Winters in the Detroit, MI, area can dip down to chilling temps during January and February, so it’s crucial to make sure your garage door weather seals are in good condition. Old, brittle, cracked, or sagging garage door weather stripping can cost you money in the form of lost energy efficiency and can even put your property at risk.
M&M Garage Doors offers professional services for garage doors, including installing and re-sealing your garage door to keep your space warm and protected from harsh elements all year round.
Why Garage Door Seals Are Important in Michigan
What is a garage door trim seal, and why are they so important for homeowners in Michigan? This weather stripping for garage doors is made of heavy-duty vinyl that fits around the top, bottom, and sides of your garage door to close any gaps between the garage and the door. Michigan experiences harsh winters, so adequate garage door weather seals are required to protect the interior of your garage and the floor while also helping to keep your home warm.
Here are the benefits of having the right garage door weather seal in Michigan:
Protects your vehicles: Using garage weather stripping or a garage door rubber seal keeps dust, pollen, dirt, and other debris from blowing into your garage and sticking to your vehicles. Whenever it rains or snows, the garage door seal strip keeps water from leaking into your garage and reaching the cars inside.
Protects your garage door: Garage doors are costly to install and replace, especially if you have a multi-car garage. The repetitive motions of your garage door opening and closing can harm the structural integrity of the door as the bottom hits the concrete floor repeatedly. Adding a garage door weatherstrip to the bottom edge of the door protects it from excess impact due to wear and tear.
Protects your stuff: Installing weatherstripping for your garage door helps protect boxes, tools, equipment, and other items stored in your garage. Without the right winter door seal, cold and hot air, water, pollen, debris, and dirt can come in from the outside. It can also cause clothing, furniture, and other household items in your garage to get wet, leading to mold, mildew, and bacteria growth.
Keeps pests out: Regardless of the season, snakes, cockroaches, and other pests can get inside your garage and into your home by sneaking under your garage door if there’s a gap or no seal at all. Quality garage door weather strips also keep bigger pests like possums, skunks, and squirrels out that could be looking for food, water, or a place to nest in the winter.
Adds insulation: A winter door seal adds extra insulation to keep your garage and home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. By sealing the gap between the garage door and the outside, you’ll keep the harsh elements out while improving energy efficiency.
Is Your Garage Door Seal Working Properly?
Because your garage door is the biggest in your house, it must be properly weatherized throughout every season to keep out elements like high winds, snow, and torrential rains.
Follow these tips to ensure your garage door rain guard or door seal is working properly:
During the daytime, turn off the lights in your garage and close the door. If you see any light coming through the sides, bottom, or between panels, your seal is either loose, missing, or has deteriorated.
Check for drafts by using a long piece of lightweight, transparent tape and holding it at the top of the garage door seal and over each panel. If the tape starts swinging, it could be because it’s catching subtle drafts or air movements.
Look at the bottom rubber seal on the garage door, checking for signs of deterioration like cracks or brittleness. Inspect it carefully for breaks, adhesion loss, and loss of flexibility — all signs that the seal is worn out and needs to be replaced.
Inspect exterior vinyl weather stripping on the outer edges of your garage door. If the seal is loose or has visible signs of damage like cracks, it should be replaced by the professionals at M&M Garage Doors as soon as possible.
Pay attention to signs indicating an issue with your garage door seals. For example, sudden drafts, an influx of pests, or water coming into your garage when it rains means it’s time to contact the best garage door service for help.
How To Seal Your Garage Door Gaps
You can attempt a garage door side seal replacement or bottom seal replacement DIY, but this type of work is best left to the pros at M&M Garage Doors. If it’s not done correctly, you can easily mess up the installation and create even bigger, more expensive problems. However, here’s how to install garage door weather stripping if you want to try it yourself.
Sealing the bottom
Most gaps around the garage door occur where the door meets the floor because the bottom door seal for winter has worn away. It may also result from the concrete floor settling. You can replace the bottom weather seal using weather strips or threshold seals. Weather strips are long strips made of rubber or vinyl that slide onto or stick to the bottom panel of your garage door to keep cold air out and maintain an even temperature inside your garage.
However, if your garage floor is uneven, threshold seals are a great option. This simple, strip-style seal is directly installed on the floor beneath your garage door to prevent gaps. You can also install threshold seals along with weather stripping for even better protection for your garage against drafts, dirt, insects, and rain.
Sealing the sides
It’s important to use the best garage door seal for both the top and sides for adequate insulation and coverage. The sides of your garage door can develop gaps just like the bottom due to wear and tear, structural shifts, or improper installation of the frame. No matter the cause, gaps can create serious issues for your garage. Luckily, garage door weather stripping works effectively on the sides of your garage door, but we recommend calling M&M Garage Doors for assistance to ensure it’s installed correctly.
Call M&M Garage Doors for Professional Garage Door Sealing
Damaged or missing garage door weather seals can lead to leaks, dirt, drafts, and pests. Don’t leave your garage door’s weatherstripping to chance. The professionals at M&M Garage Doors are available to help with garage door repairs, maintenance, weather seal installation, and more, so contact us today!
