Over several blogs, we have talked about winterizing your garage door, and why winterizing is important, even here in Houston. One final step remains after insulating your door, and weather stripping the bottom of your door. To finish sealing your door against the elements, it’s important to add garage door weather stripping to both sides and the top of the door. When you look at your door, check the spacing between the door and the door frame, and you will likely notice a significant gap which allows air, dust, and ‘critters’ to enter or escape your garage.
Look at the gap, and then consider the length of this gap completely around your entire garage door. You’ll see that there’s plenty of space for lots of air to escape or enter your garage space. To finish up the winterizing of your garage door, you will want to seal this gap by adding weather stripping along the sides and across the top of your door.
Garage door weather stripping material can be purchased at most any local hardware store and can be installed relatively easily. If you’d like a professional installation, call on the Garage Door Doctor, and we will be pleased to assist you. In either case, adding the stripping to the sides and top of your garage door can be accomplished by cutting the weather stripping to the proper length and fastening the strips around the frame outside of the door using nails or screws.
The garage door weather stripping is generally a plastic or synthetic material that fits against the frame of your door and overlaps the door itself creating a seal. Once the strips are cut to length they can be nailed are screwed onto the frame with the overlapping part against the door itself.
Once installed, the lips of the weather stripping serve to block the cold air from entering or warm air from escaping. It has been estimated that by adding weather stripping along the sides and top of your garage door you can keep your garage 10° to 15° warmer in the winter.
And, of course, you’ll be saving energy. If you work in your garage in the winter, your garage heater will use less energy once you have the weather stripping installed. Combine this with the insulation and the door bottom seal, and you’ll have a comfortable place for getting those garage chores done during the coldest months. Sealing your door will discourage dust, bugs, and other critters from entering your garage. It’s a win-win situation.
To ensure your garage door is operating at maximum efficiency and all of its components are functioning properly, have the Garage Door Doctor inspect your door before the cold weather sets in. We have provided garage door services for the Houston area for more than 25 years. Schedule an appointment, and our skilled technicians will check out all elements of your garage door including the opening mechanisms and the safety devices. Give us a call today and make an appointment, 281-855-9300. Our business is keeping our customers’ garage doors operating in top condition, and we are your number one choice for garage door service.
