Townhouse with an attached garage has an uninsulated metal door
MannyGBA
| Posted in General Questions on
Hello
I am a first time homeowner. I am just learning things as I go.
I suspect that I am loosing heat through the metal door which leads to the attached garage(uninsulated). The door is located about 4-5 feet from the main entrance door in what amounts to a small foyer. It is very cold to the touch in the winter (central NJ). Is there anything I can do to lessen heat loss through it?
I thought about replacing it with an insulated wooden door but I know that there are firecodes (which are not clear to me), and the cost of finding someone to hang it may be prohibitive at this time
Thanks for any suggestions
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Replies
The best door would be metal with a urethane core . That should keep you in compliance and give you a respectable R value as far as doors go .
Manny,
Most metal doors are insulated. Are you sure that the door is uninsulated?
It is possible that the door is cold during the winter because the weatherstripping is defective, allowing air to leak in at the perimeter of the door.
Hello
Thanks for replying. Martin, I can't tell for sure, maybe I can look it up thru whatever ser#/part # I can find on labels on it. I know that when I tap it - it sounds hollow to me.
Can any of you recommend a vendor for metal/urethane doors? Are they all in standard sizes?
There are standard sizes, and non-standard sizes. You probably have a standard size, e.g. 6'8" tall by 32" or 36" wide. That's nominal--sometimes the door slab itself is 1/4 or 1/8" smaller.
My personal favorite door mfr is Jeld Wen, because they use graphite-infused polystyrene insulation to get the same R-value as polyurethane, but with lower environmental impact. (Blowing agents typically used for polyurethane have high global warming impact.) Some Jeld Wen doors are available at big box home stores; some you order through a building supply house or window/door dealer. If the stock ones at a big box store meet your needs they are significantly cheaper. Some will say they are also lower quality but my opinion is that the big box Jeld Wen doors are decent quality.
Code typically requires a 20-minute fire rating in that location. That costs extra, and the fire rating applies to the full system of the door mounted in the frame, so you typically buy them together, but you might be able to just replace the door slab.
Note that for a given temperature, metal will feel colder than wood, because it rapidly spreads the heat from your hand over a wide area. But that doesn't mean that it loses heat faster in normal use, because in normal use, the heat is already spread over the whole surface. So the fact that it feels cold might not mean that it's uninsulated. The hollow sound seems like a clearer sign though.
Thanks Charlie that was very informative. I'll tell you, last winter on days with temp below around 35 degs, the garage is one cold place. my entry door has a lot of stained glass and it doesn't feel near as cold. I am going to see what lowe's/HD have to offer - thx