What Are the Signs Your Garage Door Needs New Weatherstripping?

If you’re in your garage and feel an unusual breeze coming through, you might be wondering where it's coming from. After all, you’re in an enclosed garage with the door shut all the way, why is it so drafty? It could be your weatherstripping. Cold drafts can often creep into your garage door if your weatherstripping isn’t sealing the door threshold properly.

Oftentimes, we think that our door isn’t properly insulated and that’s the reason why we feel a draft. But this is not usually the reason. A lot of times, it comes down to the weatherstripping of your door, and whether or not it is properly sealing outside air away from your garage.

New weatherstrippings will help you save energy and money!

In this article, we will take a look at the four different types of weatherstripping for garage doors. By knowing these different types of weatherstrips, you can begin to identify where the draft is coming from and how to fix it.

Your Garage Door Bottom Weatherstripping

The bottom weatherstrip is the most common one that needs to be replaced. Bottom weatherstripping is typically made of two materials: a PVC aluminum support as well as a rubber strap. Most of the time, it is the rubber part of the weatherstrip that needs to be replaced seeing as it can experience a lot of wear and tear throughout four seasons.

After continuous opening and closing of the door, in addition to being exposed to the elements of extreme heat, bitter cold, rain, snow, and wind, it is no surprise that this rubber weatherstrip can become cracked and rigid over time. Once this happens, you might begin to notice cold drafts coming into your garage which will wreak havoc on your energy bills.

If you noticed your weatherstrip to be cracked, dry, or discolored, it might be time to replace it.

Take a look at the different types of bottom weatherstrips here.

Freezing Water

As was explained earlier, water can be extremely damaging to your weatherstripping over time. Water accumulation under the garage door could occur if the floor of your garage's entrance is not sloped enough or if it’s damaged.

Additionally, if the temperature dips below freezing, ice can form around your door and weatherstrip. This could cause the door to stick which can seriously damage your electric opener.

Solutions to your Garage Door Freezing

To avoid this scenario, there are two things you can try to prevent your door from sticking to the ground due to ice.

First, you can distribute sand under the door before the standing water freezes. Doing this can prevent the door from getting stuck to the ice without damaging the concrete. Unfortunately, sand is only a temporary solution. If the sand gets wet, ice can reform causing your door to get stuck again.

You should avoid using salt under your garage door. Salt can significantly damage the concrete as well as eat away at the rubber of your weatherstripping.

For the rubber strip, use a silicone-based weatherstripping lubricant before winter comes. This will repel the water off the rubber ultimately preventing the formation of ice throughout the winter months.

The second solution is to install a Storm Shield threshold seal under your garage door. A storm shield threshold serves as a rubber band that creates a steeper slope that directs water away from your garage door.

If you have an older garage floor that has cracks and isn’t level, this could be an excellent option to secure a tight seal of your door. Overall, installing a Storm Shield is an excellent alternative to using a wider rubber strip under the door. Installing a larger strip could only lead to premature wear of your weather stripping.

Garage Door Perimeter weatherstripping

Much like bottom weatherstripping, perimeter weather stripping can become an issue. Especially if the side dimensions weren’t calculated properly during the installation of your garage door. Poorly sized perimeter weatherstrips can be more prone to rubbing up against the side of your garage door causing the weatherstrip to lose its flexibility and durability over time.

If the side dimensions had not been calculated correctly during installation, it could be that the rubber has repeatedly rubbed on the door and is badly worn. This could lead to the weatherstrip no longer being able to perform its job of keeping cold air out of your garage.

Most weatherstripping that fills the gap between the wall and door are made of PVC or aluminum.

PVC is usually most prevalent for aesthetic reasons seeing as it can hide screws much more than aluminum supports. Aluminum brackets are most commonly found on dark-colored doors, whereas PVC is used predominately in light-colored doors seeing as it reacts poorly to heat. Black-colored supports often twist and shrink when exposed to the sun.

With this in mind, a weatherstrip can become cracked after excessive sun exposure. The UV rays produced by the sun attack the polymers in the rubber and cause them to crack over time.

Garage Door Top weatherstripping

In addition to bottom and perimeter weatherstripping, weatherstripping can also be found on the top portion of the door. However, it is kind of rare and is typically not found in most residential garages. It is however a lot more prevalent on commercial doors that are often larger than residential ones.

With that said, weatherstripping along the top of a residential door is not necessary unless the garage is being used extensively and needs to be kept warm during the winter months.

Polyurethane Insulation

The outside of the door can become much colder than the interior of the door during the winter months. This can lead to a thermal break occurring between the exterior and interior because of something called polyurethane insulation.

This refers to hot metal expanding while cold metal shrinks. With that in mind, insulating both sides of the door, bottom, and top can offset this process by mitigating the transfer of heat between both sides, ultimately preventing the door from bending.

If you’re in a climate that experiences harsh cold winters, a top weatherstrip could be advantageous in keeping the elements completely out of your garage. It can also prevent your door from bending over time.

This garage door is a Moderno SSG design, 12' x 8', Black Ice, window layout: Left-side Harmony.

Of course, it is possible to replace your weatherstripping by yourself if you purchase the right materials. However, we highly recommend you call a professional for any kind of repair to your garage door.

Using a certified professional can take away the stress of having to install weatherstripping properly by yourself and can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Typically, a properly installed weatherstrip should last as long as the door itself which can be up to 30 years! Poorly installed weatherstrips on the other hand might only last you two months.

Weather Seal Between the Sections of a Garage Door

Having gone over the top, bottom, and perimeter weatherstrips, we would be remiss not to mention the weatherstripping that can be found between the paneled sections of your garage door.

The Interlok^TM joints of a Garaga weatherstrip have three points of contact, which ensure that air, light, and even water will not penetrate the door. If a weatherstrip is defective, it could lead to the entire door having to be replaced. With a Garaga door, you are far less likely to encounter this issue.

The Interlok^TM joints between the panels use triple-contact points that block cold air and prevent cold or heat transfer.

How can my weatherstripping last longer?

With all the different types of weatherstripping in mind, you might be wondering how to maintain your weather stripping to protect your garage and lower your energy bills. To keep your weatherstripping in tip-top shape, we recommend cleaning your door at least twice every year.

Be sure to also keep your door free of dust. Long-term dust accumulation can be devastating to your weatherstripping and the door itself. Over the years, dust can eat away at your doors weather stripping causing it to become cracked and rigid. Be sure to maintain a cleaning regimen for your door to protect it from becoming damaged over time.

We recommend weatherstripping to be cleaned every three months to ensure the best efficiency. Because weatherstripping is made of high-quality PVC, it should be cleaned with an all-purpose vinyl cleanser. Then we recommend using a silicone-based lubricant for protecting all your weatherstripping against premature wear and tear.

If your door is experiencing issues due to an accident or wear and tear over time, contact us. We guarantee professional service and fast installation of all garage doors.

Found More than Damaged Weatherstripping?

Call us at 905-686-6195 to get advice from our experts. We know a new garage door can be an overwhelming decision. That’s why we are here to help you make the best choice depending on your needs.

Here at Autograph Door Systems, we made it even easier by offering a free email quote.

Not sure if your house style? Use our 3 styles guide to help you in choosing the perfect garage door. You can also try our Design Centre and see your favorite garage doors on a picture of your house.