Garage doors are some of the best things you can have for your home, as they add to your curb appeal while also protecting your items in your garage. They’re terrific places to keep vehicles, but you can store just about anything else in them as well. However, leaking water can sometimes threaten your stored goods. There are a few different reasons water leaks under your garage door. Once you understand and can identify them, you can fix them!
Bad Door Seals
A garage door has seals to keep the outside out and the inside in, but these seals aren’t impenetrable. Instead, they wear down over time, and if your garage door seal isn’t as good as it once was, you may get some water leaking in. This weatherproofing can fail, so if you notice water coming in, look at the source. If the seal around that area is hard and cracked, it may be time to get a replacement before the rest of your garage door seal goes too.
Negative Yard Grading
Another reason you may have water leaking under your garage door is because your yard has a negative grade. Typically, the house is supposed to be the highest point in the yard because if it’s not, all the rain and debris that comes with that will fall toward your home. It won’t always be a problem, but it can be why water leaks into your garage. A better garage door seal can help keep the water out, but you could also install additional foundation drainage systems to move water away from your home and from your garage.
Broken Gutters
Broken gutters—or the complete lack of gutters—can also be a common culprit for water leaking into your garage. The point of gutters is to take rainwater and direct it away from your home. However, rainwater can collect in your garage if debris has clogged your gutters or you have no gutters at all. Diverting water away from your garage with gutters and downspouts is important. Without this, all that water will pool and likely find its way into your garage. This problem only worsens if your door’s seals aren’t in the best shape.
Slab Seepage
One reason you have water leaking in from under your garage door may not have anything to do with your garage door. You may be a victim of slab seepage, where the porous concrete wicks water from the wet soil and comes out in your garage. If you notice puddles appearing and then disappearing, you may have this issue. To fix slab seepage, apply a waterproof coating to your garage floor, sealing up those pores.
Water leaks under your garage door for many reasons, but you don’t have to sit back and do nothing. Get out there, try to find the issue, and fix it before it gets out of hand. Some sources of the leak are easy to fix, but others may be more extensive problems with your garage. If you need help with your garage, come to us at Steel City Garage Doors. We’re the Pittsburgh garage door repair company you can count on to fix your door and keep your garage leak free.
