Glass Overhead Door Owners: Would you Do it Again?

[atourgates]

Just like the title says, those of you who have glass garage or shop doors (either aluminum full-view, or insulated steel with glass panels), what's your experience been like? Long term, how have they held up? Would you do it again? What would you do differently?

We're nearing the completion of our 44 x 60 pole barn in North-Central Idaho. It has 3 overhead doors at one end, two that are 9' wide by 11' tall, and one that's 12'-wide by 14' tall. Our dream, for the aesthetics and light, has always been to have glass overhead doors, and we've been budgeting for those since the beginning of the project.

Now that it's time to finalize the doors and put down our deposit, I'm looking for any real-world feedback on various options.

Broadly those are:

1. Aluminum full-view with a single-pane, uninsulated glass.
2. Aluminum full-view with 1/2" double-pane insulated glass.
3. Insulated steel, with insulated glass panels throughout.

In every case, we're planning to leave the bottom panel aluminum or steel, just since that's the most likely to get hit by a ball, or other stray object.

Currently, we're leaning towards Aluminum full-view with 1/2" double-pane insulated glass for aesthetics and some insulation. The shop will be heated with radiant heat (powered by an electric boiler, with a roof-mounted solar system that should offset most of our electric bill). We're planning to keep it ~50F in the winter, warm enough to melt the ice off our vehicles and for kids to play. I'm having it wired so that I can add a supplemental mini-split if we want to warm it up for a few hours, but that probably won't get done before this winter.

My biggest concern about the double-pane insulated glass is condensation between the panes, since that's an issue we have with the windows on our house.

The rest of the shop will be insulated with R-21 fiberglass, behind 1/2 ply sheeting.

Pricing from our 3 local dealers seems to be about the same (Cloplay, Wayne Dalton and Amarr) and - the Amarr dealer has been the most helpful and well regarded by other tradesman and homeowners I've talked with so far, so I'd prefer to go with them unless there's a significant difference in their product.

Obviously the big advantage of the insulated-steel is an actual R-value, and doors that come with a lifetime (instead of 3-5 year) warranty, at the sacrifice of some aesthetics.

 

[nadogail]

The garage we park our car in has glass panels in the top section, high enough to keep others from looking in and we enjoy the light that shines in.

 

[niget2002]

I have glass panels on the door facing the pool. It allows a lot of light into the shop. I like them.

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[Wrench97]

Tempered glass or regular?
I would hate to have regular panes raining down from above if a spring breaks or some other weird occurrence breaks one.

If you are heating it I would use insulated.
More city then country around here so any glass gets mounted high to keep nosy people out.

 

[marinusdees]

I have three 10' x 10' single pane in a 32 year old building. One I bought new, others were used from an Arco station. Professionally installed. I didn't like that people could see everything in the shop, tried roll up down black plastic, royal pain. Boeing surplus sold fluorescent fixture diffusers for $1 a pop. Set up the table saw and cut them to fit inside, kinda tight. Put them in with a bead of RTV(silicone). They have served me well. The box stores sell diffusers, I've replaced a couple. I like the light, it's great. Diffusers keep eyes out. I skipped the top row, didn't need it. Bottom row is metal(aluminum). I keep the building at 40 degrees so nothing freezes. I turn up the heat when I need it. 150,000 BTU ceiling furnace, takes about ten minutes. I'd do it the same again. The building is sheet rocked, fire taped, painted, and insulated. I installed chain drive openers, had to replace the plastic gears in one. Pretty good reliability, if you ask me.

 

[tarmy]

Just don’t have a B Ball hoop or kids play wall ball in the driveway...they are expensive to replace...ask me how I know...

 

[mcspeed]

We have the top panel with double pane glass and like it. No windows in garage and the natural light is welcome. The rest of the panels are insulated. Living in TX with a heated/cooled garage, glass would make it much more challenging f to cool. I do like the looks of the full glass panel doors with frosted glass. I prefer to keep prying eyes out. With 3 dogs it probably doesn’t matter much though.


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[Jagmandave]

I always wondered about the glass shops like Valvoline oil change places and such - I love the idea of all that light!

 

[rburke65]

New garage doors, windows are expensive!

 

[atourgates]

Thanks for the replies.

A few clarifications/answers: The garage is a half-mile driveway from a public roadway, so no concerns about privacy in our case. We're looking at clear, not frosted, but tempered glass.

The Amarr dealer estimated about $100 to replace a single pane of a door's panel that got shattered by a ball or similar. So, not free, but not unreasonable from my standpoint.

Cooling isn't a big issue. My thought is just to open the doors if it gets hot out. We only have 1-2 weeks per year where it gets hot enough to make the garage uncomfortable. We might at some point add a media room/loft that we could want to cool during the summer, but in our climate I think I'll appreciate the warmth of the sun through the windows in the winter more than it'll be an issue to keep it cool.

