Garage Door Insulation, with a twist!

[Huzer]

I have a specific issue with insulating my garage door. My neighbor has energy efficient windows. The reflection from those windows is significant enough that the heat has warped a small section of the hatch on my wife's Jeep, so I'm dealing with a magnifying glass type situation. The one thing we can't confirm is that if this happened with the door open, or closed. Regardless, the heat beam that hits our door is significant and HOT. It melts cars, set my son's hockey goalie pads on fire, and torched our patio cushions. One day, I literally roasted a marshmallow in the reflected beam.

Would insulating the garage door be beneficial in this case, or would it be more hazardous with potential fire hazard to the insulation itself?

 

[ford33]

You cannot cannot be serious. A residential window across the way from your garage is melting items inside a closed door garage?

Instead of trying to fix this, get a patent then call the military. They would be very interested in this setup.

 

[Huzer]

The only item that may have been through the closed door is the Jeep. The other items, the door was open. My son came running in when his goalie pads caught fire. The Jeep may have been warped due to heat off the door.

Regardless, I’m dealing with a high heat concentrated beam. I’m wondering if insulating the garage door is even safe to do. I haven’t measure the surface temperature of the door when the beam is there, but I’d prefer It not potentially start a fire with the insulation near a hot surface that melted a car.

If you haven’t seen the damage energy efficient windows can do with their reflection on vinyl siding, do a quick search. As for my patio cushions, this is what the windows did to them. Yes, from a light beam from windows roughly 40’ away. It’s hard to capture the warping on the hatch, but I tried.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/03/world/europe/uk-london-building-melts-car/index.html

https://gizmodo.com/a-brief-history-of-buildings-that-melt-things-1247657178

 

[pattenp]

It's not melting the Jeep through the door when closed, it happened when open. We've had the same problem with the vinyl siding on homes being melted from sun reflections from adjacent homes windows. This problem is not new. See here..... http://blog.armchairbuilder.com/3799/melting-siding-from-window-reflections-fact-or-fiction/

 

[DC73]

Regardless, I’m dealing with a high heat concentrated beam. I’m wondering if insulating the garage door is even safe to do. I haven’t measure the surface temperature of the door when the beam is there, but I’d prefer It not potentially start a fire with the insulation near a hot surface that melted a car.

Similar to foam insulation panels, they make mineral wool insulation panels with reflective foil on one side for use on a building exterior before the siding. Maybe you could find some and retrofit them to your garage door? Mineral wool is fire proof.


DC

 

[JimNC]

I would plant some trees in front of their windows, solve the problem at the source.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Kiln dried timber. Just kidding. Would planting something closer to the source be possible? I mean items are catching fire.

 

[bobbyjean]

wow,thought this was a joke....do you have the same window's....get the builder or inspector on this...someone approved these ....in the meantime get ya some hot dogs, you already had the marsmallow..sorry

 

[bobbyjean]

the screens on the window to diffuse the sun makes sense...i would ask neighbor to try that...good luck with it

 

[FastKat]

Some sort of mirrored insulation to reflect the heat away? Maybe a mirrored window tint would work.

 

[Huzer]

wow,thought this was a joke....do you have the same window's....get the builder or inspector on this...someone approved these ....in the meantime get ya some hot dogs, you already had the marsmallow..sorry

We do. The window manufacturer states "working as designed". The builder sold the development and is long gone. It's mostly a late spring, early fall issue. I do wonder if planting a tree on that side of the driveway is an option.

The husband next door was astonished that it was a problem, but that's about all he's willing to do. The wife was less concerned. Her words were "well that's not our problem, so why do we care?" Oh well.

Really, I don't think blocking their window is an option. I'll just have to be diligent about keeping the door closed. I really would like to insulate the doors, though. i just want to make sure that I can find an insulation that can withstand the heat. Mainly, I'm insulation ignorant. Ha.

 

[trashmanssd]

White is your friend, make sure the doors white and anything in the death rays path is white. It will absorb the least amount light and generate the least amount of heat.

 

[Toomanytools?]

Place a large mirror on the door reflect the beam back...seriously that is weird.

 

[larry4406]

We've had similar issues where a window on one of our homes reflects on the siding of the same home and distorted the vinyl siding. Our service department had a glazing contractor apply some sort of special film to the glass to stop the issue. Sorry I don't have any more details.

 

[Musicinabottle]

That is just friggin' weird and funny. To have windows that blast out a heat ray and starts everything in the line of fire, to catch fire. This is a lawyers lotto here!

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Someone else mentioned it, but a simple screen on the window is all that's needed. Perhaps they'd be willing to install one on the window causing the issue?

 

[86turbodsl]

Mirror sheet on the side of your house. Reflect it and burn his house down. ;P

 

[mjeff87]

My neighbor's window creates a death ray that has warped my siding twice now. House went into foreclosure and was just resold to a nice new older couple. I'm waiting a few more weeks until they get a little more comfortable with me as their new neighbor and then I'm going to ask them about remediating the window that's causing it. I found a link to a company that makes window screen/diffusers specifically to deal with this. I have no problem paying the $80 or so for their product, and I'll even climb up the ladder and install it. I hope they agree to it......

I'm in the same boat as the OP, the builders are long gone and no one cares. The window people blame the siding manufacturers, and visa-versa.

 

[PugetDude]

Mirror sheet on the side of your house. Reflect it and burn his house down. ;P

 

[Bigbandguy]

Styrofoam with reflective foil on the outside of the door.... normally I would suggest "and bang his wife, " but with the attitude she exhibits I expect you would not want to.

 

[Evilunclegrimace]

Styrofoam with reflective foil on the outside of the door.... normally I would suggest "and bang his wife, " but with the attitude she exhibits I expect you would not want to.

Maybe it would help change her attitude.

 

[bczygan]

Fight back!

 

[maplepuck]

Radiant barrier (foil backed film);insulate your garage with wool or rigid foam panels

 

[b-boy]

Get one of these. Bet the wife's attitude changes when you burn a hole in the side of her house. Or you could use that sunlight to save a few bucks on utilities.

 

[Radix2]

Accidentally break his window.


Chances are the replacement won't have.."just the right curve".