I need to replace my garage door due to gaps and no insulation on the wooden garage door resulting in the garage room being as cold as outside and the room above the garage being cold too.

The new garage door is made by C.H.I. Overhead Doors and has an insulation R-15 on the door. The model I am looking at is the 2216. I want windows on the garage door to see out but I am concerned that this will cause air infiltration which defeats the purpose of replacing the door. When I spoke to the company who sells the garage doors they told me that the window will be totally sealed and I wont have any infiltration. Is that true?

 

You are talking apples and he is talking pears. You used the term "infiltration" which there won't be any, as the windows are sealed. Now, if you are worried about convected cold, yes, you may have more in the window area than in the body area, due to the lack of insulation in that area as compared to the panels. If you have a south or east facing garage, I would opt for windows as it will allow thermal heat to penetrate and help warm it up a bit. It will really boil down to looks as well. Drive through several neighborhoods and note the garage doors and which look best.....the ones with windows or the plain jane ones.

 

If you want windows..then you should spring for double pane at least (don't think I've seen any with LoE). The single pane are normally just clamped between 2 plastic frames with a rubber seal and over time they can leak. Mine leak if we get a strong wind or rain.

Personally...if you have adequate lighting...I'd skip the windows. I put a solid door at my last place and the change was amazing. You can always drill for a quality peephole to see whats going on out front.

 

My problem with windows to see out is they allow others to see in

Personally, I'd skip the windows

 

Some of all the above. Facts:Windows are for light, garage door glass does not keep out the cold, garage doors leak air. If the space above is cold, you need more or better insulation in the ceiling/floor, and wall insulation in the garage walls.

 

I doubt if 4 panes of glass will result in the garage temperature dropping noticeably. Take Bill's advice.

 

I have to disagree with some here...respectfully of course...lol.

A quality insulated garage door with the vinyl fin weatherstripping on the top and sides can make a huge difference in the temp of the garage on cold/hot days.

I had a bedroom above at my last house and it was warmer in summer and colder in winter than the identical bedroom right beside it. Both had 2 exterior walls with the same exposure. The ceiling of the garage had prob R19 in the I joist space under the room above and had 2 of the 3 walls insulated. Original door was the typical builder grade wood with pressed wood panels and 6 single pane windows. The door was painted sort of a colonial blue.

On a colder winter day...I would need to use one of those kerosene radiant heaters continuously to keep the garage at a relatively comfortable temp. (Yes, I had adequate ventilation when in use.)

After replacing it with the top of the line (at the time) Clopay 2" insulated door (R10 or so with a thermal break between inner and outer panels) with no windows and good vinyl fin weatherstripping, it was easy to feel the difference in the bedroom above. I only had to use the kero heater for an hour or so to bring the temp up, then a small electric heater would keep the temp steady. I even left the door factory white to avoid the required maintenance. Of course the garage was much darker, but 4 more fluorescent fixtures solved that. Very little air leakage since the garage exterior man door was the only other outside access and I also weatherstripped the door to the house. Can't easily blow more air into a sealed space.

I also noticed in the summer with the direct sun on the front of the house that the garage stayed much cooler during the day...prob 10-15 degrees. I'm sure much of that was due to the lack of solar heating through the windows and the lighter color of the door.

I do completely agree that adequate insulation in the walls and ceiling are very important and should be addressed, but I wasn't about to (and still wouldn't) tear down the finished ceiling and walls to add insulation.