Definitely planning on having some kid-activities in the garage for winter play, but luckily our kids have shown no interest in basketball. Maybe a climbing wall, ping-poing or foosball would be less of a danger to the glass.

 

[Wrench97]

I always wondered about the glass shops like Valvoline oil change places and such - I love the idea of all that light!

Plexiglas panels.

 

[nadogail]

Short Answer, Most emphatically YES.

 

[Jagmandave]

Plexiglas panels.

You sure? They look like glass to me?

 

[loganb]

Quick note/clarification-the condensation you mention in the house and that you're concerned about here, is it actually between the panes or on the interior surface? Condensation between panes of glass in an insulated glass unit is a sign of seal failure and often warranty should cover replacement. Most new window warranty for seal failure is between 5 and 20 years depending on the brand, not sure if the doors you're looking at have actual "insulated" units with a warranty on the seal our two panes of glass with a spacer between... but not sealed. Understanding how the warranty stacks up between the brands on this may help make a decision???

If the condensation is on the interior/room side glass, then it's a humidity/temperature issue but I doubt in building like you're putting up that humidity would be a concern

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[Steveodle]

10x10 all glass south facing. On an alley, faces the nieghbors large unused commercial garage.
6 skylights..
I love the light and heat it lets in.

If you do nothing right,you'll do nothing wrong!

 

[adrenalinejeeper]

We are also leaning towards a door like this on our "extra space" side of the garage to let in a lot of light and try to not look too much like a typical garage from the inside. Does anyone have input on clear vs frosted glass? Any regrets going with clear, Steveodle?

I think the extra light of clear would be nice, but frosted will still let in some light but will diffuse it some, making it a little more pleasant on very sunny days. Frosted will also look cleaner and not require regular window cleaning when our dog licks it...

 

[atourgates]

Quick note/clarification-the condensation you mention in the house and that you're concerned about here, is it actually between the panes or on the interior surface? Condensation between panes of glass in an insulated glass unit is a sign of seal failure and often warranty should cover replacement. Most new window warranty for seal failure is between 5 and 20 years depending on the brand, not sure if the doors you're looking at have actual "insulated" units with a warranty on the seal our two panes of glass with a spacer between... but not sealed. Understanding how the warranty stacks up between the brands on this may help make a decision???

If the condensation is on the interior/room side glass, then it's a humidity/temperature issue but I doubt in building like you're putting up that humidity would be a concern

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Condensation between the panes is my concern.

Sadly, no-one seems to offer a serious warranty that covers that beyond 5-years on their aluminum and glass doors.

The Amarr Vista is 5-years. Overheaddoor's Modern Aluminum is 1-year. Cloplay's Avante is 5-years on the finish and 3-years on the hardware. Wayne Dalton is 5-years on the aluminum, and 1-year on the glass.

Basically, I'm afraid that if the manufacturers are unwilling to stand behind their products, there's a reason.

Another specific question: Wayne Dalton is the only manufacturer that offers insulation-filled aluminum for the frame of their full-view glass garage doors. Everyone else is just uninsulated tubing.

Wayne Dalton's Construction

Vs. Amarr's Construction (Ignore the glass panes - both offer equivalent products there. The difference is the insulated vs. empty aluminum channels)

Given that our local Wayne Dalton / Nationserve dealer has been impossible to get ahold of, is it worth pursuing them for the long term benefits of better insulation, or is that unlikely to make a significant difference in the overall efficiency of the system?

 

[loganb]

Ouch, 5 year max warranty on condensation shows how little the general customer base here cares as it's not hard or that expensive to get 15 or 20 year condensation warranty with improved seal technology

As to foam filled vs hollow cavity...my slightly educated opinion is that for this it doesn't matter. With a non-thermally broken frame profile such as you have, the vast majority of the heat loss will be conduction thru the frame where foam filling won't really help. The other point against foam filling making a real difference is that the bulk of the thermal loss here thru the entire opening is via the glass, not the frame. If you want to get the best performance out of the doors/openings make sure your seal between the jamb/wall and the door is as tight as possible as air infiltration around the door will cause far greater occupant discomfort than foam vs no foam.

Source: 12+ years in manufacturing engineering and sales for major window and door company...who doesn't make garage doors but the thermal principles are the same

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[mowkep]

I have a 20+ year old 16 ft Wayne Dalton garage door with lights in the 2nd from top row. It replaced a wooden door. It's insulated. Guessing single pane. Not a lick of trouble

 

[PhantomEB]

I would love them on the top or top two rows of my garage door. I guess when I do move I’d have to see which direction the door faces before going with the full clear look. I’d be most tempted with dark big doors and top row as skylights.

