Ways to Weatherproof a Garage Door

If you have noticed water, dirt, or rodent droppings in your garage? There’s a good chance the problem can be traced back to your garage door. Garage doors come with a bottom seal to keep out each of those nuances, but the seals can wear out over time. In more extreme cases, the concrete floor or driveway could create large gaps under the door that standard seals cannot cover. Older garage doors or doors installed on new homes may not be well insulated or may not have full perimeter weatherstripping to seal out the elements. Here are some ways to help you familiarize yourself with weatherstripping.

What is Weatherstripping?

Weatherstripping is the overall process of sealing openings around your garage door to keep out weather, increase interior comfort, lower utility bills, and reduce noise.

Benefits of Weatherstripping

Weatherstripping is both a way to protect the interior of your garage from flooding in addition to improving the overall insulation of your home. In the summer months, weatherstripping keeps cool air in. In winter months, weatherstripping keeps water and rain out, while stabilizing the home’s internal temperature.

While it is advisable to seal the door connecting the garage to the main living area of the house as well, properly installed weatherstripping around the exterior garage door can help to greatly reduce the risk of lost energy. Additionally, the bottom of the garage door will not scrape against the concrete or pavement, helping to prevent premature wear of both the door and the floor. The cost of installing or replacing weatherstripping is low, especially when compared to the long-term benefits it provides.

Checking the Weatherseal for Damage

The condition of your garage door’s weather stripping should be checked at least one or two times a year. Ensuring that the door is closed, pay attention to the edges of the door. Examine the areas between the door and the side jambs. Are these happening to you:

If you answer no to these, the stripping is good for another season. If you answer yes, having your local Overhead Door™ distributor come out to evaluate whether replacing the garage door weather stripping is needed and will help to ensure the internal temperature of your garage and keep the weather or critters out.

FUN FACT: When you seal the gaps, you’ll be able to save as much as 10-15% on your energy bill!

Are There Different Types of Garage Door Weatherstripping Trim?

Weather-stripping a garage door usually involves a simple process of either adding or replacing the bottom door seal. Here are the main types:

Overhead Door™ brand garage doors use several types of seal that are exclusive to their doors. These are available exclusively from our Ribbon Distributors. Here are some of our most popular door seals:

Thermacore^® bottom seals called EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) has superior durability and performance to industry standard PVC bottom seals.

This seal is more than twice the material thickness of other PVC seals comparably.

PVC Bottom Seal With XCLUDER^® Rodent Resistant will not rust or corrode over time and is an impenetrable barrier against rats, mice, and other pests.

This seal is coarse stainless steel with a firm structure to prevent pests from chewing and pushing their way through. Rodents get pricked in the nose and move along! XCLUDER’s stainless steel and poly fibers also provide that extra “spring-back” so the bottom seal stays put and keeps those crevices filled.

Commercial door Weatherseal typically come with one that is bulb shaped and can be integral with a sensing edge for safety reasons.

This can be installed in the case of automatic gates, machines and other facilities for handling equipment or moving stage elements in order to protect individuals from bodily harm or machinery from damage.

Is this the first time you are looking to buy a weatherseal? Here are some things to look for before giving your local distributor a call:

Find the model or serial number

This will be located in the middle door panel or side railing

Is this an Overhead Door™ garage door?

Find the garage door model

Then check the Overhead Door™ garage door manual to see the best weatherseal option for your door

Always be sure to use an Overhead Door™ garage door weather seal and be sure to have the replacement ready to be installed before removing. Without the seal in place, the garage door can come down and hit the flooring hard which can cause damage.

Get Help from Professionals and Get Free Estimates Easily

It is always a good idea to hire a professional when you need assistance with a garage door. Consider hiring one of our garage door professionals, which you can find using our distributor locator to assist you with the replacement and installation of the new weather seal. Having one of our contractors come out to you will benefit you from having problems in the future from an unlicensed dealer or your DIY project not turning out as expected. Our garage door experts can give you a full inspection or come in with the exact measurements to buy the Weatherseal you desire. Don’t hesitate to call and always look for the Red Ribbon.