Insulate garage?

[A and A]

Hello Everyone,

Wanted to ask if there is any benefit to adding insulation above the garage. Not going to be used for anything other than car parking. Thanks.

[retiredguy123]

It won't do much of anything. Insulation is used to slow down heat transfer between a conditioned space and an unconditioned space. In this case, both the garage and the attic above it are unconditioned spaces.

[villagetinker]

I agree not much if any benefit, also, you probably have some plywood (or osb) in the attic for storage, this would need to be removed and replaced. You would probably need fiber glass bat type insulation in this area. I would not spend the money, and I actaully have a work shop in my garage and work in there all the time.

[JohnN]

nope, no reason. you won't recoup the expense

[CynthiaAnn]

Question... if you have a south facing garage, would it be worth it to insulate the garage door?

[retiredguy123]

Question... if you have a south facing garage, would it be worth it to insulate the garage door?
I don't think it is worth doing, but I know others will disagree. Put a thermometer in your garage and monitor the temperature at various times. If it is significantly higher than the outdoor temperature, then you may benefit from an insulated garage door, but I doubt that there will be much of a temperature difference.

[dewilson58]

Hello Everyone,

Wanted to ask if there is any benefit to adding insulation above the garage. Not going to be used for anything other than car parking. Thanks.


I'm on the other side of the fence...............At construction it was a very small investment and I'm glad we did it. Our garage is much cooler than like houses and facings on our street. There is a notable difference on hot days, pulling the golf cart into the garage.


And I'm one of those who think garage door screens are silly.


Good Luck.
:clap2:

[Neils]

To help avoid very hot garage temps

Don't pull hot cars into the garage. Let them cool off a couple hours outside before bringing them in.

[grahambda]

I bought a few rolls of insulation reflective foil and "tented" the area above our garage (stapled the foil to the roof trusses) cut in a fold-back "door" in case we need to access any other area of the roof. Sealed the joints with the same tape used for A/C ducting. We then lined the garage door with 2" insulation sheets - easy to do. The whole project took a weekend and cost less than $300.00 Measured the before and after temperatures and it was a consistent 15-20 degree drop. So good result based on the time and $$ investment.

[Kenswing]

Has anyone installed or considered a solar attic fan like the ones SolarGuys installs? We're thinking of having them install one to remove the hot air from the attic.

[Tmarkwald]

I bought a few rolls of insulation reflective foil and "tented" the area above our garage (stapled the foil to the roof trusses) cut in a fold-back "door" in case we need to access any other area of the roof. Sealed the joints with the same tape used for A/C ducting. We then lined the garage door with 2" insulation sheets - easy to do. The whole project took a weekend and cost less than $300.00 Measured the before and after temperatures and it was a consistent 15-20 degree drop. So good result based on the time and $$ investment.

So, you basically cut off access to the rest of the attic with the foil, which kept the heat from that part of the attic from coming into the attic space above the garage?

Does that sound right? The 2" insulation on the garage door - is that those 4 x 8 sheets they sell at Lowes/HD ?

[EdFNJ]

Has anyone installed or considered a solar attic fan like the ones SolarGuys installs? We're thinking of having them install one to remove the hot air from the attic. Had one of theirs installed here a few years ago when we moved it .... have no idea if it made any sort of difference. We had one up north but it was a much larger 120V powered fan with louvers and it did drop temps about 10 degrees and we KNEW when it was running. If you asked if I would do it again here ... I'd say no. In fact, I have no idea if it's even still spinning! Can't get to it or see it from garage access. I guess, like chicken soup, "it can't hurt" but ........

[EdFNJ]

Hello Everyone,

Wanted to ask if there is any benefit to adding insulation above the garage. Not going to be used for anything other than car parking. Thanks.

Our garage faces directly due west. We had a new garage door put in when we had our garage "stretched" to a 2-car and got an insulated one. It's not as hot to the touch on the inside as before but not sure if it made much or any any difference to the extreme garage temps on 90+ degree days. We had one of those <cough> "silly" screens (a slider) installed and keeping the garage opened and the screen closed made a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference compared to with the door down even on the hottest days and kept the bugs, snakes, elephants, geckos, lions, tigers & prying neighbor's eyes out during the day when the garage door is opened and the screens closed. I guess that's because it at least allows some air movement.

