Checking your Garage Door for Heat Loss

When it comes to garage doors, you want them to have a certain amount of insulation. When it gets cold, you want your garage to be warm. When it gets hot, you want your garage to be cool. Having that said, consistent temperatures are very important. However, if you are not getting consistent temperatures in a garage, your insulation might be to blame.

If your garage door is already insulated and it is not maintaining consistent temperatures, it’s possible you’re having temperature loss somewhere – the source just needs to be found.

Often, when it comes to finding temperature loss in a garage, much of that can be done via the feel of your own hands. If you were testing the insulation in your garage walls, for example, you would touch the walls to feel for hot or cold spots where the insulation wouldn't be working.

However, it is different when it comes to garage doors. The insulation is something you can see, so that you know it is still intact. Instead, you will want to feel for air flow through gaps. Common culprits for temperature loss on garage doors include:

Weather Stripping - Just like on any door, the weather stripping on the bottom of a garage door serves to seal the door to the floor when closed so air cannot get through. If you can feel the breeze at the bottom of the door or even see light underneath it, your weather stripping may be worn or cracked.

Loose Hinges - If there is no visible damage to the garage door insulation, gaps could have manifested through loose hinges. When hinges come loose, it can create gaps in the panels where temperature can escape.

Gaps in the Wall - At times, the problem lies not with the door but the walls that surround it. If the walls begin to warp for some reason, it can lead to heat loss.

Do you have questions? Are you in need of service? We encourage you to contact us, as we are happy to help you out.

Ways to Quiet a Noisy Garage Door

While some newer garage doors can be surprisingly quiet, a garage door has the potential to sound like a freight train. However, there is normal garage door noise, and then there is garage door noise that signals something being wrong. If your garage door is louder than normal, consider taking these steps to address the issue:

Loose Bolts and Screws

Over time, the vibrations of a garage door can loosen bolts and screws so that they rattle around or rub against other parts of the mechanism. This can cause an unsteady sound or even a screeching as metal meets metal. However, replacing a stripped screw or tightening a bolt back down is easy, as long as you can find it.

Non-Insulated Steel

Often times, homeowners will choose non-insulated steel doors because they are often a much more affordable alternative. However, insulation doesn't just help with temperature control, it dampens noise as well. There is nothing that needs to be fixed with these doors for them to cause noise, they are just naturally noisy. However, you can purchase insulation panels that can be installed to help alleviate the noise later.

Bowing or Warping of the Rails

If your garage door is system is old, then warping or bowing of the system or the door is an eventuality. Garage doors are heavy, as such, years of weight can eventually warp the metal rails or the door itself can start to sag in the center if not properly supported. Garage doors were designed specifically to function a certain way; when one piece is no longer as it was designed, it will cause a variety of noise as the system strains. Unfortunately, there is often not a simple fix for these issues. In warped doors, panels may be able to be replaced instead of replacing the whole thing, but for rails, typically a whole new system will need to be put in.

Lack of Lubrication

A garage door is a series of moving parts, and those moving parts need to be lubricated every so often. If you can't remember ever lubricating your garage door system, it probably needs it. However, you will want specific garage door lubricant. This lubricant is made so that it lubes things up, and it neither dries up quickly, nor does it get gloopy and attract dirt.


Are you having any one of these issues? You may be able to solve some of these issues yourself, but it is often better to get your garage door serviced by a professional. This makes sure it is done right the first time.


We encourage you to contact us with any questions and/or service needs that you may have.