What's the best way to insulate a garage door from heat?

[BuickMike]

I've got metal doors and out here in AZ they get super hot in the summer and turn my garage into an oven. I had my garage walls and ceiling insulated but decided to insulate the doors myself and save a few bucks.

The only thing I have seen is styrofoam and was wondering if there is anything better out there? Any tips?

 

[azgn]

insulate all you want....you will lose


in other words, don't bother


or you could put an ac unit in there....prolly cost ya about $400 a month

 

[John Larkin]

I don't know anything about AZ heat but I have an insulated door on mine and it really helps. There is rigid foam board you can buy at Homey Depot used for covering the outside of houses before siding/brick goes up. Comes in 4x8 sheets, super lightweight even at 1" thick. It's aluminum on one side and black on other and not very expensive ($3-5 per sheet I think). If you can cut and fit it into the sections of the door tightly with the aluminum facing toward the exterior you might see some benefit. The key will be trapping air in there which will require covering the backside with something, maybe reinforced fiberglass panels (the rough textured sheets you see as splash barriers in commercial bathrooms). Also paint your door white or a light color on the outside though it likely is already.

You may also need to look at airflow or a way to get the heat that's in there out. Opening a window at the top to get a chimney effect or a vent to exhaust the heat into the attic and out the roof vents.

Finally maybe a humidifier is something to check into. Water vapor absorbs heat. Here's one for cheap: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=71240&item=4308634535&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

 

[kshef]

humidity sucks...you go to work on your car and sweat soo much you drop over and die from dehyration

 

[Nashty]

I think you mean DE-humidifier. We run ours in the summertime and it takes quite a load off the AC unit trying to suck all the water out of the air.

Unless you keep the garage pretty sealed up, the thing will run constantly to no avail though.

I used the rigid foam board on an old POS garage door in my first house. Worked well for the price. I used liquid nails to adhere it to the door.

 

[John Larkin]

No, I meant humidifier. AZ is naturally dehumidified or arid/desert; adding a little moisture to the air is the goal. However, you need to use a fan in tandem with the moisture stream and have an exit for the air as well. Sound like a fun and challenging project. Of course he may already have a/c plumbed in there and just needs to contain it.

 

[Nashty]

That reminds me of the big boxes on the roofs of trailers you see sometimes, evaporative coolers. Those essentially do the same thing I believe. You used to be able to buy them for cars back in the 50's.

I stand corrected.

 

[granatl]

Last year, I re-did my garage with thick insulation, and the foam panels that J.L. mentioned. I also have a swamp cooler out there, which is actually big enough to cool my whole house. So now, as it's above 100 outside, the garage is never above 75. The only time it makes my house feel humid is when the outside humidity gets above 40%. And instead of a $190/mo power bill, it's only half that.

 

[BuickMike]

Eventually I will be mounting a swamp cooler on the roof. Probably a Master Cool. I was just curious if anyone has found a material better than styrofoam to insulate garage doors. I should be able to do both my doors for about $50, so it's not like I'm blowing a ton of money.

 

[Little6pack]

Maybe an Awning or Canopy to block the sun?