Inexperienced homeowners might think that musky and damp is how a garage is normally meant to be, a place to shelter vehicles and store long forgotten items. Your garage is more than that, and maintaining its functionality and appearance can go a long way.

There isn’t much worse than stepping out of your vehicle and being immediately attacked by the stench of unsettling mildew in a moist garage. The most common source of this problem for most people is the garage door itself.

Your garage door is essentially the place most prone to leaks. Understanding the step to take when a leak occurs is crucial to keeping your garage and belongings dry and protected.

The Most Common Problem is the Bottom Seal

What stands between your garage and unwanted pests, dirt, and water? That would be a reliable garage door seal.

An easy way to tell if your seal needs replacing, is to observe if water is leaking into your garage floor after a storm, or by inspecting it. Older seals look worn and can have cracks or chunks missing.

How to Replace An Old Garage Door Seal

Replacing an old, aged seal on your garage door can be an easy task that doesn’t take very much time. New seals don’t cost very much. New seals can be had for around $50 to $100 including tools.

Simple Replacement Steps

First things first, measure the length of your garage door. This measurement will be needed to make sure you purchase the correct length of seal and that it fits properly. The length of seals can be anywhere in between 9 to 16 feet.

Raise the garage door so that you are comfortable while installing the seal.

After the door is at a comfortable height to work on, uninstall the old seal. Some older garage door seals may be nailed on. If that’s the case, you can pry out the nails using a hammer. Other doors have a track which the seal is directly attached to. Simply pull the old seal to one side to remove it.

When you’re ready to begin installing the new seal, unroll it along the length of your door. You will need nails or screws, depending on if you have a metal, or wooden garage door. Set the new seal using drill or hammer. Make sure you install the fasteners evenly spaced. You can also sometimes use existing holes to install the fasteners, making the repair job easier and faster.

Lastly, inspect your finished project. Make sure that the new gasket seals against the floor or driveway evenly. Check for any irregularities and gaps that could let insects or water in.

Garage Door Drains

If you replaced your old seal and are still experiencing leaks into your garage, a drain might be your next step to mitigate the problem.

New seals are great on flat, even surfaces, but an irregular floor might make it a challenge to keep water and bugs out.

Sometimes the ground under a home can move and shift, taking various parts of the house with it, including your garage floor or driveway. This can send water running towards the garage door. Most of the time, outdoor driveway drains aren’t in the right place to maximize drainage.

French drains and channel drains are costly and tedious projects that are better left to professional contractors.

These types of drains involve designing, planning water flow, and budgeting for equipment, aside from the massive amounts of labor.

Alternative solutions to fix a leaky garage door

If you have replaced your seal, and cannot take on the project of installing a drain, there are other ways of keeping water out of the garage.

Raising the floor of your garage at the seal is a good way to level out any irregular surfaces that may be hindering the seals performance. One could accomplish this by adding a layer of concrete. It’s a job, but a lot easier than installing a drain.

Another way to do this without concrete is by installing a garage door threshold. (see picture above)

One downside to this type of fix is that it will be harder to blow, sweet or wash out any debris in the garage because it will act sort of like a dam, trapping everything in the garage.

Installing a new door seal is a cheap, easy fix, but if that doesn’t help then you might have bigger problems. Inspect the angle of your driveway, and check for uneven surfaces where your seal makes contact with the floor, and decide which route to take is the best to reroute the water. Whether it be a new seal, or a drain.

Keeping Leaks Out Of Your Garage

Keeping water out of your garage will save money in the long-term. No moisture in your garage equates to a drier environment which prevents rot, fungus, mold, and foundation problems. Installing a drain, pouring some concrete, or installing a new seal is much more cost effective than remodeling the whole garage due to water damage. Always inspect your garage door seals at least annually.

Your garage may have seen better days, and in some cases, a DIY fix may not be a smart investment. In such a case, Direct Service Overhead Garage Door Company has the equipment, experience, and expertise to solve all your garage drainage problems. Contact us for a free no obligation quote and see why thousands of people in Central Arkansas have relied on us for all their garage door needs.