 

[atourgates]

Thanks everyone. Got connected with a different Wayne Dalton / Nationserve rep who's been great to work with, and their quote for the same door with Argon-filled Solarban® 70 Solar Control Low‑E Glass - 1/2" dual pane and the foam-filled frame came back right in line with the other manufacturers.

So, I think I'll go with that.

Ouch, 5 year max warranty on condensation shows how little the general customer base here cares as it's not hard or that expensive to get 15 or 20 year condensation warranty with improved seal technology

Do you meant that it'd be possible for the garage door manufacturer to get a longer condensation warranty from their glass provider, or that it'd be possible for a customer to get a longer warranty? I'd happily buy one if I could find it.

 

[loganb]

Do you meant that it'd be possible for the garage door manufacturer to get a longer condensation warranty from their glass provider, or that it'd be possible for a customer to get a longer warranty? I'd happily buy one if I could find it.

I can't speak to what they can do with their suppliers and what they have available....may or may not be available thru their vendors. The biggest manufacturer of insulated glass units in the US(Cardinal Corporation) who primarily targets the residential window market offers 20 year warranty on the IG seal...aka condensation. Most of their competitive set does as well, its not an exclusive thing only they can do. But if the garage door customer base isn't willing to pay for it...may not be able to get it even though it exists

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[56Mark]

I like glass in them but I just fixed my neighbors garage door that had glass all the way across in the top panel. He was raising the door and the lift hook at the bottom of the door caught his bumper. The opener pulled the top panel into a "V" before it tripped out on force. Other than the sheet metal stiffener hat channel that goes along the top edge, the top panel had very little structural strength since it is basically a panel with large holes to hold the glass. I took a piece of 3/16 x 2" flat bar and reinforced the stiffener at the top and added a piece of 2x2 x 1/8 angle to the bottom of the top panel after beating and bending it all back into a straight line.

Just something to be aware of that maybe some strength is given up with glass panels.

 

[Certified Drunk]

I have a glass panel door, the glass is frosted and insulated. Looks really good.
Do to the weight of the door, the installer used two springs.

 

[pvanderlugt]

I have some Wayne-Dalton 1100? series doors, 10ftx10ft steel doors, foam filled… looks like a typical garage door… ordered from Factory 10 years ago, with 3 each 24x8 Inch windows installed…. On like the 4th panel up…. Lets in natural light (south facing) … Actually liked it so much, I ordered 6 more window panels and installed them myself.. pretty easy to cut into the foam filled doors….love it….. Natural light is the best to work with!, my windows were insulated…not sure on the effect on the heating bill, I expect it to be minimal…I might order some more yet… cost was reasonable……

 

[johninct]

NO!!!!! My father built our garage with 3 - 10' x10" glass doors facing west, like a gas station for light and heat. On some days, the garage is almost unusable because the sun light is sooo blinding. Also, on some days it gets too hot to work near the doors. In the winter, think no insulation .

 

[nadogail]

I recently watched a news report of somebody striking a large store window with a baseball bat and laughed when the bat bounced off the window; the looter thought the window was Glass, but it was polycarbonate (Lexan)

 

[Mainiac Mat]

I chose transom windows above solid panel doors.

 

[nadogail]

I was feeling prosperous and ordered an insulated door with a metal lining. I like it so well that as my other doors need replacement I will be buying them for my other properties.

 

[Metal-Marc]

Need to upgrade my non insulated large 2 car garage door to an insulated steel one. what kind of pricing should I be expecting? I call around and get anywhere from $1100-2000 installed.. What should I be paying? Any recommendations?

Oh shut up. You're just a stupid spammer. Go away.

(Spam link in quoted text)

 

[My Old Tools]

10x10 all glass south facing. On an alley, faces the nieghbors large unused commercial garage.
6 skylights..
I love the light and heat it lets in.

If you do nothing right,you'll do nothing wrong!

That's called a solar oven in Texas. I love the look but I would only do it here on the north side or fully shaded. Another thought, glass is heavy. My door is 12x12 insulated. Its heavy enough.

 

[durk_2007]

I work in a dealership with 20+ glass doors. They are all single pane. The largest things to watch for is the panes getting loose in their frames and hail/ debris breaking them in storms. We replace about 10 panes a year due to storm damage. Also consider the bottom and TOP panels being solid

 

[GoIllini]

I am thinking about doing three 9x7 all glass panels doors... I live in the Midwest, so it can obviously get very cold in the winter.. I do not heat or cool my garage.. in the dead of the winter, would these glass garage doors keep much cold out? I would not want to have a situation where I would have frost on my cars that are sitting in my own garage...

Can anyone share any experiences with regards to this????.

Thnx in advance!

 

[GoIllini]

I have a glass panel door, the glass is frosted and insulated. Looks really good.
Do to the weight of the door, the installer used two springs.

Do you live in an area that has cold weather? If so, how is your garage in the winter when it's the coldest outside?

Thnx