Have you noticed that your garage has become a cold zone? Winter weather belongs on the outside of a home, not in the garage. Since the air in your garage is not conditioned like the air inside your home, it will always be cooler than the air in your home in the winter and warmer in the summer. On average, a garage in Montgomery or Howard County, MD will be about 15 degrees cooler than the inside of your home during the winter months. However, if it's more than 20 degrees cooler, then it may be time to investigate why.
Usually, the number one culprit is the garage door. Why? There are several reasons, but the first is because the garage door is more than likely manufactured from a thin-grade aluminium, and two, even if it were made with a heavier material like wood, air can and usually seeps in under and around the sides of the door. What can be done?
Adjust the door track, rollers, and tensions to ensure that it is firmly aligned against its frame. Because the garage door opens and closes hundreds of times over the course of a year, this frequently causes the door tracking to pull or shift away from its frame and create gaps for air and wind (and even small rodents) to enter. You can sometimes see a misaligned door by looking at it from the inside of the garage, during the day while the door is closed. You will see daylight coming through at various points around the perimeter of the door frame.
Insulate the garage door. To keep the cold outside air from transferring through the door into the garage, consider adding a low R-Value (Resistance Value) of insulation to the garage door. Most thermal barrier garage door insulation, as opposed to residential, exterior wall batt insulation, has a low R-Value and is installed between the slots on the garage door. This light insulation will help keep the cold air out without impeding the door's functionality. One other option is to purchase and install a heavier grade, insulated garage door with a higher R-Value.
These are just a few of the reasons why your garage may be cold during the winter months. Call me today at (240) 324-8081 to discuss your options and to get a free estimate on how to keep the chill out of your garage.
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