Insulated Garage Door

[hansen1]

I have searched this forum to see what others have done with their garage door but did not find anything.

I have a 36'x48'x14' garage being built. I am at the stage to where the door will be installed soon. The garage will be heated with radiant in floor heat. I have 4 windows and 1 man door. The building is about half under ground. The garage door is 16' wide and 12'9" tall.

I will be getting a steel garage door and trying to decide how much insulation I should get in the door. It looks like a typical insulated door is around a R7. Overhead Door has a R13 as well as a R18 version.

I am curious if anyone has researched this and found whether increasing the R value will create a more comfortable environment AND save in heating cost.
Also, does the R value have any impact in the summer?

I am located in Colorado and it doesn't get extremely cold or hot but we do get a week or two of extremes in the summer and winter.

Thanks,

 

[awakeinAZ]

Try this for a foil kit.......


http://www.texasgarages.com/insulation.htm#foil

 

[ScaldedDog]

I went with Ankmar (since I'm also in Colorado) and got the R13 door that's 1 3/8" thick. Ankmar doors are really Genie doors, but they seem pretty good, and Ankmar has been great to work with.

Mark

 

[shanker]

I have a Raynor that is Insulated and rated for 135MPH winds and Like it.

It's built like a tank.

 

[Tech Guy]

Mine is insulated-almost 2" thick. Not sure of the Rvalue (it was many years ago) but really helps keep the shop warm. As for the summer, it helps keep the heat out of the shop as the sun beats on it almost all day long

 

[walrus]

Try this for a foil kit.......


http://www.texasgarages.com/insulation.htm#foil

Their is no way possible that foil faced bubble wrap is R-6, its a scam

 

[walrus]

I don't see how a better insulated door wouldn't help with heating costs. Air infiltration would be the thing that I'd pay attention to in that regard also

 

[redsky49]

Having previously lived and worked in Colorado for 15 years, I am certainly familiar with the weather conditions along the front range, and yes, you should get an insulated garage door. There is a point of diminishing returns however with any insulated assembly. For example, consider the following for a typical 16x8 door at 10 degrees outdoor temperature, 65 degrees indoor:

R7 insulation: 128 sq. ft. x 55 x .143 = 1007 btuh
R12 insulation: 128 sq. ft. x 55 x .08 = 563 btuh
R16 insulation: 128 sq. ft. x 55 x .06 = 422 btuh

The difference in heat loss between the best and worst case is 585 btuh or about the heat output of three 60 watt incandescent bulbs. I would be more inclined to concentrate on good sealing between the door sections as well as the side, top and bottom gaskets. There is also frequently a longer warranty with better doors that may be important to you.

Full disclosure: Heat loss difference will vary at different design conditions. R values shown are total assembly values.

In general, design conditions are selected to accommodate typical weather conditions, not record breakers. If this was for your house for example, I would use a 0 degree outside air condition for the Denver area. I lived in Denver when it was minus 23 and yes, the inside of our home was a little cool during the overnight. That only occurred once however. Bear in mind also that the hours you are typically occupying the garage are generally not the time that the coldest temperatures occur. The point being not to over design heating for your garage.

Be sure to provide adequate ventilation.

Good luck with your project.

Offered only as opinion