at Lowes. Seems to have worked well with a small heater. Hope that helps.
Regards
Matt
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The highest R value per inch of rigid foam insulation is Polyisocyanurate (polyiso for short), R-6.4 vs R-5 for Dow Styrofoam and R-4 for expanded bead board. Roof material supply stores sell it, order the foil faced product and apply with the foil facing the inside of the your garage. Johns Mansville makes a foil faced polyiso in sheets starting 1" thick in 1/2 " to 1" increments. The foil serves two purposes, it is an air/vapour barrier and a flame guard. You can adhere the polyiso to the metal door surface with a PL brand of foam panel adhesive available from your local Home Depot.
If you are concerned at all with exposed foam insulation in a shop ( I wouldn't be with a foil faced product) you could use Roxul brand semi-rigid mineral wool batts, available through your Home Depot. Roxul is a rock fibre spun into a thick grey/yellow panel, much more rigid than pink fibreglass insulation, has a higher R value (R 4 per inch) and is fire proof. Down side is the surface can shed if abraded.
Go for the polyiso and you should have no problems.
Cheers
Jim