Installing Rigid Foam Insulation on a garage door

[pierhogunn]

Hey guys

now that I have my water filters installed, I want to protect them from the dips in cold weather that we seem to be having this winter,

I move a lot of heat through my aluminum garage door, and would like to slow that movement down some.

My wife, brilliant person that she is, suggested gluing some rigid foam insulation to the door.

I tend to think that is not a bad idea

am I wrong

is this hazardous / ill-concieved

and other than going to this-to-that and plugging it in, what are some other suggestions for adhereing the foam to the door.

It's made of powder coated aluminum, and has a wood grain texture

I was thinking some silicone adhesive caulk, and followed up with a judicious application of great stuff foam to fill in the gaps.


thought, suggestions, tips, smarmy comments, all welcome and encouraged

[dkhoward]

Just be sure you use the right kind of adhesive. If you use the wrong stuff it will just eat holes in the foam and not adhere. I have seen lots of garage doors in this part of the country with rigid foam adhered to the aluminum or steel.

[LarryG]

Short answer: not ill-conceived, but potentially hazardous.

Long answer:

Building codes vary, but in general all rigid foam insulations used for any application must have a flame spread index of not more than 75 and a smoke-developed index of not more than 450. If this information is not printed directly on the product you are considering, Google the mfr's web site and look up the specs. (Be sure to look up the EXACT product you are considering; there are many kinds of foam insulation and they are NOT all the same.)

In addition to the above, rigid foam insulation usually cannot be left exposed; it must be covered with gypsum board or, in the case of non-fire-rated garage doors, a thin sheet of aluminum or steel. HOWEVER, there is an exception in the Uniform Building Code (again, codes vary by region) which says that this covering is not required on garage doors in a single- or two-family residence.

HOWEVER again, however, that exception does not alter the fact the stuff is highly flammable. I will guess that the exception assumes the garage will be used for the storage of vehicles, which is not particularly hazardous. A garage that is used as a shop ratchets things up a notch, IMO. So if I were you, I'd cover the inside of the door with something sufficiently robust to keep the odd spark away from the foam. I've seen 1/8" hardboard (Masonite) used for this, and would personally be comfortable with that.

Lastly, +1 on Dennis' remarks concerning the glue. Find out what the mfr recommends; if in doubt at all, try a test piece before committing to the full application.

EDIT: I just remembered that the owner of one of the "America's Best Home Workshops" shops applied foam to his garage door(s), and it apparently cut his heating bill almost in half. So yeah, it's worth doing ...

[Mr__Bill]

It's a good idea and will save a lot of heat, but there are the problems with foam as stated above. There is however a fiberglass board with foil coating that works well and has no code issues. It looks like the stuff that rigid heat ducts are made of and comes in 4 x 8 sheets. I have seen it up to 2" thick. It has some flex to it so if you have a GD that has places to slip it into you can cut it to fit and flex it in. There is also a vinyl covered insulation that comes in sheets, used in commercial buildings (look up next time your in a warehouse) that you can just blanket the whole door with, tacking it at each section and letting it bend with the door as it opens. Both if not available in your lumber yard will be available in a industrial building supply place.

While you are at it make sure that you have a good weather strip at the top of the door where it meets the header

have fun, bill

[rjwaldren]

If it's a standard overhead rollup, HD had insulation kits that squeezed into the panels without the need for adhesive. It looked like styrofoam and I think was rated a R-2.5, not much.

Last time I noticed them they were clearance, but I've seen them online too. At the time I was looking for a solution that provided some sound deadening, styrofoam wouldn't have fit the bill.

[thrytis]

I had checked with the Cabarrus county building inspector about using foam insulation on garage doors in an attached garage and was told that it must be covered. I think all the wood in my garage is more of a concern than the insulation on a metal door though.

You might try construction adhesive. I think i've read about people using that for attaching foam to metal doors before.

Insulating the garage door does make a big difference, both in the winter and summer. With the temperature getting down to 15 degrees at night, i only lost about 7 degrees (55 to 48) in the garage. A 1000W quartz heater and a few halogen lamps will bring the temperature up fairly quickly to a comfortable working level. In the summer my garage sometimes gained less heat than inside my house.

[Uncle Cracker]

Another thing to think about is weight. The added weight of foam and adhesive is not much, but depending on whether you cover the insulation with metal or hardboard or use a heavier-than-foam insulation, that might make a considerable difference. You may overload your opener or need to have a spring adjustment, or heavier springs put in. And if it gets really heavy, you may be unable to get the door open by hand if the power fails, the opener gives up, or the spring breaks.

[parnelli]

If it's a standard overhead rollup, HD had insulation kits that squeezed into the panels without the need for adhesive. It looked like styrofoam and I think was rated a R-2.5, not much.

Last time I noticed them they were clearance, but I've seen them online too. At the time I was looking for a solution that provided some sound deadening, styrofoam wouldn't have fit the bill.

I don't think they have Menard's in NC, but they carry these as well. (I've never seen them at the BORG).

They're foam with a plastic (?) backing that faces the room. Two packs were required for a 16' door.

[SwingKing]

Reflectix

I just installed some Reflectix on my garage doors. Instead of being foam, it is actually bubble wrap with foil on both sides. For garage doors, it is supposed to act as a "reflective barrier" against the garage door panels. I've only had it installed for a couple days, but so far it seems to be making a difference in keeping my shop warm.

I bought it at Home Depot and installation was a snap. The 24" width rolls were perfect for my door panels. I just cut them to length and then tucked them into the top/bottom lips of each panel. I think I'm going to tape up the vertical edges just to be safe, but they are staying in nicely. The strips are very light, so I only noticed a slight increase in weight with the whole 8' door done.

-- Ken

[greencat]

I just installed some Reflectix on my garage doors.
I bought it at Home Depot and installation was a snap. The 24" width rolls were perfect for my door panels. I just cut them to length and then tucked them into the top/bottom lips of each panel. I think I'm going to tape up the vertical edges just to be safe, but they are staying in nicely. The strips are very light, so I only noticed a slight increase in weight with the whole 8' door done.

-- Ken

Would you mind if I ask about the cost?

[SwingKing]

Home Depot has it at $21 for a 24"x50' roll. I have two 8' wide garage doors, so I needed ~2.5 rolls. This stuff is also supposed to be good for covering water heaters, so I may take the leftover material and insulate mine this weekend.

-- Ken

[rjwaldren]

That's pretty reasonable... Even the prefab panels I mentioned would have been $120+ for both doors. I've been looking for a acoustic/heat solution since I'm in a quite residential area. Acoustic solutions also take care of the heat loss but add a lot of weight and cost.

I haven't noticed this material at my local HD, it's worth another look. I might just go this route for the garage door. Then work on tool enclosures to help with the noise.

[niki]

I covered my 15' garage door with 2" foam.

It's now -4°F outside but 37°F inside the garage...that is in any case too cold to work...

niki

[eezlock]

Installing Ridgid Foam Insulation

I assume that you are installing them on the inside of the garage door, right?
Why not get a spray can of 3 M spray contact cement? Pre-cut the foam panels too fit in the door panels, spray the contact cement, per directions,
let it get tacky, and stick the foam panels to the metal door panels and you are done! It is the same adhesive that auto trim shops use when working with
headliners and door panels for cars works real good too! eezlock

[pierhogunn]

I think that I will just install that bubble wrap stuff, I don't need to prevent that much heat loss, just 15 to 20 degrees, since our average minimum temperature is right at freezing of just above.