I'm thinking of installing all my kit in my garage, but it's flippin' freezing in there. I've got an up-and-over metal door which needs to remain functional - does anyone have any tips on how to insulate it (for heat, not sound)?

thx in advance

Do you mean to watch in the garage as well or do you mean just put the kit in there and route the video/audio to TV/PJ/Speakers in another room?

Steve

I'd be using the room to watch in - it's brick walls on three sides and the metal garage door on the other.

I have converted my garage to the same thing and there are problems with insulating a metal door which requires opening all the time. You are going to have to use glass fibre as it it really the only thing that will enable a floating overlap of all the edges. However you cannot have it too thick as the weight distribution of the door ist kaput and you will bugger your door. Effectively around the edge of the garage door opening you will need the draught excluding brush things you put on your front door. The hard part is there is often nowhere to attach this to. This neds to go on all three sides with the base covered by either another brush that moves with the door or overlapping fibreglass. However if you use this then the fibreglass wil rapidly get crappy. Having said all that , the insulation properties around the edge of the door is s..t so I also suggest you get a good heater. In the end I binned the idea of opening the door and the insulation is still pants.

Thanks Mark - I had hours of fun attaching those brush draught-excluders a few weeks ago(had to use some semi-lethal epoxy weld compound), so between that and a good heater I should be set. Of course, the upside to all this is that your beer never gets warm...

[RoyT]

Correct me of I'm wrong, but aren't you going to have trouble with condensation if you put a heater in there?, won't the cold air condense on any warmed object, the same it does with the car if you leave it in the garage?

Maybe it's not a prob, but just thought I'd mention it.

The condensation occurs where there is a difference between the warm temp on one side of the object and the cold on the other ie a windscreen. I don't suppose in your car you get condensation on the dials or any of the seats etc. So as all objects in the room are heated up together when the fan is on then there is no condensation problem. Also the temp inside the garage never gets that cold, certainly not as cold as outside. That is why cars in the garage don't have frosted windscreens.

[RoyT]

Apart from the fact that I think condensation occurs when an object is cooler than the air around it and the air temp has reached the same temp as the Dew Point (i.e. is saturated), the water condenses onto it..you're probably right.

If the room is kept reasonably well heated and ventilated (?) I would imagine there would always be something less cool in the garage than the kit..

On a different note though, what about when you use it? Doesn't the noise just spill out into the street or do you sound-proof as well?

I guess you've got an integral type garage or similar to consider this, mine is a detached so conceivably someone could brak in without me knowing and nick all my stuff!

Is insurance a consideration?

Thanks for the tips on condensation etc. - I'll heat the room for an hour or so before using the equipment to prevent dew problems.

Sound insulation shouldn't be a problem, the garage is bordered by the neighbour's foundations on on side and our house on the other - and it's 25ft from the metal door to the road.

I've written to the insurance company for their opinion, but the garage door security has been approved by the local police, so I can't see it being a problem.

[RoyT]

No worries mate, not sure if I helped at all but let us know how it sounds when you get it all set up!

Merry Whatsit Guys etc.
My Eldest Son has solved the problem of using his garage with metal door etc. He built a studio INSIDE the garage at the rear. It is stud walls so easy to wire up from the outside, and being a room within a romm the heating is controllable. It has access to the rest of the garage, his back yard and the house, although you may find this extremely "doory" . Solves insulation problems, and ventilation can be achieved with an old window into the exisiting garage. I Thankyew!
GuruBarry
Canterbury Camcorder Club.

[RoyT]

Sounds great, it must be a large garage though right? In a standard single that sounds a bit cramped...

The stud wall is pretty much the perfect solution - unfortunately I can't fit one in due to the strange combination of a giant ladder and a boxing heavy bag in the garage, both of which would get obstructed...

hi guys, NO, this is a standard garage, the studio takes 2/3 of the garage and the rest is storage. Hang the puchbag under the stairs or join a Gym, could be cheaper? Put hinges on the staircase to fold it away until needed.
I Thankyew.
Barry.....................my head hurts now!

[thelostprophet]

Hate to properly dig up a SERIOUSLY old thread but im looking at doing just this to my garage at the moment. Need to soundproof a thin metal up and over garage door and try to keep the heat in! How did you attach the fibreglass?

[DJM]

My garage door has a metal front and criss coss bracing to keep it rigid. I have put sheet polystyreen into these recesses and then held in place with thin (ie hardboad) battens fixed with self tap screws into the bracing bars. Works pretty well for insulating the door itself, and as polystyrene is a good insulator and quite light, doesn't muck up the up-and-over mechanism. However, the real heat loss is around the edges of the door where the wind rushes in. If I could solve that it would be OK