Your garage can either be your most useful home space or one that adds to your home energy costs. For all the good you can draw from your garage, it’s no good if it racks up your energy costs excessively. Plus, you want your living space to be at a comfortable temperature! The garage door is most responsible for the energy efficiency in your entire garage, which is why it’s best to have an insulated garage door vs. a non-insulated door.
But how do you know if you have an insulated garage door? You can hop on Google and search, “How to tell if my garage door is insulated,” and you’ll get diverse opinions that may or may not help you. Or, like most South Central Pennsylvania homeowners, you may look for a professional opinion from Legacy Door Co and even find out if using garage door insulation kits is a hit or miss.
That said, let’s discuss how you can tell if you have an insulated garage door!
Is Your Garage Door Already Insulated?
The easiest and most obvious way to tell if your garage door is insulated is by inspecting the door’s back panels closely from the inside. If the garage door’s panel design is visible, you’ll know it’s not insulated. If you can’t see the panel design, then the garage door is insulated. Why is this so?
It’s because insulated garage doors have an extra layer of polystyrene or polyurethane on top of the door’s back panels covering the original panel design. The same applies if the garage door is fitted with a garage door insulation kit.
When you can’t tell by inspecting the door’s back panels, you can use an infrared thermometer to measure and compare the temperature inside and outside the garage door. Plus, if it's wintertime, you'll know when that cold air is coming in! If it’s during the summer, the inside temperature of your garage should be way lower than the outside temperature if your garage door is insulated. When the internal and external temperatures are close or of the same value, it means your garage door is not insulated. Or perhaps, it is a poorly insulated garage door.
The other way to tell if your garage door is already insulated is by reviewing the door’s specifications from the manufacturer’s official website. Almost always, garage door manufacturers will have a product page on their website detailing the specs of each garage door. You can quickly look up if your garage door is insulated or not.
Garage Doors with Built-In Insulation
Nowadays, most garage doors come with built-in insulation panels, which is fantastic because it means the door’s weight is already accounted for when setting it up. At Legacy Door Co, we recommend doors with built-in insulation because they’re safer, more energy-efficient, and cost-efficient in the long term.
Understandably, you’ll have to pay more for an insulated garage door. So if you’re price sensitive, this may get you thinking, “Can’t I insulate my garage door using a garage door insulation kit?” While it’s doable, it has many drawbacks you may want to consider first.
Don’t Opt For A Garage Door Insulation Kit
Here’s why you should maybe rethink purchasing those garage door insulation kits:
They make the door heavy, which can cause damage to the entire door system.
They’re not 100% efficient, especially if poorly installed.
They take time to install correctly. You should also think about the weatherstripping, bottom seal, and sealing joints.
Conversely, garage doors with built-in insulation only require proper installation, and you’re good to go. Thankfully, you can receive garage door services from Legacy Door Co to install your insulated door expertly and also for subsequent repair and maintenance.
Learn More About Your Garage Door Options Today!
Hopefully, now you can easily tell if your garage door is insulated or not after reading this article! And if you run into a challenge or your garage door has additional problems, you can call us right away.
Better yet, you can trust us to find you the best new door with built-in insulation! Don't worry about having non-insulated garage doors in those cold or hot months. If you decide to get a new garage door for your home or want to figure out the best way to insulate your garage door, give us a call!
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