Insulated Garage Doors are Worth Every Penny
Insulated garage doors can make your quieter and help cut energy bills significantly. By virtue of weather change and geographical location, every Canadian home needs a garage door. They are great for parking vehicles and also act as storage areas. But still, most Canadians do not like to spend much on them despite their vital importance. Let alone choose to install insulated garage doors. So, let’s discuss if they are really worth the extra money.
Dilemma of Garage Door Insulation
With garages being used for multiple purposes, the importance of doors cannot be ignored. Therefore, insulation of these doors takes centre stage. It helps lower the HVAC bill, provides suitable resistance to weather elements, cuts out street noise and helps insulate a large open space. The dilemma of insulating a garage door brings forth the question of extra expenses. When the door itself runs into thousands of dollars sometimes, spending a little extra on insulation isn’t asking too much. If the garage is holding vital equipment including vehicles, accessories or important stuff, the insulation provides further security. Who knows, an insulated garage can one day e turned into a guest bedroom or increase household space for an extending family. Ask yourself – does your kid’s game room need adequate insulation? The answer will be a resounding yes!
Ready-Made Insulated Garage Doors
Most manufacturers offer insulation as part of their standard doors. The construction is aimed to increase the thermal efficiency of the construction material. Such doors usually feature the sandwich style construction pattern with polyurethane insulation. There are also between-section seals that further help prevent air-flow into the garage. Customers can choose from a wide variety of designs and styles of doors with optimum thermal efficiency suitable for both hot and cold climates.
- R-Value – It is the measure of the insulation level of a door. This standard value represents the insulation power of a door. This standard is used for both polystyrene and polyurethane insulation. Normally, doors offer a range of insulation value of 3 to 14. Homeowners can choose any r value door as per their preference and weather conditions. Wood doors have least r-value with a maximum rating of 4. On the other hand, fiberglass doors offer 14 R-value. Top of the line steel doors with double sandwich insulation and solid core have excellent R-16 value.
- Sandwiched Construction – This consists of polyurethane insulation foamed-in between 2 layers of hardened steel. Such construction offers maximum efficiency and performance.
- Thermal Seals – Often, the major flaw lies near the bottom or on the sides. So, thermal seals in between the sections or panels prevent this infiltration of air. Doors preventing air inflow are rated in CFM. This can be as low as .08 for good quality doors providing superior protection against natural elements. Bulb-style bottom weather seal prevents rain and wind in-flow in addition to cushioning for soft closing action.
- Excellent Finish Options – Today, doors offer durable finish options that look good and perform great. Prefer doors made from galvanized steel having two coats of polyester paint baked-on surface.
Homeowners can also insulate their old doors. Polyurethane foam, reflective foil insulation and polystyrene foam are some such aftermarket insulation options. Some technically blessed homeowners can accomplish such tasks themselves as well. Otherwise consult a good garage door repair company that will send trained technicians to handle insulation projects. Remember, garage door insulation may cost a pinch more but it will pay off handsomely in the end.