Updating Garage Door Insulation During Garage Repair in Los Angeles

A garage attached to your Los Angeles home can be a drain on your energy bills. This is why proper insulation is key. A good place to start with garage insulation is your garage door, especially if the rest of your garage already has sufficient insulation. The good news is garage repair in Los Angeles involving your door can include the installation of new insulation. It can also include the repair of insulation you may already have in place. Here’s what you need to know about Los Angeles garage door repair involving insulation.

Garage Door Insulation

If you have existing garage door insulation and some of it is damaged or missing entirely, this type of garage repair in Los Angeles will likely involve replacing the insulation entirely. Unfortunately, damaged, old, or worn insulation can’t really be “repaired,” it has to be replaced. If this is what you’re dealing with, consider what type of insulation you prefer for replacement.

Replacement is also worth considering if the insulation you have now has pieces missing. Yes, you could always insert materials that match to cover bare areas. However, there will be noticeable differences with insulating capabilities between newer and older insulation since R-value, a measure of insulating capabilities, can decrease over time. With complete replacement, you’ll also be getting garage door insulation that can provide more even protection. This is good for your garage, especially if there are some gaps with the other insulation in this space.

Garage Repair in Los Angeles: Door Insulation Replacement Options

With garage door insulation, there are three popular options:

• Batt insulation: Often made of fiberglass, these insulation pieces easily fit into place once cut to fit. This is also a more affordable option with garage door insulation if you go with fiberglass. Batt insulation usually gives you a decent R-value if properly installed.

• Foam board insulation: These are rigid panels a technician specializing in garage door repair in Los Angeles can apply to the inside of your garage door. Foam boards aren’t super thick, but they do offer a higher insulating value than what’s common with batt insulation.

• Reflective insulation: This type of insulation usually comes in the form of rigid boards or rolls. It’s so-named because it has reflective aluminum foil that’s applied to cardboard, polyethylene bubbles, or other insulation materials. Consider this option for direct sun exposure or for flat garages that can’t accommodate other types of insulation.

Matching Insulation to Your Garage Door

A Los Angeles garage door repair technician will also let you know if your existing insulation is a good match for your type of garage door. If it’s not, this is when you may wish to consider an upgrade to a type of insulation more appropriate for your garage door.

Steel garage doors, for instance, can handle all the types of insulation mentioned above. In fact, even insulation options not already discussed should be able to work well with these doors. With flat garage doors, however, foam board or reflective insulation will fit better. Since these doors don’t have panels, the insulation will need to be glued or taped into place. If you have wood-framed doors with panels, you may cut or trim rigid insulation to fit to the recesses within the frames. Should you prefer added air blockage capabilities, apply two layers of foam board.

You’ll also want to consider an insulation update if you also have plans to have a new garage door installed. Even if you’ll be getting a similar type of garage door, it never hurts to explore your options with insulation before you decide what’s right for you. But if you are upgrading to an entirely different type of door, an insulation upgrade is definitely worth considering as well. Plus, there will likely be noticeable decreases in insulating abilities if you transfer older insulation to a new door.

Professional Garage Door Insulation Application

There are insulation kits you can buy to add some insulation to your garage door. However, there are some compelling reasons to reach out to a Los Angeles garage repair technician instead. For one thing, updating your insulation to another type of insulation can add some extra weight to your garage door. This added strain could affect springs, cables, and other important parts that need to function well.

What a garage door professional can do to account for added weight is adjust the spring tension or recommend other adjustments that may need to be made so the door can support your insulation. An experienced technician can also give you some input about the state of your current garage door insulation. Finally, if you don’t have insulation at all right now on your garage door, a technician can guide you through the process of exploring your options. You’ll ultimately be rewarded with a properly insulated garage door – and a garage that’s also more comfortable throughout the year!