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When a storm rolls through and brings a lot of rain, your house may be susceptible to water damage or flooding. The most vulnerable places that can experience water damage during heavy rain are your garage door and the inside of your garage.
Your garage door is the main protective barrier that keeps the items inside of your garage safe from the outdoor elements. If your garage door succumbs to water damage, it can impact the door’s integrity and potentially affect the belongings you store in the garage.
Learn how to prevent rain damage on your garage door and the effects heavy rain can have on your residential door.
It’s crucial to protect your garage door from heavy rain to prevent any long-term issues. Too much rain is responsible for a few lasting problems that garage doors can take on after an intense rainstorm.
Many homes have wooden residential garage doors, and this type of door is the most likely to receive rain damage. Like other wooden items or furniture, wet wood can drastically change shape or size because of water exposure. Some of the main effects water can have on a wooden garage door and other materials are:
Even if one panel on your garage door is impacted by heavy rain and changes shape or size, the whole garage door won’t function properly. The part of your garage door that is at high risk for rainwater damage is the bottom panel because it makes contact with the wet ground.
The risks of heavy rain on your garage door may cost you repairs. Homeowners can’t avoid extreme weather or rainy days, but you can take steps to protect your garage door from water damage and improve its longevity.
If you don’t take the necessary steps to prepare your garage door for heavy rain and flooding, your door may experience damages, or the inside of your garage may flood.
Take the best care of your garage door so it can last longer and protect the inside of your garage. Follow these helpful tips to prevent heavy rain damage on your garage door:
You can protect your garage door and the items inside your garage by replacing the weatherstripping on your garage door. People use weatherstripping on many outside entry points to prevent rain, snow and other outdoor elements from making their way inside. The strip will make a secure seal on the bottom and sides of your garage door and prevent heavy rain from leaking inside.
If you have a newer garage door, check to make sure the weatherstripping is intact with no tears or rips.
If a storm is coming your way and you know you’ll get a few inches of rain, check to make sure your garage door is working properly. If you try to close your garage door before a big storm and the door is not working, the inside of your garage and all of your belongings can become soaked.
Start by testing its ability to open and close. Clean off the sensors and move any objects that might get in the way of the garage door closing. If something is off, you know to contact a technician to diagnose the problem and get your garage door back up and running.
Check to make sure there aren’t any cracks or holes in your garage door that could let in water from a storm. The place you should pay extra attention to is the bottom of your garage door. If the panel has a crack or is warped and doesn’t align with the ground, rainwater can get inside your garage.
If the water flows toward your garage door, a bad rainstorm can quickly overwhelm your garage door with water. Installing a trench drain can help draw rainwater away from your garage and decrease the chance of it flooding or taking on too much water.
If you have rain gutters above your garage, check to see if you need to clean them out. You want water to flow away from your garage instead of falling down right on top of the garage door. If you don’t have gutters above your garage door, consider installing them to protect it.
When it rains outside, does the water flow away from or toward your garage door? If it runs toward the garage, make sure you have either weatherstripping installed on the bottom or a trench drain to divert the water.
If your garage door is experiencing flooding or water damage, here are the main actions to take:
When you need garage door service, you need help from the team at Best Overhead Door. We provide excellent maintenance, replacements and repairs and information on the best garage doors for residents in Washington and Oregon. If your garage door has water damage from a bad rainstorm or you want routine maintenance on your door, contact the experts at Best Overhead Door to schedule service.
April 4th – 6th at the Oregon Convention Center