[tuccillo]

My garage doors face west/south west. I insulated them and this cut down on the radiant heat quite a bit. My garage is now within a few degrees of the outside temperature in the afternoon.

Originally Posted by kcrazorbackfan

Okay to believe what you want, everyone has opinions; one thing I don't and won't do is blow smoke up anyone's a** and tell them to do something that doesn't work. Here's what I did and it's cooled my garage and attic roughly 20 degrees - I put a radiant barrier on my garage door that faces west (bought the material at Lowes to do it). I then put 2 vents in the bottom corners of the large garage door, 1 vent in the center of the golf cart door and a large vent in my pull down staircase. I then installed a thermostatically controlled 1,600 cfm attic fan in the roof to pull the hot air out of the garage and the attic. It has made a big difference in the temp of the garage and attic. Will it help cut down on my cooling bills? I don't freaking care if it doesn't, but it's sure made work time in the garage more enjoyable and storage area in the attic more bearable.

[WhoDat]

Originally Posted by DangeloInspections

Well, this thread has kind of morphed to cooling the Garage.....dependant on how much time one spends in the garage, and what direction your garage door faces, I think it is an excellent idea to insulate the garage door. Also, any time you have cooler air constantly flowing into your garage it will keep your garage cooler.

Insulating the garage door cuts down the RADIANT heat build up in your garage. Generally one does not insulate unconditioned spaces, like the garage and the Lanai....but some folks who HAVE insulated their garage ceiling and have even installed radiant heat barriers above the garage have stated they have found their garage much cooler.

It is unfortunate that the builders do not give insulated garage doors as an option, as they do not cost much more than the entry grade Clopay garage doors currently installed. I recently replaced my two garage doors with the top of the line Clopay "sandwich type" door that has steel on both sides with 2" of polyurethane in between, giving me almost a R-20 garage door. This has made my garage much cooler. My home faces southeast.

Frank

I think insulating the garage door is a good idea. My garage (when the house is finished) will face West and get the full afternoon sun. What is the best way to insulate the door? Also, how do you install vents in the garage door? Can the material be purchased at Home Depot? I would love to cool the garage down since I expect to spend a lot of time there.

[DangeloInspections]

There are a few ways to insulate the garage door. Some places install a "foil bubble wrap" type. I do not really recommend this type.

You can get 4x8 sheets of thermax type insulation and cut them and friction fit or liquid nail them in place. An inexpensive project.

A better looking option, but more costly is buying the insulation kit made by Clopay, the same maker as your door. You can buy these kits at Ro-Mac on Rolling Acres Rd. You can install it yourself or they will come out and install it. The side you see is a heavier white plastic that looks nice.

Vents are a more controversial issue. Some folks just by soffit vents and screw them on. Some feel this is unsightly, and would compromise the wind rating, etc of the door. I would feel better about opening the window a bit and securing it, or in windowless garages one could install a intake vent in the wall.

I have actually seen a few folks have small fins cut into the bottom section, which might look better than the soffit type vents.

Frank

[NavyNJ]

Along the lines of dealing with the garage environment, rather than the original topic of "attic fans", what are the pro's/con's or consensus opinions on the garage screens that seem quite popular in many areas of TV? Not asking about which style of garage screen, sliding or roll-up, but just the idea of how a screen helps vs all of the garage ceiling fan options being discussed.

[mixsonci]

Originally Posted by WhoDat

I think insulating the garage door is a good idea. My garage (when the house is finished) will face West and get the full afternoon sun. What is the best way to insulate the door? Also, how do you install vents in the garage door? Can the material be purchased at Home Depot? I would love to cool the garage down since I expect to spend a lot of time there.

I used Brit Killinger. A nice couple that does this all over TV. Their business card states "NASA Based Technology Polyethylene Panels" for the insulation and they cut out and installed the vents in the lower two corners. The cost was only $259 installed. His number is: 352-674-9303

[paulascorpio]

I was told by a contractor to insulate the garage doors and that this would be much more effective.