The protective properties of your garage door are only as good as the seal around it. Here's how to make sure garage door seals, otherwise known as garage gaskets, are doing the job they were designed to do.
What's so important about my garage seal?
Try to think of your garage door as being a part of your home and not just your garage, like the home in this photo. You wouldn't want this door to leak, poorly insulate, or be an invitation to creatures, right? The same concern should be placed with your garage, which is an extension of your living space. Moisture, heat loss, and rodents in your garage definitely affect the quality of life for the rooms--and the inhabitants--of the home attached.
The Overhead Door of Sioux City and Yankton 4-Point Garage Door Seal Test
With the extreme climate we face in both Sioux City and Yankton, it's always a good time learn how to check your garage door seal on the largest room in your home. A few minutes is all you need to see if your garage is properly weatherized for the upcoming season, whether it be summer's torrential rains, spring's winds, or winter's blizzards. (We do have pretty nice autumns, don't we?)
- During the day, walk into your garage and close your garage door. Turn off all inside light sources. Do you see light coming in around your door along the bottom, sides, and in-between the garage door panels?
- Check for drafts by taking a long piece of lightweight, transparent tape and hover it over the perimeter of your door and each of the panels. If there are any drafts, it will pick up the subtle air movement. Do you feel any drafts?
- Visually inspect the rubber seal at the bottom of your garage door. Whether you have a new or old door, the rubber gasket is bound to be the first place weather takes its toll. Do you see cracks, loss of adhesion or flexibility, and deterioration?
- Check the exterior vinyl stripping along the outer, outside edges of your door. Are any loose? Are any cracking?
If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, it may be time to schedule your garage door repair. How did your door do?
