Expanding foam insulation help

[J king]

I have 2 totally plastic panel garage doors.They are hollow with no insulation.these were here when I moved in 30 years ago.i love these doors.they don't dent,I can scrub the inside with scotch brite pads to remove overspray and stuff.I scrub the outside and get no damage and there is no paint to worry about. The panels are hollow.

What I would like to do is drill some holes from inside and fill with expanding foam.I am afraid I will blow out the panels with the stuff I used before when I built the house.I had sprayed it around the windows and it pushed so hard you could hardly open the double hung glass.the builder was pissed at me and cut a lot of it out.

Is there a affordable way to apply the foam that won't bulge the panels?

 

[buddyboy]

it may or may not be as good, but get some Styrofoam beads (like in beanbag chairs.

Drill a little bigger hole (with a hole saw) towards the top of each cavity and fill it in. then glue the 'hole' back in.

that expanding foam really expands even the 'low expandable' stuff

 

[J king]

Never thought of the beads.i know there not anywhere as good insulation but its an idea.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Those panels might have cardboard in them that keeps the panels "square" so to speak. If you put expanding foam in them, you may only be able to access a tiny portion of each section per each hole ( Ive demoed old garage doors in the past, and seen that kind of construction of the door ) Anyway, just a thought, if its not working out, if you decide to do it ( as in, the panel does not seem to take much foam ).

Also, two basic kinds of foam, closed cell and open cell. Closed cell acts like a vapor barrier and expands allot pushing things ( like the frame of a window when in a wall, as you mentioned ).

Open cell is a vapor retarder, it will let some vapor pass, and it does not forcefully expand, like closed cell.

If your buying cans of spray foam at the home store, look for the "door and window" foam. That would be your open cell foam. Its also more flexible when cured.

 

[J king]

The panels are empty.they are fairly thick and support theirselves.

 

[RPH]

There is a low expansion foam. I've seen it at lowes.

 

[theoldwizard1]

They now make a special "low expansion foam" for retrofit application which is what you are doing.

Even the cans of Great Stuff come in a low expansion foam now a days.

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

I wouldn't do it! The foam will more than likely blow the panels out. Even if they don't blow out it will cost a bunch of cash to get enough foam to fill those panels. The styrofoam pills sound like the way to go and you can get them for cheap online or at a postal shipping store.

Whatever you do you will need to re-balance the doors and you might even need to change the springs.

 

[J king]

Here a pics.

 

[crf731]

I wouldn't recommend the expanding foam.

I sprayed it in the walls of a slide out in an RV I used to have and it bowed both the inside and outside of the wall out between the studs.

 

[nexum1919]

they are already filled with a pretty good insulator: air.
displacing that air and replacing it with something that is more dense only means less insulation?

better than air? vacuum?

pulling vacuum on such a large surface area means lots of crushing force acting on them.

 

[PugetDude]

Simple Math:
Plastic panels + spray foam = disaster.


New foam-core garage doors are foamed in place on a huge (100' long) heated double belt conveyor that has massive moving hold down platens and profiled edges to help hold the panels in shape until the foam force-cures under heat and pressure. (and they still get rejects from foam blow-outs.)

If you're mentally and financially prepared to buy new doors then by all means forge ahead, and post after pics here as a warning to others. If you aren't, better leave well enough alone.

Free advice from a stranger on the internet.

 

[WVBrady]

they are already filled with a pretty good insulator: air.
displacing that air and replacing it with something that is more dense only means less insulation?

better than air? vacuum?

pulling vacuum on such a large surface area means lots of crushing force acting on them.

Air is only a good insulator when it is trapped and can't move. In an open space you will get convection currents that carry heat away.

 

[JimVonBaden]

they are already filled with a pretty good insulator: air.
displacing that air and replacing it with something that is more dense only means less insulation?

better than air? vacuum?

pulling vacuum on such a large surface area means lots of crushing force acting on them.

I agree, leave them alone!

Jim

 

[805gregg]

I just ordered my doors with insulation, it gets hot here

 

[mikeburris]

I can't say from the pix, but if the panels come apart, take one side off, spray the foam, let it expand, then trim it and put the side back on.