You probably don’t realize your garage door weighs hundreds of pounds. That’s because your garage door springs do all the work, make it feel as easy to lift as a feather. But your garage door is actually quite heavy. There are a number of factors that affect the weight of your garage door. This can include the materials of the door itself, any garage door insulation, even the type of window glass if your door has windows.
Factors that affect weight include:
- Doorway size
- Insulation or protection
- Material
- Doorway thickness
- Amount of steel
HP & Garage Door Weight
Why is the weight of your garage door important? Because how much your garage door weighs determines how much HP your garage door opener will need to have. A ½ horsepower opener can lift 300 pounds — the typical weight of a 2-car steel door. A 1 horsepower opener is able to lift 400 pounds. The more horsepower you have, the faster the door can open. Having a higher powered garage door opener, even if you have a lighter door, is a good idea.
Garage Door Material
One of the biggest factors affecting the weight of your garage door is the type of material it’s made from. Wooden doors are among your heavier doors. These doors can even retain water when wet from rain, increasing the weight by as much as 50 pounds. Aluminum is one of the lightest materials you can have for a garage door.
Insulation
Insulation is a good idea even in a warm area like Elk Grove, California because it can slash your air conditioning bills. The catch is it will make your door heavier. A standard 16×7 garage door probably weighs about 150 pounds, depending on the material and thickness of the door. Added insulation can increase that by 25 pounds or more, depending on the R-factor of the insulation, a measure of the thickness of the insulation.
Glass Panels
If you have glass windows in your garage door, they might not look heavy, but will add to the overall weight of the door. You may just have a small window or 2, or you might have an entire row of glass panels. Plus, some panels are intentionally thick to increase security against thieves. Depending on the amount of windows and the thickness of the glass, your windows could increase your door by as much as 400 pounds.
Installing a New Garage Door Opener?
If you are considering installing a new garage door opener, you should have a garage door professional come out and do an assessment on the weight of your door to determine the best opener for you. Like we said, a little extra horsepower can increase the speed and performance of the opener. But if you don’t have enough horsepower, this will wear out your garage door opener prematurely.