rain leaks under garage door

[Vintage Veloce]

OK, so when I built the garage a couple years ago I put in a flat and level garage floor. And there is very little slope on the driveway (this was unavoidable).

We did slightly bevel the edge of the door opening, sloping toward the driveway, but we did not slope the area directly under the garage door seal. Perhaps that was a mistake. There is maybe 1-1/2" outside the door that is level before the bevel down from the door starts.

We live in San Diego, so rain isn't really a big deal. But on the occasions a couple times a year when water comes in it is annoying.

At any rate, with a hard rain blowing against the garage door, I get some water inside.

It is surprising, because the door seems to have a firm seal to the concrete. At any rate, I was considering if there are any easy solutions...

I've had two ideas:

- Some kind of ridge on the concrete at the door seal. I'm imagining a bead of caulk or even a weather seal that is glued to the concrete. But I could imagine that being a trip hazard (I have a bum ankle).

- Maybe try and grind the edge of the concrete to make the bevel extend under the garage door seal, so the slope outward begins under the seal and encourages water running down the door to flow away from the door.

Any better suggestions?

 

[Bretny]

Homedepot sells a kit to fix that. I think you glue a rubber strip down. It would never last in my garage but by the looks of yours it should.

 

[Rod N]

I think the problem is the seal itself. How old is it?
My floor is flat where it meets the seal and no water comes in.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

I think the problem is the seal itself. How old is it?
My floor is flat where it meets the seal and no water comes in.

The garage was built in 2016 and the seal if from then. Condition of the seal looks fine. It is pretty soft. I wonder if I could get a stiffer one so that it would press harder against the floor....

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Ok, the stiffer door seal seems like a good idea. I just ordered one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IFKFVBO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I'll see how that works before trying anything more drastic.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

OK, So I just installed the new door seal, and it is awesome. But it doesn't work. It is so stiff that it doesn't seal at the bottom of the door at the leaky spot, I can easily slide a piece of paper under the door there. I checked and there is almost an 1/8" dip in the floor right there. I tried adjusting the force of the door, but that didn't help. Even with the full weight of the door there is still a gap.
So I need a softer seal to flex into the gap. I'll try a new seal, like the old one next.

 

[AA7483]

Subscribed. I have the same issue in my old garage.

 

[CKS1955]

I added a similar seal to my door. Added additional black foam weather stripping to bottom where the issue was (uneven floor) The additional weather stripping for me is considered a consumable and will have to be replaced occasionally as it wears.

Jay

 

[rburke65]

Why could you not raise the footprint of the garage before it was built? How does the driveway slope affect the elevation of the build site?

 

[pattenp]

I assume since San Diego doesn't get snow or lots of rain garage floors are not required to be sloped towards the door. Too me the only good solution is to have a trough cut in the floor at the door and add a drain at the end provided you have adequate slope outside away from the garage.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Why could you not raise the footprint of the garage before it was built? How does the driveway slope affect the elevation of the build site?

That question has a long and complicated answer that isn't relevant to this thread. Even if I could, I'm not going to raise the foundation of this garage now.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

I assume since San Diego doesn't get snow or lots of rain garage floors are not required to be sloped towards the door. Too me the only good solution is to have a trough cut in the floor at the door and add a drain at the end provided you have adequate slope outside away from the garage.

Before I did that I would probably try and patch the low spot. That would be really ugly though. Neither is worth the effort for the 4 days a year this happens. I think I'll keep playing with seal solutions...

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

Another option is to go back to a normal seal, one without the tube built in, and add a length of "caulk saver" into it. It is a foam rope available in different diameters but 1/2" or 5/8" in your case would be sufficient. It will compress easier than the rubber and still put some pressure on the seal. Also see if some of the leakage isn't from the sides of the door. There is usually about a half inch gap tha may allow water in. Good luck.

 

[Doug19]

You need a garage door threshold seal that goes down on the actual concrete.

 

[pattenp]

You need a garage door threshold seal that goes down on the actual concrete.

I was about to say the same thing. Though that solution has its drawbacks.

 

[pattenp]

Before I did that I would probably try and patch the low spot. That would be really ugly though. Neither is worth the effort for the 4 days a year this happens. I think I'll keep playing with seal solutions...

I have a son that lives in San Diego and the weather always spoils me to have to come back to Virginia after visiting. Last couple of days here have been terrible because of the snow storm. The stick down rubber threshold would not work well here due to blocking water from running out of the garage.

 

[truckin-on]

I have the same problem. Simple solution - glue down a section of garage threshold. I like the asymmetrical version where the thin part goes down so that the garage door seal comes down right along the edge. Clean the concrete well - wire brush or acid if you need to. Close the door and run a pencil along the outside edge, then use the strongest Liquid Nails adhesive you can get to glue it down right along the line. Seal the ends also, and your problem is solved.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008YGQS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[CKS1955]

Another option is to go back to a normal seal, one without the tube built in, and add a length of "caulk saver" into it. It is a foam rope available in different diameters but 1/2" or 5/8" in your case would be sufficient. It will compress easier than the rubber and still put some pressure on the seal. Also see if some of the leakage isn't from the sides of the door. There is usually about a half inch gap tha may allow water in. Good luck.

The one I used from Menards came with this, however it is not as flexible as I would have wanted.

https://www.menards.com/main/doors-...07-c-3624.htm?tid=-6760848222610386211&ipos=7

Jay

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Problem solved!

I bought a new replacement seal, just like the original one. This one, like the original, is far softer than the heavy duty inflexible one I tried earlier in this thread. Here it is:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CVYKXUY/

And a photograph of it installed is attached.

This one seals tightly!

What I learned:
My original seal was only two years old, but was completely flattened. This allowed spaces under it where the floor was uneven.
The new seal, even thought it is very soft, does not flatten even with the full weight of the garage door on it! But it is quite flexible enough to fill any unevenness under the door.

Lesson: If your seal looks totally flattened out, and water seeps under the door, just get a new seal. Even if it is only a couple years old. The new seal is only 16 bucks and is easy to install.

PS: The opener needs to be readjusted for the opening & closing stop locations, force levels and safety tested after replacing the seal. I just followed the directions in the manual.