[grahambda]

So, you basically cut off access to the rest of the attic with the foil, which kept the heat from that part of the attic from coming into the attic space above the garage?

Does that sound right? The 2" insulation on the garage door - is that those 4 x 8 sheets they sell at Lowes/HD ?

Yep, and the foil insulation protected that area from the heat of the roof - so the insulation is near to the roof as opposed to heating up the area above the garage. Can't believe the difference in heat when i walkthrough to the non-foil area of the roof. Alos makes it,ot more comfortable when having to go up to the area above the garage to store or retrieve items. We used to have to wait till early morning to go up there but not anymore more.

Exactly 4 x8 sheets, just removed the support rails from the inside of the garage door, cut the sheets to size and put the rails back on. it was a 3-4 hour job.

[Maryland04]

Had a CYV with garage door facing west. Previous owner ran into garage door and left a large dent, so we replaced it with an insulated door, what a difference. Besides the heat factor the door was quieter. We also had the attic insulated with blown in insulation. This along with the door made a huge difference in the summer months. PS this was a Stucco CYV

[HiHoSteveO]

Has anyone installed or considered a solar attic fan like the ones SolarGuys installs? We're thinking of having them install one to remove the hot air from the attic.

These days it seems that "air sealing" the attic floor area has become a critical part of insulating.
My understanding is that attic fans are a no-go because they cause an increased negative air pressure in the living space.
In other words, they suck the air conditioned/heated air right out through the attic.
The air gets sucked out of the ceiling fan holes/can light holes/air vent leakage holes and outlet, light switch holes in the walls.

You wouldn't think it would make all that much difference, but evidently it does because of the attention now being placed on air sealing.

[Tmarkwald]

Yep, and the foil insulation protected that area from the heat of the roof - so the insulation is near to the roof as opposed to heating up the area above the garage. Can't believe the difference in heat when i walkthrough to the non-foil area of the roof. Alos makes it,ot more comfortable when having to go up to the area above the garage to store or retrieve items. We used to have to wait till early morning to go up there but not anymore more.

Exactly 4 x8 sheets, just removed the support rails from the inside of the garage door, cut the sheets to size and put the rails back on. it was a 3-4 hour job.

Where did you find that foil insulation? It sounds a bit like the 4' wide wrap you use on heating/AC ducts. Maybe 1/2 inch think?

Thanks for the info. My home has the exact same issue!

[Tmarkwald]

These days it seems that "air sealing" the attic floor area has become a critical part of insulating.
My understanding is that attic fans are a no-go because they cause an increased negative air pressure in the living space.
In other words, they suck the air conditioned/heated air right out through the attic.
The air gets sucked out of the ceiling fan holes/can light holes/air vent leakage holes and outlet, light switch holes in the walls.

You wouldn't think it would make all that much difference, but evidently it does because of the attention now being placed on air sealing.

I wonder if those attic fans that simply move air from one end of the attic and out would work? We replaced one of the end vents up north with a fan driven one. It drew in air from one end of the attic and blew it out, so it did not suck AC air from below. With ridge vents that would seem to help..

[eeroger]

Has anyone installed or considered a solar attic fan like the ones SolarGuys installs? We're thinking of having them install one to remove the hot air from the attic.

Save your money! 1) they are very expensive compared to electric fans. Even accounting for electricity. 2) they only work during the day. They do not work after sunset when the air is cooler. 3) In the winter they continue to work pulling the warm air out, when you actually want it there. 4) We did a lot of research before installing 2 electric attic fans and are glad we did. Solar Guys gave us a lot of scare tactics, including you won't be able to stand the noise, which is nonsense. Advice - have a roofing company do the installation vs an electrician.

[Starpilot]

I am installing a split system ac unit in the garage. I know most will think its a waste but keeping the garage around 80ish when unattended is great for controlling temp and as important, humidity for my tools and toys. Then if I want to do any work there I can drop it to what ever temp I like. Blown insulation in the space above and under the floor area is part of the work. I have this up North with no regrets.
For the garage doors, not yet fully considered, I think I will add the foiled foam panels myself. The doors are otherwise good and not needing replacement.
If AC wasn’t an option, I would still have insulated the space just keep the garage more tolerable and to reduce the heat pass thru to the house as we’re re in and out of the garage all the time.

[forebubba]

Has anyone installed or considered a solar attic fan like the ones SolarGuys installs? We're thinking of having them install one to remove the hot air from the attic.

