R13 vs R18 Garage Door

[Big Al 15]

Just got word that my building supplier ordered the wrong door, same style just thinner. The one they ordered will be R13 and what I wanted is R18.

I'll be living in this building so the garage will be heated all the time, ~60f or so.

Would that ever make a difference?

My wall insulation(18ft high) would be roughly R33(2" CC + 6" batt) and ceiling will be 24" blow in with in floor heat. The doors are 12x12.

Location is east central Illinois

EDIT: Doors are Raynor Model# AP138C and AP200C

 

[ripperd]

cost difference? Are the windows still insulated?

It will make a difference, the real question is the cost/benefit.

 

[Big Al 15]

I'm waiting to hear back on that. Not sure about the glass.

Editing OP with door models

 

[BruceMc]

The insulation difference probably won't be that big of a deal. What really matters is how well the doors seal, both around the edges and between panels.

 

[Movover]

All depending on the cost difference, better windows? thicker panels? might be a better door all around

Edit:
Looks like another 5/8" thick. If the price is right I would jump in.

 

[OGJordan]

I would say it doesn't make any difference.....because..... THEY ordered the wrong door, they need to get what you asked for

 

[nadogail]

AS a minimum, IMHO, you are due what the contract calls for. If the whatever that ordered the wrong door has to eat it, tough.

Maybe you can negotiate a deal that will give you a door at an unbelievable price, where the contractor pays you to take the door off his hands.

 

[ItsNemo]

I would say it doesn't make any difference.....because..... THEY ordered the wrong door, they need to get what you asked for

Yup, this. Get the R18, you'll always regret it if you don't.

 

[lml999]

Yup, this. Get the R18, you'll always regret it if you don't.

I ordered two residential garage doors about four weeks ago. Local (good) retailer recommended 1 3/4" Haas doors, didn't think the 2" doors would make a real difference. I had been leaning toward the 2" door, well, just because. And then the retailer mentioned that most of the heat loss is due to the cracks and gaps. The 2" door has a gasket between each panel, while the 1 3/4" door does not. Nuff said. I went with the thicker door.

The thicker door cost a couple of hundred dollars more, and as @ItsNemo says, you'll always regret it if you don't...

The only issue is lead time...you might be waiting six weeks for the correct door. If you can deal with that, I'd stick for what I ordered.

 

[walta]

You do understand they are telling you R value if the insulation panel they put in the door not the R value of the finished door. Once they wrap the insulation in a steel panel with an R value of zero for about 20% of the door my guess is both doors have an R value under two.

I think the question is, are both doors made from the same gage steel?

Walta

 

[Firebrick43]

You do understand they are telling you R value if the insulation panel they put in the door not the R value of the finished door. Once they wrap the insulation in a steel panel with an R value of zero for about 20% of the door my guess is both doors have an R value under two.

I think the question is, are both doors made from the same gage steel?

Walta

First, I agree with you about the "truth in advertising" about garage door insulation. Not only is there issues with thermal bridging the best of insulations is around 6.25 R value per inch so R 18 would need to be over 3 inches thick.

Some manufacture do have thermal breaks now where the outer panel and inner panels are joined. Others such as Overhead Door don't even have a good seal/joint design in between the panels.

I do disagree on the R2 value however.

 

[walta]

Firebrick Do you think my admittedly wild guess of less than R2 is high or low?

Walta

 

[ItsNemo]

First, I agree with you about the "truth in advertising" about garage door insulation. Not only is there issues with thermal bridging the best of insulations is around 6.25 R value per inch so R 18 would need to be over 3 inches thick.

Some manufacture do have thermal breaks now where the outer panel and inner panels are joined. Others such as Overhead Door don't even have a good seal/joint design in between the panels.

I do disagree on the R2 value however.

Whether the R value is accurate or not, the one with the higher number is going to insulate better than one with the lower number from the same manufacturer.

 

[Firebrick43]

Firebrick Do you think my admittedly wild guess of less than R2 is high or low?

Walta

Low. To be honest that is just my scientific wild *** guess as no manufacture actually provides accurate figures so???? A good double pane window can make R2 however, and I do believe that with good sealing and a foam injected door with good joint design can beat that.

True Nemo, Is there and ROI is the question. Again comparing to windows, Triple pane windows can get close to R5 but is almost never a good investment as the time to recover the higher initial cost will be longer than the life of the window. In fact single pane wood windows with storm windows (***If maintained***) can provide a better total life cost as they can last a 100 years plus. Problem is no one wants to do the maintenance.

 

[lml999]

The only issue is lead time...you might be waiting six weeks for the correct door. If you can deal with that, I'd stick for what I ordered.

Speaking of lead time...I just got an update from my garage door retailer/installer. Looks like the doors will be here at the end of March, which puts lead time at about 10 weeks.

Glad my doors aren't *broken*! They're just old, with plans to be broken...

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

Hold out for the correct doors. The R values from the companies is all over the place, and they don’t come close to being accurate. But the thermal gap doors are very good, especially with the foamed in place polyurethane, not slabs of styrofoam. The way I explained it to my customers was you are building a wall that will be moved out of the way when needed. The less often the door is opened on a daily basis, the better the ROI is. A high R door on a jiffy lube Joint is not a good investment. But on a shop that does restoration and opens the door once a week you are buying value. But do make sure the door is sealed well with flexible seals and plan on changing them every 5 years or so.