Hi, All
I’m building an addition that has as one of its features a garage door into the basement. I need this for access. My question is that since the basement is heated and utilized for living purposes I need a garage door that is energy efficient, with minimal heat transfer and tendency to allow drafts. It won’t be used often in the Winter but could be. We’re in upstate NY where the temperatures get to -20F frequently.
The door will be for a 8′ wide 8′ tall opening.
I’m looking for design features that will meet the need and for specific manufacturers/dealers if anybody has any ideas.
Thanks in advance!
Windy Wood
From the Helderberg Mountains
Replies
Hey windy,
I would recomend a Premium door from alside http://www.alside.com they have an R - value of 14.0 which is a little above average for a 2" door also, They are made of vinyl. Although all doors boast of having a thermal break it makes sense to me that vinyl will conduct less cold. They also claim they can really take the abuse, they will not crack.
Another thing you could do is buy some comercial 2 piece doorstop moulding , which as a replaceable rubber seal. a bit more than your typical doorstop type but it will provide a better seal and you can replace just the strip when it wears out. probably not a problem you will have , unless the sun beats down on the door. also this door has a tounge and grove design between the panels. and you could add some type of compression type foam to the groove, ( maybe as simple as a piece of foam on double stick tape ) between each panel.
Where there's A wheel there's a way, got any wheels?
I installed a door from Garaga and I'm very happy with it. They make doors as high as R18. They are made in Canada, but they distribute to NY. Mine was an 8' x 8' R16 door and cost $695US installed in 2000. I live in St. Lawrence County.
http://www.garaga.com/en/residential/door_models/index.html
If insulation value is your primary concern then you should look into a commercial door. Many garage door manufacturers make a line for cold storage buildings. They accomplish this by using a 3" thick or in some cases even a 4" thick panel for the doors. Raynor, or Wayne Dalton are two of the manufacturers I am sure have a good quality commercial line.
The only problem is that these commercial doors were not available in a raised panel design, just a ribbed look. Good luck