Insulation kits are tools which are used for energy efficient solutions to reduce energy consumption in times of extreme climates experienced in every continent in the whole world that is when it’s too cold and hot, especially summer and winter. Insulation kits are used basically to keep the garage warm,
repair a garage door, prevent the building against moisture which can result in to mold infestation, reduce dust and noise, especially in busy streets in urban areas.
Garage Doors
[one_half_first]These are large doors that are put in a garage and can be opened manually or by an electric motor with the use of garage door opener which is commonly called remote control. The garage doors are large enough to fit standard, SUV and caravan size vehicles. Garage doors can be in residential houses or commercial houses. The residential garage is mostly small and is made with a panel that can tilt up and down across the garage ceiling. The commercial garage doors are made with multiple jointed panels which roll up and down as the door opens.[/one_half_first][one_half_last][/one_half_last]
Types Of Garage Doors
Mostly we have 4 popular
types of garage doors:
- Sliding garage doors
- Sectional roll up garage doors
- Swing out garage doors
- Swing up garage doors
The buying and installation of these type of doors depend on with your choice which basically depends with the style of the house you have, although each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The type of garage to be insulated can be either
The attached garage are the garage which are built in the house as one unit. When it comes to insulation it has its advantages as it helps to keep the rest of the house warm as it opens to the main house in the interior side. This type of garage you can insulate the garage door only since the rest of the space can be kept warm by the insulation panels from the main house.
Side garage or non-attached
These types of garage are built aside, that is they are separately build alone. Most of this garage requires completely different type of insulation method. The kind of insulation depends with the activities done and how frequently the garage is used. For examples most of the garage, if is not too packed with family vehicles they tend to turn round and use it as another room for recreational activities and entertainment especially for the visitors. For this purpose. You should consider installation of insulation not only on the garage door but the walls to keep the whole space warm and comfortable. The best insulation method is to use a normal heater or an air conditioning unit .These installation may be expensive but it’s worth the cost.
Most of the garage doors are made up of materials like
Wood, Steel, Aluminum, Fiber glass, Vinyl. Custom made garage doors come with the insulation materials. For example, vinyl doors are filled with insulation materials called polystyrene
. Same applies to fiber glass doors. But most of the garage doors from other materials are manufactured without insulation material. The material which manufactures garage doors depends mostly with the home owners’ choice and the outlook of the house or garage. The best time to insulate your garage is when you are installing the door or when replacing it. The common used materials are wood which is a natural insulator and metal material simply because they are readily available at a reasonable cost.
Installing insulation kits can be pretty easy as you can install it by yourself or if you lack the technical knowledge you can hire a technician for that purpose. The insulation kits are widely available in the market especially in companies which deal with energy solutions and also you can find them in most electronic mega stores around the world.
Types of garage door insulation kits available in the market
There are three major insulation kits available in the market out there;
It is sold in rolls and it comes in single and double foil.in the market you can buy either for your garage door. Reflective foil it’s made with a layer of polyethylene foam which is placed in between two layers of aluminum foil. The double foil is considered to be the best and it’s made up of two layers of foam. It is has low energy cost, its considered to be friendly to human health and environment because it’s made of materials which are non-allergic, the materials are also non flammable.it considered to be also suitable for ceilings and floors
These kind is sold in large sheets .if this is your choice you need to cut them in to small sheets to fit in the panel of your garage door. The materials which make these kits are abit firm and hard compared to reflective foil. Most of the people prefer it.
This type of a kit in the market is available in 8 cut panels (8 kits).this panels are the one fit in the garage door flame. They are made up of either polystyrene coated with plastic or fiber glass. This type of a kit is easy to install. It is maintenance cost is low.
Things to consider when choosing an installation kit or material
- Weight: when shopping for insulation kits considers their wait. Extra weight of the kit may affect the operation of the garage door. The weight added may slag or slow down the movement of the door.to some extend of having difficult with it when opening especially in busy garage.
- Rating value: the material of the insulation kit should be of higher rating value
- Home friendly: one should choose an insulation kit which may not pose any danger to the people leaving in the house if you are considering putting it in an attached garage type.it should be able to be operated by anyone without difficulties.
