Worth it? To whom? Insulation is good in Peoria!
It was in the 80's today here in October. Whenever the switch finally does flip to cold here it'll be -10F. That's just Illinois weather. I was more just wondering if that level of insulation would even matter. It sounds like from a few people that it will help enough to be worth it. I think it'd probably be around 100$ cheaper with an uninsulated door.
If you are mechanically inclined you can DIY. I think the insulated door is worthwhile.
I'd like to think I'm handy enough for this. We shall see though.
With a living space above I would definitely get the insulated door, it will make a huge difference keeping the garage more stable temperature wise and will help the room upstairs maintain its temp
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That would be very good if true. I run a little heating panel out there in the winter to keep my paint and glue and stain from going bad. Bringing it up to like 45F in there last winter made a big difference in our bedroom temperatures at night. Maybe with the a new door that little panel can keep it up to working temperatures out there (doubt it)!
insulated doors tend to be more rigid and less "tinney" when opening/closing
Rigid would probably be good. The sound of the door doesn't bother us any right now, though I guess it is wooden. It's been a long time since I lived with a metal garage door (as a kid). Maybe the cheap ones are really loud.
Your garage door is modified for extra-super-low headroom. I've never seen one quite that severe. So that is going to be the big surprise that you don't see coming.
Normal garage tracks are about 1 foot taller than what you have now, and that is what will be in the box when you open it. You could make the same modification to your new door. It's a little bit unorthodox how they did that.
What's the critical measurement to figure out how bad we're looking here? Top of the rails to the floor? I measured that and it is 6-1/2" from the top of the rails to the ceiling. Ceiling height is 7'3".
If you are having problems with climate control in the room above it might be worthwhile to see if there is any insulation under the sheetrock in the garage ceiling. If it is just air up there it might be another good DIY to pull that down and insulate up there. I expect that might make even more of a difference to the room above. Just my .02.
I can spy that if I take down the light fixture in the center of the garage. I should be able to tell from that hole if there's insulation between the ceiling joists. At least I shouldn't have to tear into it to figure that out I'm thinking.
Question - Do you have safety cables on those extension springs?
No there are no cables through them. However, there's also no tension on them at all. They are just laying limp on top of the rails. I've disconnected them before when adjusting the door when I first moved in though. I don't think they should be much trouble to remove.
Oh, BTW the insulation is worth it in your case. I'd get the minimum they offer at the very least and make sure it seals all they way around. Jamb weather strip and floor seals are more than worth the investment.
If I do go for any new door, I'll try to make sure it gets a good seal. I've even seen little weatherstrip pieces you can stick on around the door opening to try to make a better seal around the sides and top besides the big bottom seal.
Looks like someone used a standard 12" radius track, cut it off short then mounted a funky roller bracket to compensate. Unusable like that with an opener.
Just order the new door with a low head room track. Should be able to mount torsion springs over that door as well. Doesn't look severe at all. Can the OP measure the head room.
You can also use these.
http://www.supersneaky.com
Here are some measurements. Door is 9x6.5'. There's 10-1/2" from the top of the door to the ceiling. There's 6-1/2" from the top of the rails to the ceiling. I have no need for an opener so that's no worry. I'd just like to replace the rotted out door with something that at least seals moderately well and then I'm hoping insulation will be bonus onto that. Is there a good reason to switch to torsion spring over the dual extension spring style like I have now?
Looks like a standard extension spring door to me. If anybody did anything to make it fit they just cut the top of the flag bracket off. The pulley appears to be in the right place and the bend seems normal to me although a bit misshaped at the top of the bend.
Maybe tomorrow I'll try to see if I can find evidence of any modifications or bits cutoff. It's so close to the ceiling I'll have to probably look at it with a little inspection mirror. I'm hoping that I can find some solution that doesn't require too much modification of the rails.
It is not a normal install. Yes it was modified quite a bit. For sure order the low headroom system. Check your floor for level and even. A torsion door cannot conform to an non level floor like extension springs can. As long as it is flat and level the torsion will work best. Be sure to measure the opening, not just the existing door. Follow directions carefully and you will be ok. An hour? May be a little opimistic but hey you never know. Hope this helps.
Heh yeah I'm sure it's optimistic as no project ever goes totally right, but I more meant one session hopefully. It'd be great to tear the old one out and get the new one up and not have to tarp my garage opening or something stupid for the time being. Also that's good to know that an extension spring garage is better at conforming to a non level floor. I think the threshold of the garage is still in pretty good shape but I'll have to check before starting.
I replaced a old crappy wooden 9x7 door just in the last 2 years.
Not a normal Install as I have built in storage just above the old crappy door !
I bought a Hass door that I would buy again in a heart beat!
Buy the new insulated door and use Your old tracks, It will save You so much time and work great.
If I could use the old tracks that would be a big time saver, but as I understand it you usually place the door tight against the opening and build the track around it to get a proper fit and seal. I would think that unless the new door and hardware were extremely close to the old one the door won't hang right in the opening or seal properly.
