Armstrong Garage Doors - Service 1 hour Garage door service Garage door Springs
Education Station
To insulate or not to insulate
Your garage door is most likely the largest opening on your home, and as a result, it can affect your home’s energy efficiency. For homes in areas that experience colder winters or warmer summers, choosing an insulated door can save you money and improve the comfort of your home. We also offer insulated glass window options that can help maintain energy efficiency and allow natural light into your garage.
Because many garages are connected to the rest of the home (often called attached garages), this can have a big impact on your home’s overall comfort. For example, many garages lead into a high-traffic area of your home like a hallway or kitchen, or there are rooms above the garage. As the image here represents, this makes it easy for cold air to spread throughout the home in the winter as it enters through your garage. This will inevitably happen as you use your garage, but choosing a garage door with insulation minimizes heat loss that occurs even while your garage door is closed.
Polystyrene Garage Door Insulation
Polystyrene insulation is used in many garage doors and is the type of insulation offered i. This insulation comes in the form of rigid panels of polystyrene that are inserted between steel layers of your garage door or placed inside of your single-layer garage door and typically includes a vinyl back.
Garage doors insulated with polystyrene sandwiched between two steel layers will have a quieter operation and energy efficiency than a non-insulated door, however, they are not as energy efficient as foam injected polyurethane.
Polyurethane Garage Door Insulation
Polyurethane insulation is comprised of a polyurethane foam that is injected in between the door’s steel layers, expanding to fill all of the nooks and crannies of the door. The foam bonds to the door’s frame as it expands, further increasing the strength of the door and making it less susceptible to dents.
Garage doors with polyurethane insulation will provide the highest level of sound isolation and climate control, and are a great choice if you live in very cold or hot climates and your garage door is used as the primary entrance to your home.
R Value
R-value, or insulation rating, measures the thermal efficiency of your garage door.The higher the R-value, the more thermally efficient your garage door will be.
A high R-value will keep heat inside the garage during winter and cool air inside during summer.
We recommend an insulated garage door if your garage is adjacent to a living room.
Insulated garage doors can help lower monthly energy costs.
Insulated garage doors reduce street noise coming from the outside, as well as noise coming from your garage.
Classic Steel Garage Doors have the highest insulation value.
Wood Garage Doors have the lowest insulation value.
Modern Glass Garage Doors have low insulation value as well, but they have an option for insulated glass panels.
Insulation ratings are as follows:
R-value 0 to 6 recommended for detached or non-heated garages
R-value 7 to 9 recommended for attached garages
R-value 10 to 13 recommended for heated garages
R-value 14 and up recommended for heated garages and if there’s a living space sharing a wall with your garage (or above the garage), or if you spend a lot of time in your garage
Wind Load
Transforming your garage door into a wind-rated door doesn’t mean sacrificing the curb appeal and beauty. As the largest point of entry, your garage door offers the largest opportunity for high-pressure havoc. When high winds hit, a reinforced garage door is one of your home’s most-important safeguards against nature’s fury.
Because garage doors are so large, pressure from hurricane activity or high winds can cause garage doors to detach from their tracks or even collapse. If your door fails, then damaging, life-threatening winds can enter, blowing out doors, windows, walls and the roof.
All brands offer options that meet your needs.