Last time we took a look at all of the things to think about when you are thinking about your noise reduction needs, in relation to your garage and of course garage doors. It is a surprisingly complex problem with a number of different possible solutions. From the natural noise reduction that wooden garage doors provide to the built in insulation used for metal garage doors like aluminum or steel ones there are a lot of different choices and it can often be dizzying. The good news is that if you take a look at that article the information is largely similar for when it comes to reducing the temperature exchange for your garage door. And that is exactly what we are going to do in this article. We will be looking at the relationship between the two effects of insulation and focusing mainly on insulating against the heat or cold moving through your garage door. One of the main reasons that many of us look at insulating our garage door is because of the amount of heat that may escape through our garage doors and the amount of cool air that may escape during the hotter months. Either way it seems that our garages just don’t do a good enough job compared to the other walls, windows and doors in our house, but that is where your garage door’s insulation comes into play. One of the main reasons for focusing on your garage’s temperature is because you have a room above your garage. If you have an occupied room above your garage they may complain about the heat or lack thereof because the garage is too hot or cold. In order to fix this you can further insult that room and its floor but you will most likely need to look at insulating your garage door more efficiently.
One of the ways we insulate our garages from outside temperatures is simply by having a garage door. Garage doors naturally stop some of the air flow and so will make it so that your garage doesn’t lose as much of its coolness or heat to the outside world as quickly. This in turn means that your house is easier to heat or cool and that the room above your garage is more manageable. However, some garage doors are naturally better than others. Solid wooden doors are okay at keeping heat out or in, but composite wooden doors are better and most metal doors will be just about the same as composite. Fiberglass again has too much variation to really say for certain. The choices are those though and any garage door is still better than no garage door at all. To really get the benefits of a garage door on things like your energy bill or whoever is living above your garage’s well being you really need to go a step further and go for an insulated garage door.
Insulated garage doors can do wonders for your home. In most garage doors there are gaps that can be filed with a variety of different types of insulation, these help to improve on the amount of cool air they keep in or out of your garage. A properly installed insulated garage door along with a rubber weather seal can really make a huge difference when it comes to the temperature of your garage and your home as well as just the price you pay for things like heating and cooling. As gas and heat prices are falling for some the idea of going for more energy efficiency is actually turning into a conscious decision instead of the obvious one that it used to be. Garage doors with insulation will cost you more in terms of initial investment, but they also will save you a good deal of money down the road. While the amount you spend on energy may be falling it is most likely going to be rising at some point in the future, but that is your decision to make. On the other hand you could always simply choose a more energy efficient garage door because you hope to make an impact on the environment. If you are looking to make the most impact on your energy usage and things like your bedroom above the garage’s temperature it is best to go with the most insulated garage door you can find. This typically will be a steel garage door that is filled with a lot of insulation and will do a lot to make sure that your garage does not lose a great deal of its heat or cool air.
The last type of insulation there is is the garage door insulation that you purchase after your garage door has already been installed. This can be anything from some space blankets taped to your garage door to some far more professional looking alternatives. While many of these methods do work well, many of them, like in the case of noise reduction, are not actually specifically for your garage door type and your situation. This will result in them not working as effectively, but they still are often less expensive than getting a whole new garage door installed. These remedies are often thought of after the fact, like if you turn the room above your garage into a bedroom and then afterwards realize that it is too hot or too cold. These types of solutions will help, but they may not do enough to actually make the difference that makes them worthwhile.
Again it seems rather obvious, but garage doors with the insulation built in wins again in the efficiency department as well as cost. After market solutions may work but you also may be stuck with something that fixes the wrong problem but still cost you money. If you are in need of aftermarket solutions it is best to get in touch with your garage door professional so that they can recommend something more specific for your problem. Otherwise the best course is always to simply get an insulated garage door to start and so any after market solutions you try for can just be to combat smaller problems that you might find although you very well might not need them.