Insulating rollup doors?

[David Hostetler]

The heat of day is already pounding on my rollup doors to the shop. I started using Reflectix, but at $75.00 a roll, and a roll only covering half a door, this got expensive QUICK, for very little R value.

I recently came across the Owens Corning Garage Door Insulation kits from Home Depot. I was wondering if they are worth the expense. The show an R value of 8, not exactly ideal, but considering WHAT I am insulating, not bad either, should be enough to keep the heat at bay...

Has anyone here used these, and if so what pitfalls do I need to watch out for?

I am trying to insulate 2 8ft x 7ft 4 panel doors.

[Alan Bienlein]

David I live in Magnolia and have a 8 x 7 garage door also facing south. I used 3/4" foam from Home Depot with foil on one side and white plastic on the other. Works very well and have no problems runnng the a/c in my shop. I also did all of the exterior walls with it also.
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[David Hostetler]

Foil backed foam? What sort of R value do you get with that. That may solve my problem for a LOT less money...

[Alan Bienlein]

If I'm not mistaken it's about an r-5 and is 3/4" thick. Runs about $12.70 for a 4' x 8' sheet.

[Bill LaPointe]

The foam described in an earlier post will work. Much of the heat is generated by the metal skin heat radiation. That is the standard way that the manufacturers uses to insulate the door. This will make the door somewhat harder to operate. DO NOT add tension to the spring to compensate for the additional weight. 1 Additional turn on the spring will reduce the life of the spring by 40%.

[Jamie Buxton]

The other thing to look at is air infiltration. Air seeping in through cracks can carry a lot of heat. Check all your seals to make sure they're as air-tight as possible.

[David Giles]

Measure the door channel thickness and match the insulating board to the gap. I think mine used one 3/4" and one 1/2" piece. Put a 3/4" piece flat into the bottom channel. Cut the board about 1-1.5" taller than the opening is high. Slide the board into the top channel, then let it drop down into the partially filled lower gap. Fill side channels with pieces first.

Be sure to use PINK styrofoam board. It adds color to the shop and lets the world know that you aren't afraid to show your feminine side.

[Neil Davie]

With 2" depth to work with, I puthalf thickness of R-13 fiberglass insulation, covered by the R-5 foil backed foam board, foil side to the inside. Made a great difference. It was quite inexpensive.

[Joe Wiliams]

Would roll up shades on the outside be an option?

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I assume you still need the doors to operate? Otherwise if you don't need one of them to operate build a simple wall and insulate it normally. That is my plan for the door I don't use in my garage.

[Chris Parks]

Shade the door and stop the sun hitting it in the first place.

[Jason Rutkowski]

Woodwhisperer had a small segment on one of his podcasts about this same subject. I'll try to find it and post the link.

[Curt Harms]

I just used pink insulation on a garage door and it makes a significant difference. Foil facing would have been even better but I didn't know about that when I did it. The attached garage stays within 10-15 degrees of the house temp most of the time. Of course my part of the world doesn't have the temperature extremes others have. I did put a sheet product consisting of 2 thin sheets of aluminum with a honeycomb core on the interior side of the door over the insulation. That certainly helps keep it clean and looks good.

[Dave Gaul]

David,

I used this on my shop roof, and I think it would work well for your garage doors...

http://www.radiantguard.com/premium-...ier-500sf.aspx

I only installed it end of last summer, but so far on the hottest days this year (high 80's) it's stayed very cool in my shop!

[David Hostetler]

Would roll up shades on the outside be an option?

Nope. HOA wouldn't allow it.

If I lived out on the country, I would love a carport attached to the front. My stupid garage is a shop instead of garage and shop in back yard because it is too small to park my truck in anyway...

I do have some concern with the foam blocks as I have been told they are a fire hazard. How do you use them safely?

I did add door seals to surround the door. Mind you I am in flood country here, so my seals I intentionally ended at 2" above ground level. This is to allow water to escape if it were to flood. But otherwise I am sealed up.

Yes, not allowing the sun to beat down on the shop door in the first place would be the ideal choice. But not an option for me due to HOA restrictions.

My wife and I are busting our backsides, and wallets to get this house remodeled, and hopefully can sell it at a reasonable price as the market returns. I want some acreage, and no HOA to tell me what to do on my land. For about what my house in the 'burbs would sell for, I could toss another 50K in the pot, and end up with a similar house, with a garage, AND a barn (workshop) on 5-7 acres about 20 minutes west of me... But for now we will deal with what we have...