The garage is an important part of our homes— it’s where we store our cars, it’s a second entrance (sometimes the main entrance), sometimes it’s also a media room, gym, workshop, and storage unit. Usually, we store more than just our cars in there so it’s important that it stays dry. Water is great for our bodies and garden but it can also be destructive to property. In this post, we’ll tell you how to stop water from getting into your garage through the door.
Remember your garage is not waterproof
This is a good time to remind you to regularly inspect the condition of your door system and the contents of your garage. Watch for vermin and inspect the garage for leaks and puddles after it rains. Remember, your garage is not designed to be comfortable or waterproof so we need to be mindful to protect our belongings. Water leaking into the garage whether from under the door, through holes in the door, windows, walls, the ceiling can result in damage to our belongings and to the concrete foundation.
How to Stop Water From Getting Into Your Garage
There are a few things you can do to prevent water from getting into your garage. Below is a list of 5 preventative measures you can take to keep water out.
5 Things You Can Do to Stop Water From Getting Into Your Garage
- Replace the garage door’s weatherstrip
- Improve landscaping with proper sloping
- Add a French drain
- Make sure your gutters are clean and in good condition
- Repair or replace the driveway or garage floor
1 – Replace the weatherstrip on the garage door
The number one reason water gets into garage doors is that the weatherstrip on the door is worn out or gone. The weatherstrip’s job is to seal the door to the floor when the door closes. It creates a barrier that blocks pests, insects, debris, and, of course, water.
A quality seal helps the door close tightly against the cement floor. If you don’t see any indications of water leakage through holes, the ceiling, or windows, check the weatherstrip on the door, it probably needs to be replaced. This is the first solution and the most affordable.
2 – Improve the landscaping with proper sloping
Lawns and gardens need water. Unfortunately, water meant for our landscaping can find its way over and into our garage, especially if the seal is damaged or the door is open. Depending on the slope of your landscaping and driveway water can flow into your garage when it should flow away from it (and away from your house). Water will always travel down to the lowest spot, if that’s your garage then that’s your garage. You can control the direction of the water with proper sloping and proper drainage. Consider speaking with a professional landscaper about some options. We’ll talk more about drainage next.
3 – Add a French drain
A French drain is a channel meant to direct water away from a building, in this case, we want the drain to direct water away from the garage. French drains can be added to driveways and in landscaping but they’re a big investment. Installing a French drain means digging a trench to house a steel or PVC U-shaped channel in the ground. It’s a good solution if the slope is a problem but it’s labor-intensive therefore costly and requires maintenance kind of like the maintenance needed on gutters.
4 – Make sure your gutters are clean and in good condition
Speaking of gutters. If your house has gutters, many have them over the garage and front entrance, they need to be clean to work properly. Blocked-up gutters can cause water to spill over instead of flowing away as intended. Some of these issues are compounding, gutters alone are one problem but gutters, a bad slope, and a damaged door seal, that combination has no chance of stopping water from getting into your garage.
5 – Repair or replace the driveway or garage floor
This last option is the most expensive option. The other solutions are likely to resolve the problem but if they don’t this may help. Consult with a pro about pouring a new cement driveway and/or a new garage floor. The slope of the new floor or driveway needs to go down and away from the interior of the garage.
For Garage Door Repair in Dallas-Fort Worth Contact Doorvana
Garage door repairs should be completed by a professional. Schedule an inspection or replacement service with a trusted garage door company.
For service from the friendliest garage door experts in Texas, contact our team at Doorvana. We build, service, and install garage doors in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. We invite you to learn more about our company, services, and products by exploring our website. If you’re ready to talk shop, give us a call at 817-500-5988 or send us a message.