- Make sure the kind of insulation kit you choose can fit the required place possible: You are not supposed to put or place an insulation kit over a spring of the garage door. The operating mechanism of most commercial garage doors is loaded with springs to reduce the weight of the door and also the effort used to operate the door
How to match insulation door to your garage door
The aim is to make sure the installation kit you choose is easy to install and it’s suitable for climate condition in your area. For example
Steel garage doors
These material of garage doors can accommodate any insulation kit since most of the are manufactured without them. The procedure of installing is just to place the insulation kit or material in the frame around the panels. The fiberglass side should be touching the door or just cut the required size to fit the foam in to the frame. The best steel doors are made from two layers of galvanized steel. These makes the garage doors made of it last for long. Steel doors can be of variable colors because it can be painted to match the color of the house installed
Wood garage doors
To install the insulation material you should cut the required size and fit the insulation into the door frames. Because wood garage doors are mostly affected by weather especially moist conditions you should use double layer of foam board for extra protection. Additionally most of the wood garage doors are designed in craftsman’s designs which brings good and luxurious image. The wood doors are prone to warping so it can be made with wood frame then cover it with a layer of fiberboard.
Aluminum garage doors
Most of the flat garage doors made up of aluminum materials .the doors are made from individual sections. Which when put together they bring the required strength. Most of them are maintenance free, the panels are weather resistant. The best insulation material to use on this doors is foam material or the reflective insulation kit. This insulation kit is mostly used for doors without panels .to install it you simply cut the required size and fix it on the garage door frame. Insulation kits affordability depends with your choice, some of them are expensive are expensive others are cheap in the market so everyone can afford them .most of the insulation kits come in full package.
Content of insulation kits
The kit contains the following things:
- Insulation-which comes in a roll or a board in this case what you need to do is to trim it or cut it to the required size.
- Fasteners-this are useful to hold the insulation material in to place
- Utility knifes or other kits materials- which are necessary to install the insulator
Insulation kits for our garage has made life’s of many possible and easier because an insulated garage makes the temperate in your garage more comfortable and also it has made the energy saving solution more possible by reducing the energy use at our home and also in commercial areas.
Apparently, most garage owners find it more convenient to pave their way on taking the easier selection. Foam sheathing insulation materials can be used for uncomplicated customizations. Installing Garage doors is done by cutting the foam sheathing insulation material depending on the preferred size taking into consideration the garage door panels. These materials are simply attached to the garage door.
If sheathing door insulation materials are not on hand, you can use reflective foil insulation. The standard thickness of this kind of foil is 5/16th of an inch. It normally consists of heavy-duty polyethylene foams that are double-layered between aluminum foil sheets. You can also use polystyrene panels that are even easier to install on the door. Put into mind that when you are installing your garage door, it is best time to think about its insulation. When replacing your garage door can also be the best time to cope with insulation problems that need to be attended. If you want to use a natural insulator, you can use wood over metal when thinking about what material your door should be made of.
Professionals can be the ones to do the job of garage door
insulation for yourself, but if you want to save money, you can do it by yourself since it is not a very hard task. The kinds of kits mentioned regularly include the things you will need on your project such as a tape measure, a straight edge and a utility knife. Garage door insulation will not only save you bucks but will also make your garage, be it a car parking area or a workshop area, a suitable, comfortable place for your needs.
Buying garage door insulation kits
For a household that has
a garage, it is most likely the largest space in one’s home that is poorly insulated or not at all. Severe loss of energy can largely happen when a wall of the garage is connected with the house. Insulation may be unimportant to you, but it can avert energy loss through insulated garage door and will save you energy and money. This can also prevent occurrence of damages due to moisture. Compared to the cost of energy loss, various garage door insulation kits available in the market are very efficient and simple.
In order to have proper garage door, you can either buy kits or buy foam sheathing insulation materials. Obviously, these two options have differences that you should consider first before taking any action in helping your home save energy bills by garage door insulation.
The primary problem with door insulation kits is its availability in stores. Not only are they difficult to see in a home improvement store, they usually come with Do-It-Yourself customizations. Nevertheless, most of these insulations kits are perfect for garage doors that have standard sizes. The standard size for a garage door is 9 feet wide by 7 feet high for single doors. For double doors, the standard size is 16 feet wide by 7 feet wide. Of course, there are kits that can be used for doors with non-standard sizes, but if this is the case, reflective foil type insulation now enters the scene.
References
I love writing about interior design. I am in love with achieving harmony at home to improve the well-being of my family. I usually write for the "Visitacasas" blog, both in Spanish and English, and personally answer the questions about home decoration of all our users.
3 comments