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Preventing Water From Entering Under the Garage Door

There are far less nightmares that are as bad as returning home to find water damage on your personal property. Places like the garage are notorious for water damage because of its direct exposure to the exterior of the home.

garage door leaks

Therefore, preventing water from entering under the garage door is important if you want to keep your belongings inside the house safe. Even a minor leak that goes unchecked can lead to serious problems.

Thankfully, there are simple and straightforward solutions that go a long way in keeping your garage weatherproof and, most importantly, dry. The solutions are cost-effective, and not time consuming strategies so make sure you listen up.

Flaws of Garages

Picture the scenario. You return from a long family vacation and open the garage door. The first sight you want to behold on your return is a flooded garage. Sadly, many homeowners can relate to being in this same exact position and how awful it feels to return home to a flooded garage.

The problem with garages is that most of them aren’t designed to be completely waterproof. It’s obviously disconcerting given their close proximity to the outdoors. However, in most instances there is little time and attention that goes into making sure a garage is as weather-proof as the rest of the home.

Consequently, rainwater is bound to creep, seep, and run into places of your garage. Since most of these structures aren’t designed to be completely watertight you need to find a solution if you stumble into ponds of rainwater after every storm.

Ignoring to address the issue can lead to more serious leaks and water damage in the future. When garage leaks become a serious problem, they may contribute to damage of the garage, floors, vehicles, and any personal belongings in the general vicinity.

Garage Water Leak Solutions

The good news is that depending on the location of the garage in relationship to the driveway (as well as the significance of the problem), there are a few simple, and cost-effective ways to solve the problem.

Here are some of the most common problems and ways to prevent water from entering under the garage:

Door and Floor Seals

The garage door should have a flexible seal that extends from one side of the door to the other end. The seal serves a purpose as it helps make sure the door fits snugly to the cement when it’s closed.

The problem with door and floor seals is they deteriorate over time. When they begin to deteriorate they no longer serve their primary function as water and insects penetrate the barrier. The great news is that replacing a door or floor seal isn’t expensive even if the problem is inevitable. As a result, if you notice water leaks in the garage, the first step is to check the seals.

We recommend replacing the seals with a brand new product. Then, check it after the next storm to see if the new door and floor seals caused the problem. Garage seals generally need to get replaced about once a year.

Landscaping

Another relatively cheap and quick solution is to examine the soil grade. The bottom line is if the perimeter of your driveway is higher than the actual driveway, water is going to build there instead of draining off the cement. When rainwater collects in a single spot around a home, it’s bound to penetrate the structure within time.

You can alter the landscape of your home to redirect rainwater more naturally. The goal is to drive it away from the foundation, in this case close to the garage door. Though it will take a hard day or two of sweat, rearranging the landscape to provide more natural drainage away from the home is fairly cost effective and straightforward.

Gutters

Even though gutters are constructed around most of the perimeter of the house sometimes builders cut corners by not putting any up around the garage door. Therefore, adding gutters to your garage can potentially solve the issue of rainwater that’s seeping under the door and appears to come in from the roof of the garage.

Though the solution is more expensive and time consuming, it’s worthwhile as it can prevent major water damage in the potential future.

We recommend installing new gutters along the edges of the garage roof with attached downspouts. The downspouts will transfer water from your roof where it’s bound to collect around the top of the garage door, and to the sides of the unit. The further you can redirect water away from the foundation, the better.

Trench Drains

Do you own a house with a driveway that slopes downward toward the garage and not away from it? It’s a problematic dilemma that homeowners with this type of design are forced to deal with.

As a result, sometimes the best method to waterproof your garage is to build a trench drain. The trench drain essentially keeps rainwater from draining through the door and channels it elsewhere.

In order to build a trench drain, you need to cut a narrow trench in the concrete from one end to the other. Then, you insert a steel or PVC U-shaped channel in the trench. After concrete is poured around the top of the channel, an iron gate is fitted to prevent certain things from falling into the drain while other things, like rainwater flow into it.

The only hassle with a trench drain is you have to remove the grate once in a while and clear it of debris. If not, water will eventually build up over the trench and make it ineffective if the channel gets too clogged.

Garage Floors

clean garage floor

Though the most costly alternative on the list, some homeowners decide to redo their garage floor when it suffers from water damage. The new floor can get raised to a height of individual preference which will ideally completely resolve the issue.

Unfortunately, raising a garage floor is not cheap and will require professional help so we recommend it only as a last alternative.

Solving Garage Door Leaks

It is wise to begin with the most simple repairs and progress toward more costly and time consuming solutions if the original repairs don’t make much of a difference.

If you’re currently experiencing water leaks in the garage it helps to try and make sure you’re home during the next storm. It may help you find out exactly where the water is penetrating the garage.

Sometimes a garage experiences water leaks from multiple spots so more than one of the above mentioned solutions is necessary. Regardless, the repairs mentioned in this article will solve most garage leaks and avoid you having to do something drastic like replace the entire roof or garage.

Prevent Water Under the Garage Door

The best way to prevent water under the garage is to replace your current garage door with a steel garage door. Your garage door could be misaligned due to wear and tear. Once you notice that your garage door is not sealed properly due to water flowing under the door then it’s time for a new garage door.

At Feldco, we have helped over 400,000 happy customers. Customers choose Feldco because we have durable garage doors that will significantly improve your curb appeal. On top of that, we have local services to guide you through the process and answer any question you may have about our standard steel and carriage garage doors.

We have installed over 100,000 doors due to our great installers who are professional in their experience and craftsmanship.  We simply provide the best products, service and installation. Speak to a product specialist and get a free quote online today.

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