Ever notices some dirt, rat dropping, water, or excess moisture in your garage? This can be attributed to some drafts in your garage door. Whether commercial or residential, garage doors come with a seal in most buildings. As the building ages and depreciation sets in, the seal is prone to wear and tear, hence letting in water, dirt, and other undesirable objects.
Garage door weatherstripping is one of the most effective ways to ensure energy efficiency during summer and winter. During summer, weatherstripping keeps your garage cool, preventive the need for air-conditioning. During winter, weather stripping keeps your garage warm, preventing the need for heating, hence leading to energy savings.
Why do you need garage door weatherstripping?
Energy efficiency is one of the most significant benefits associated with weatherstripping. Weatherstripping keeps your home warm by keeping the cold air out during winter. While it’s summertime, weatherstripping keeps the cool air inside your home, reducing the need for air conditioning. According to leading home experts, weather stripping can reduce your home’s energy consumption by up to 20%. Here at Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door, we have experts that can help with all types of work for your garage doors.
Weatherstripping reduces draftiness in your garage. The presence of unwanted drafts in your garage can lead to loss of money, particularly in heating. Further, unwanted drafts can retain humid conditions in your garage, reducing its effectiveness as a storage facility.
The presence of moisture and humid conditions in your home can damage your walls, roof, tile, and paint. Generally, the presence of unwanted drafts causes your home to retain more humid conditions. If such moisture finds its way to your walls and roof, it can lead to leakages in your home and lead to mold.
Thus, weatherstripping is not only effective in ensuring energy saving in your home but also ensures that your home is safer, warmer, and more comfortable.
How to do weatherstripping
Before deciding the ideal weatherstripping for your home, consider factors like:
- Weather
- Location of your home
- Age of your home
- Traffic or the movement in your garage
- The part in your garage door where you should install the weatherstripping.
- The purpose of weather stripping; generally, metal weatherstripping is ideal if your home/garage is older, while vinyl weatherstripping is ideal if you want to increase your homes’ aesthetic value.
The materials required are:
Tension seal
The tension seal refers to a rigid strip that comes in a V-shaped shape. The tension seal creates a barrier that prevents air from escaping or entering your garage. This way, the garage remains cool during summer and warm during winter.
The weatherstripping foam
The weatherstripping foam is also called reinforced foam. This refers to a sealer that you can attach to doors or windows during weatherstripping. The foam acts as an effective sealing material, particularly during humid or windy conditions.
Weatherstripping felt
The felt is one of the most affordable weatherstripping materials. It can be plain or with a flexible strip. The weatherstripping felt should be stapled to the door or window while ensuring minimum contact with water.
Weatherstripping rubber
Also known as vinyl, the weatherstripping rubber works as an air barrier during weather stripping. The rubber should be installed either at the door base or window sash. The rubber ensures minimum air transfer either from the garage or into the garage by providing an effective air barrier.
How to do weatherstripping
Once all the required materials are acquired, follow these steps to ensure your garage door is properly insulated.
Step one – Take measurements
Begin by raising your garage door to a height that you can easily reach. Once your garage door is easily reachable, take all the required measurements. The importance of taking measurements is to ensure that you know how much weatherstripping is required to cover the entire garage.
Step two – Remove all the gasket screws
With your screwdriver, back out the screws at the door to remove the gasket. Be careful while removing the gasket; forcing it can damage the entire door. After removing the gasket, use the screwdriver to return the screws. Ensure that this is done carefully to damage the garage door since damaging the door can lead to more expenses.
Step three – install the new gasket
After removing the old gasket:
- Install the new gasket carefully.
- Carefully slide the new gasket in the old that was occupied by the old removed gasket.
- Ensure that the new gasket fits in the old space perfectly.
If the new gaskets don’t fit properly, remove the excess trim. After putting in the new gasket, carefully put all the screws ensuring that you don’t create any new screw holes.
Step four – conduct a quick test.
After ensuring that you have inserted all the screws, test the door to ensure that your weatherstripping exercise was successful. Before testing, ensure that the weather seal is adequately trimmed and fits perfectly. Remember, a maximum of one inch sticking out is the maximum allowable. To test the garage door, open and close slowly. The door should open or close with the new seal without straining. Further, ensure that the new seal is not brocket at the bottom of the door for better results.
If you have any questions or need any further information, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door, where we would be more than happy to help.