Solar fans are not worth the money. If you put one in and it is near the other roof vents it sucks some air from the outside. Motors on them last a couple of years and the you have to replace them

[DanBrew]

I put radiant barrier in the attic over the garage as well as on the south facing garage doors. Lowered the temperature in the garage significantly.

[HiHoSteveO]

I wonder if those attic fans that simply move air from one end of the attic and out would work? We replaced one of the end vents up north with a fan driven one. It drew in air from one end of the attic and blew it out, so it did not suck AC air from below. With ridge vents that would seem to help..

I don't know the answers to your questions, but air going out must equal air coming in.

I cannot see any benefit of an attic fan.
I'm thinking if the hot air is expelled outdoors forcefully using an attic fan, then the air replacing it must come from somewhere. Ideally through the eaves, but in any case it will be the path of least resistance. It depends on the nuances of the individual house.

Also how wet is that air coming in?

A solar powered fan would move air out much more slowly, but the path of least resistance would still hold true. Aided by the effects of warm air rising in the summer.

Another thing to consider is moisture, condensation and mold.
If a hot attic was so bad, why don't you ever see white or light colored shingles?

[beeneyra]

The price of insulation here in Florida is twice the price in North Carolina. Your looking at over $40 dollars a roll. Waste of time and money.

[nick demis]

Has anyone installed or considered a solar attic fan like the ones SolarGuys installs? We're thinking of having them install one to remove the hot air from the attic.

Be careful. Some units draw so much air out that it will cause leakage from the climate controlled area and can make a huge increase in your utility bill.

[irishwonone]

Wow. Our home faces the same direction. We’re trying to determine best way to reduce garage temperature as air conditioner sweats plus the doors aren’t vented where a/c is stored.

[Villagesgal]

When we had our house built we paid for extra insulation in the entire attic and in all the exterior walls including the garage, best money we ever spent. Cooler garage, but our heating and cooling costs are one third of our neighbors even set at the same Temps. I would put in the above garage insulation and think about having additional blown into the rest of the attic. Too late to upgrade insulation in the walls, but if you're building new, definitely get it.

[G.R.I.T.S.]

Hello Everyone,

Wanted to ask if there is any benefit to adding insulation above the garage. Not going to be used for anything other than car parking. Thanks.

YES! We moved here in 2005 and it was among the first things we did and did the work ourselves. (We were on the young end of pre-retirement age.) It lowered the temperature in our kitchen and 5-10 degrees.

[John_W]

Without A/C you're never going to make your garage cooler than outside. What you want is to have the garage the same temp as the outside and it will be cooler because you don't have the sun directly on you.

Open your garage door and get a screen for the door. I have garage door up about 10 months of the year. I did have rabbit one time pop in when I came home and opened screen and was putting my golf cart in, he hopped in so quickly and I couldn't find him. I found him a week later when the smell was horrible. With screens you can avoid most creatures, snakes, gators, rabbits, bugs, etc. Also with the door up, it will give you privacy, and obviously keep out two legged creatures with sticky fingers.

You have the one piece screen that goes up, I have the horizontal that has 3' sections that slide separately by hand. That way I can open just one section to go in and out, and then close it behind me quickly.

Here's my garage and the door is open. You can't see in, you can't even see the car. Nobody or any creature can enter, and the garage will stay about the same temp as the outside air. That's the best you're going to get. A big fan will move air and that will cool your body to a certain degree.

https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/154805912_1874908709340319_7726617374213403621_o.j pg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=lkPWMWBvWJsAX_CLNfz&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=56f1edb8fcb463b60e1dcc3649469dca&oe=605F5759

I have my washer & dryer in the garage, in the back. I have a wire shelf installed above them for detergents and stuff. I also have this fan on the shelf and have it aimed in my direction when I working in the garage, it will help. It was about $35 at Walmart.

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/68d0055e-63b5-43af-a915-43c114d6cbf8_1.468b2a7eb866abe9dcca6b2a32a4bef4.jp eg?odnWidth=undefined&odnHeight=undefined&odnBg=ffffff

This one is $39 at Walmart. If you don't a have a shelf or a good place to place the fan, you can get a fan on a pole with a base and they can be aimed in any direction.

