If you’ve recently spent ages looking at garage floors Lynchburg, browsing new garage doors, researching shelving solutions, and organizing your garage, you definitely want all this hard work to last and not just be ruined the first harsh winter you have. Outfitting your garage door with weatherstripping can lower your heating and cooling costs, prevent damage to the door and guard against unwanted moisture. Which is a key thing in homes that many people might not consider, particularly if they do not regard the garage as being a part of the domestic space, even though it might have an impact on your house increasingly so if it is attached to your garage. Moisture and water damage can be potentially troubling for a homeowner, as if too much enters the domestic space, especially during a storm it might cause you to have to possibly spend money on hiring some Water Mitigation Services or other water damage companies to fix any issues that may arise from too much water entering the garage. Is the seal surrounding your garage door beginning to break down? You may need to replace the weatherstripping along the top, sides, and bottom of the doors to improve insulation and gain additional benefits.
Benefits of Weatherstripping
A gap between the bottom of the garage door and the driveway can allow dirt to blow into your garage. During bad weather, rain, snow, and ice could come into the garage and potentially damage your possessions and tools, not to mention, the garage floor. Now, you can fix the garage floor with Milwaukee concrete repair services (or from other nearby places), but they would not be able to salvage your precious tools. Also, rodents and insects only need a small gap to make their way into the garage and nest, creating an infestation problem.
Weatherstripping seals out moisture, cold or hot air and unwanted creatures, creating a more temperate, comfortable environment within the garage. You will be able to safely store valuable tools without worrying about rust, and you can store food without concern for rummaging rodents.
While it is advisable to seal the door connecting the garage to the main living area of the house (via services similar to companies such as PLASTPRO can provide) as well, properly installed weatherstripping around the exterior garage doors can greatly reduce the risk of lost energy. Additionally, the bottom of the garage door will not scrape against the concrete or pavement, helping to prevent premature wear of both the door and the floor. The cost of installing or replacing weatherstripping is low, especially when compared to the long-term benefits it provides.
Types of Weather Stripping
One of the most common types of seal for the top and sides of a garage door is PVC stop molding. Ideally, a garage door would line up perfectly within the wood frame and leave no gaps when fully closed. In reality, the door is not always flush with the entire outline of the frame. PVC stop molding is installed on the edges of the frame and it bridges the gap between the door and the wood, completing the seal in the enclosure. Other products provide the same benefits, such as vinyl flaps installed on the sides and top of the garage door.
Most doors are equipped with aluminum retaining tracks on the bottom which allow rubber, brush or vinyl strips to slide into place and in some cases are fully fastened with screws. Homeowners are able to unfasten and slide the strips out when a replacement is needed. Still other types of seals are nailed directly into the base of the door as a more permanent fixture.
Replacing the Seals
All types of seals can wear down over time, especially if you live in a climate with heavy precipitation and temperature extremes. While some garage door weather stripping allows for you to tackle replacing seals on your own, it is best to obtain a professional opinion before making alterations to your current set of seals.
Talk to the professionals at Accent Garage Doors to schedule an assessment of your current garage door weather stripping and find out more information about which products can best protect against moisture, extreme temperatures and invading creatures.
