If you have a garage, it’s likely you will experience water inside, from a bit of moisture or dampness to standing water. Preventing rain or dampness from entering your garage starts with knowing how it is getting in. At Great Garage Doors, we recommend addressing these issues before spring rain and summer storms.
Where is the water coming from?
Water can find its way into your home or garage due to anything from clogged gutters to foundation issues, but before you start digging around your foundation, consider the three most common ways water gets into your garage.
- The concrete slab that is your garage floor is porous. Puddles in the middle of the floor after a storm could be the concrete pulling moisture from the wet soil below.
- Your driveway slopes toward your garage. During rain events, the runoff will pool in front of your garage door and begin seeping under it and into your garage.
- The seals around the top, sides, and bottom of your garage door have deteriorated. Missing or brittle seals cannot properly seal out moisture, especially driving rain.
What you can do
The source of water in your garage may not be obvious at first. Take time to inspect your garage floor and door seals and note where and when the water appears. If puddles appear in the middle of the floor and disappear on their own, it’s likely the moisture is leaching through the concrete. A quality waterproof sealant will stop this seepage and make your garage floor easier to clean.
Water pooling near the door, especially after heavy or driving rain, is probably coming through the door. The gasket seal at the base of the door can easily be damaged by winter ice, and if your driveway slopes even slightly towards your garage, that runoff will quickly find its way under the door and into your garage. Fortunately, there are solutions for this water seepage and Great Garage Doors is here to help.
- Check all the seals on your garage door. Worn and brittle seals should be replaced regularly.
- Check the U-shaped rubber gasket at the base of your door and examine the length of the seal where it meets the concrete floor. If there are any gaps, the seal should be replaced. If the floor is uneven, ask the Great Garage Door team about a different size that can fill the uneven gaps.
- Check your driveway grade. A steeply sloped driveway can allow enough runoff to overwhelm even a new base seal so you may want to consider adding a threshold that diverts the runoff away from your garage. These kits are available in different sizes to provide the solution you need.
- Check for cracking and sinking concrete at the top of your driveway in front of the door. If water is pooling in low spots, it may be best to repair the concrete before addressing the garage door seal.
The experts at Great Garage Doors can help with solutions for moisture in your garage. Our spring garage door checkup ensures your door is in good working order with watertight seals. Call today to schedule your checkup or for any garage door repairs.