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/a1d23642-e62e-4d3e-8278-cd3274b17b44_1.ec8a2f6690bd8211d49bdb482ab37c85.jp eg?odnWidth=undefined&odnHeight=undefined&odnBg=ffffff

[Ndomines]

Go to ROMAC lumber yard. On Rolling acre rd. Go to far right rear corner and there is a retail desk. Take picture of your house and the inside of your closed garage door. Better yet measure the width and height as well. They have precut foam insulation that fits your garage door. It works. Hello Everyone,

Wanted to ask if there is any benefit to adding insulation above the garage. Not going to be used for anything other than car parking. Thanks.

[jjombrello]

Yes, as it helps keep the garage cooler during hot weather. Insulate your door, as well.

[dadoiron]

Hello Everyone,

Wanted to ask if there is any benefit to adding insulation above the garage. Not going to be used for anything other than car parking. Thanks.

Save the added expense. If you won't be working in the garage in the summer you don't need to insulate it.

[merrymini]

Additional insulation ABOVE THE GARAGE? Do not see the point. Additional insulation on THE GARAGE DOORS? Worked great for me. No adhesives and did not have to remove are support bars. Lowered the temp about 20 degrees. Still warm but much more comfortable. Ordered from Texas Garage on line, and easy to install. Air conditioning in the garage? Expensive and I do not spend that much time in there to make it worth my while but, if you have a work shop of any sort in the garage, probably worth considering. I hate screens on the garage. Would rather spend the money on the a/c.

[Tmarkwald]

Additional insulation ABOVE THE GARAGE? Do not see the point. Additional insulation on THE GARAGE DOORS? Worked great for me. No adhesives and did not have to remove are support bars. Lowered the temp about 20 degrees. Still warm but much more comfortable. Ordered from Texas Garage on line, and easy to install. Air conditioning in the garage? Expensive and I do not spend that much time in there to make it worth my while but, if you have a work shop of any sort in the garage, probably worth considering. I hate screens on the garage. Would rather spend the money on the a/c.

Do you have a link for Texas Garage? There seem to be quite a few sites that are similar!

[Fastskiguy]

I'm installing this kit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MUCLOLO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

right now. We have a black, south facing garage door. The garage has insulation between it and the attic and it's a stucco home.

Installation is sorta time consuming but not especially difficult.

The inside of my doors is sitting at 140 degrees right now....on an 80 degree sunny day. The outside of the door in the area I've insulated is an impressive 171 degrees!

Inside, the insulated panels of the garage door are sitting around 91-92.

So dropping the inside door temp from 140 to 92 just seems like a good thing, right?

Joe

PS-Customer service with this kit was pretty darn good when I texted with a question....they called back in 5 minutes

[RonaldJ]

Hello Everyone,

Wanted to ask if there is any benefit to adding insulation above the garage. Not going to be used for anything other than car parking. Thanks.
I ran insulation program for many years. Heat does move in all directions so if attic is extremely hot heat will transfer into garage but insulating attic may not make a lot of difference depending on temperature difference of attic and garage. A cheaper and better alternative would be to make sure attic is well ventilated with ridge vent, roof vents, or turbine. If this is done you can actually remove heat from garage by opening attic access so it ventilates into the attic and out the vents. Added a ridge vent to my garage when I bought my house and it helped cool down the garage.

[John_W]

I didn't mention this on my previous post, but it works really good. The only negative is it's going to defeat your fire barrier between the home and the garage. So when I do it, I'm out in the garage working, but when I'm done, I close it back.

I have attic steps like these except I have aluminium steps because the all wood model can warp. I had Tim Miller (Tim the Toolman) who is TV the top floor coating specialist install them in 2011. Before he was doing floors, he was the best handyman in TV. He installed the aluminium steps, and 100 sf of plywood flooring in the attic for $295.

What I found was, with the ridge vent at the ridge of the roof line, by propting the door open only about 6 inches, I use a small cardboard box and just wedge it in there, and with the garage door up and I have the screens, you'll feel a steady breeze going up through the attic access.

