People may not be familiar with many of the terms used in the garage door industry. The R-Value is one of them. When you want to buy a garage door for your home, it is important to know what R-value means. If you are clueless about this term, it is time to try understanding it and find out the benefits of having a garage door with this feature.
What Is R-Value?
The R-value measures the thermal efficiency of your garage door’s insulation. Typical insulators include polystyrene or polyurethane. The insulator’s thickness and physical characteristics are often measured to determine the R-value. In most cases, these numbers fall between 0 and 20. Therefore, the outcomes of insulation are improved by garage doors and other products with greater R-values.
Palms Garage Doors uses a calculated door section R-value for our insulated doors. Thus, we provide a variety of door designs to suit your demands for insulated doors in both residential and commercial applications.
What Contributes to R-Value?
There are a few factors that contribute to a product’s R-value. First, statistics help measure a given material’s thermal efficiencies and resistance to heat transference. In general, products with higher R-values have better-insulating properties, meaning they are better at preventing hot or cold air transfer. So if you are shopping for a new garage door, checking the R-value is one way to gauge how well it will insulate your space.
Does the R-Value Vary Depend on the Garage Door Material?
Different garage door materials offer different levels of insulation. The two insulations that are most often used are polyurethane (spray foam) and polystyrene (styrofoam). Although it is molded to fit garage door panels, polystyrene does not ensure complete coverage. In contrast, because the front and rear of the garage door are connected, polyurethane is sprayed into the garage door panels. As a result, it expands to fill the whole space, blocking air passage and providing superior insulation and increased structural strength.
Before purchasing a garage door with a high R-Value rating, there are a few factors to consider regarding R-value and your garage door.
Find out how often your garage door is used and ask questions about your garage, such as
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- Is it often opened frequently and used for your car?
- Is it a workshop, a residence, or a storage space that is rarely opened?
- Is it a common area?
- Is the garage insulated?
- Is the environment temperature-controlled, with a vent for heating and or cooling?
- Where is your garage door located?
- Does it extend underneath any of your living areas?
- Is it attached to your home?
You can choose the R-Value that best meets your needs once you know how the area is primarily used. For example, a high R-value may be overkill if your garage door opens frequently. Every time the door is opened, the slightly warmer air in the garage will escape. On the other hand, a higher R-Value might be necessary if your garage doubles as a workshop or if you heat it but only use it during the summer.
Should You Focus Solely on the R-Value?
No. There are other factors to consider when buying a garage door besides insulation. Strong weatherproofing is just one of several contributing aspects. Also crucial to consider are thermal bridges. For instance, heat (or cooling) loss will occur if the door’s exterior metal wall ever comes into contact with the interior metal wall. Both the portion at the bottom of the door and the weather stripping between sections are essential. Even when it is extremely chilly outside, these should still be flexible.
Insulated Garage Doors from Palms Garage Doors
Are you thinking of ways to protect your home from heat and humidity during summer? Or do you want to cut down on your cooling costs? Whatever the reason is, insulated garage doors from Palms Garage Doors are the perfect solution! We offer a wide selection of garage doors designed to match your needs and are made to last.
Whether you need a garage door installation or a garage door replacement for your home or business, you know whom to call! If you are having trouble with your garage doors, we can help you with our garage door repair and garage door maintenance services. Palms Garage Doors is proudly serving the Greater Bay Area from San Francisco to San Jose and up to Oakland. So give us a call today to schedule an appointment! Our friendly staff is standing by to assist you and is glad to offer you free estimates.
