Sealing a garage door!

[Dave-H]

Hi all -

Ok, I got the Coplay insulated door installed and I am impressed so far. The sun beats down on my door (east facing) for 4 hours a day and I can already see how much heat it's blocking from the garage.

But the seal is not great. They installed 'green' hinges which are sprung to put a little bit of pressure against the door, to get it to push slightly against the seal. It seems to work but the seal is crappy.

They left my old vinyl seal on the exterior, and at the very least I want to replace that, but are there any better options?

From what I'm seeing, it might be great to simply replace the vinyl on the exterior, and install a brush seal inside. I have never used a brush seal, though, so I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

Also, I'm not really getting how the brush seal 'seals' since it seems like there are so many tiny gaps for air to get through. Is the idea that the brush has gaps, but it thick enough so that when it's pressed up against the door it will seal?

Anyways, seems like an economical and easy idea, but wondering if it's worthwhile. Any opinions?

thanks!

 

[Wizzard]

Definitely put a new vinyl seal on the exterior. You shoulder be able to get it nice and tight since you get to place the new seal where you want in relation to the new door. Allow a couple days for the corners of the seal to form itself into place from the heat of the sun.

 

[Dave-H]

If I'm going to do a new vinyl seal, maybe just go for the brush seal? It seems similar to install and I can really see how the vinyl, after 7 years, is dry/hard/worn and there are little spots of light where the leaks are. This garage door is definitely the 'weak spot' in my garage so I really want it sealed up tight!

 

[upndown]

Definitely would not use brush seal on the exterior! They're going to do more harm than good, especially if damp and it freezes. Vinyl unfortunately is your only viable option.

Years ago we used wood stops..no vinyl. A constant battle between expansion and contraction!

 

[Falcon67]

I used the standard vinyl seals yo find at Lowes or HD. Properly placed they seal well. I do not have green hinges and the door can move as much as 3/4" or better in places when it's getting beat on by 30~40 MPH wind. Which is not uncommon here - and why we have 1000's of wind turbines in the area.

 

[Dave-H]

Definitely would not use brush seal on the exterior! They're going to do more harm than good, especially if damp and it freezes. Vinyl unfortunately is your only viable option.

Years ago we used wood stops..no vinyl. A constant battle between expansion and contraction!

Hi - I haven't heard this concern before. Can you tell me exactly what the worry is? If it's frozen solid, it wouldn't seal as well I supposed- is that your worry? thanks!

 

[upndown]

Hi - I haven't heard this concern before. Can you tell me exactly what the worry is? If it's frozen solid, it wouldn't seal as well I supposed- is that your worry? thanks!

You'll loose your seal as well as the stiffened bristles could affect door binding. Similar to wood stops being set too tight. They are designed to have the door glide along them bending the bristles slightly.

 

[Dave-H]

According to the sealeze.com site their brush seals are effective down to -70 degrees, but
i'm not sure!

 

[James-W]

I have never seen a garage door where the seal was perfect. I would be happy if the door was reasonably well sealed. I mean, let's face it, there is a lot of area to seal on a garage door. When there is a wind, depending on how hard the wind is blowing, the garage door does move a bit and the seal doesn't work quite as well as it does when there is no wind blowing. I am not even sure that you can get a garage door to seal perfectly all the time.

 

[Dave-H]

I'm not sure about 'perfect' but I think I can do better than 'reasonably well sealed'. With the green hinges putting pressure on the seal and a brand new seal installed, I am hoping I can get it up to 'very good seal' status!

 

[Dave-H]

Two manufacturers have claimed that their brush seals work fine in freezing conditions, with the caveat that if there is ice or snow layered on the seal, it can compromise the brush seal. Fair enough.

i ordered a 16x7 from https://www.brushweatherseal.com/ and will report on it!

 

[upndown]

Good luck with it!

Let us know how it works out, curious to see how the new stuff performes. Freezing is not very common in my area!

 

[Falcon67]

According to the sealeze.com site their brush seals are effective down to -70 degrees, but
i'm not sure!

If it ever get's -70 here, we're either dead or damn sure not going outside. Shop doors would be the least of my worries!