The other reason besides fire that I don't keep the access open all the time is that termites will not live where temperatures are above 120 degrees, so for that reason I keep the attic door closed and even with a hot attic, my electric bill in the summer is never over $90.

https://uooz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Folding-Attic-Access-Ladder-in-a-Garage-1200x800.jpg

[Yjacket74]

I have a north-facing garage. It would get extremely hot in the summertime when the sun is on that side instead of the south side. I put insulation in the garage door itself. Helped a little bit. But what really did the trick is I got the Solar Guys to put in a garage/attic fan. They put a vent in each lower corner of the garage door (properly screened to prevent bugs/insects from getting in) so the fan pulls the air from the vents through the garage and the air is pushed out thru the attic vents already in the roof. The fan also has an adjustable thermostat so you could keep the garage at 80 degrees or 85 degrees, whatever you desire. It has been very beneficial in not only reducing energy cost (I have a refrigerator in the garage) but all the stuff you keep in the garage or the attic will not rot anywhere near as quick as it would by having a hot garage with no airflow. Hope this helps.

[dadspet]

We had a company put reflective foil on the attic ceiling and its made a big difference in the attic temperature. We have had several contractors up in the attic after the installation and they all comment that the attic temp is really a lot less than most attics they have been in. No actual readings but we can store items up there and move around with getting set on fire. So I think it's clearly worth it and would do it again.

[Tmarkwald]

I bought a few rolls of insulation reflective foil and "tented" the area above our garage (stapled the foil to the roof trusses) cut in a fold-back "door" in case we need to access any other area of the roof. Sealed the joints with the same tape used for A/C ducting. We then lined the garage door with 2" insulation sheets - easy to do. The whole project took a weekend and cost less than $300.00 Measured the before and after temperatures and it was a consistent 15-20 degree drop. So good result based on the time and $$ investment.

This stuff?

[Fastskiguy]

I'm putting up something like that now...1/4" of flexible plastic foam stuff sandwiched between two layers of foil. Up to 140 degrees on the inside of the door but "only" 90-95 with the insulation.

[jump4]

I have a 2-car garage and golf-cart garage. Due to the southern exposure, these doors quickly get very hot due to the radiant heat from the sun. I got a few quotes to address this issue:

$750 for Romac to install foam board with white vinyl backing
$525 for Romac to sell materials to me that I would install
$550 for Munn's to install foam board
$350 for Solar Guys to install a radiant barrier (foil-covered bubble-wrap)
$150 to purchase 11 sheets (4' x 8') of foam board with radiant barrier (foil on both sides) [Lowes: ;]Link Not Found | T.LY URL Shortener, Custom Domain & Link Management (https://t.ly/r0Kp) I would have to cut the board and temporarily remove the horizontal door braces to install it (there are many youtube videos showing how to do this)
$100 to purchase 100' of radiant barrier [Home Depot ;]Link Not Found | T.LY URL Shortener, Custom Domain & Link Management (https://t.ly/BxSS) This is super-easy for anyone to install!

I decided on the last option. The installation took a few hours but was very easy. The 24" roll exactly fit the height of each panel in my garage door. I used ordinary scissors to cut pieces to the correct width (pieces should be 4-5 inches wider than the door panel). Note that you will need to measure each panel because some of the panels are likely wider than others. I then folded the extra material back on the left and right side and slid the radiant barrier behind the braces and into the "frame" for each door panel. They will stay in place without need for any glue, tape, or other attachments.

[Fastskiguy]

My understanding is that you need an air gap between the steel door and the foil wrapped bubble wrap stuff to get the best performance....not sure if that is true or not though

[jump4]

Yes, I understand that the radiant barrier needs an air space. The interior of the garage provides that air space. In addition, there is an air gap between much (but not all) of barrier and steel door due to how I tucked excess bubble stuff back behind the barrier sheet along the left and right edges. Also, note that the barrier stuff I used has reflective coating on both sides.


My understanding is that you need an air gap between the steel door and the foil wrapped bubble wrap stuff to get the best performance....not sure if that is true or not though

[Fastskiguy]

Yes, I understand that the radiant barrier needs an air space. The interior of the garage provides that air space. In addition, there is an air gap between much (but not all) of barrier and steel door due to how I tucked excess bubble stuff back behind the barrier sheet along the left and right edges. Also, note that the barrier stuff I used has reflective coating on both sides.

So the way you folded the edges holds the insulation away from the door and snug up against the hurricane bars? That’s a pretty neat solution....it sounds 10x easier than how I did it!

[jump4]

So the way you folded the edges holds the insulation away from the door and snug up against the hurricane bars? That’s a pretty neat solution....it sounds 10x easier than how I did it!

Yes.