Tips for sealing garage door..

[Michael Dunn]

Hey guys!!!

Three years ago I installed a 2 1/2" thick galvanized steel, polystyrene insulated garage door. It's great. I think the R value is like 19 or something.

Anyway, when it rains real hard water gets trapped between the bottom two and the middle two panels. This is bad since I keep my BW8J 8" jointer and my WM-718 near the door opening on each side. I'm conscious enough to wipe the tools down if water should happen to call on them. My wife and kids, that's another story.

I have some weather stripping I could try to cram in there if I have remove the wheels of the offending panels to access the hinge point.

Any other known successful remedies?

[Bruce Wrenn]

Is there enough room between the panels to use some foam backer rod? It comes in many diameters, and can be glued in place using rubber cement. Both BORGS stock it.

[Michael Dunn]

Hmmm... BORGS? What's that? That's a new intornets acronym for me. Also, what is foam backer rod?

[John M Wilson]

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-backer-rod.htm

[Alan Bienlein]

Backer rod is round foam that comes in different diameters and is used to fill large gaps before caulking.

[Thomas Bank]

Typically, a garage door pinches tight when it closes. Introducing anything into the joint is liable to stress the hinges and wear them out over time.

I have a fairly thick, insulated Wayne-Dalton commercial door that is likely similar in construction to yours. On mine, the panels have a bit of a tongue and groove shape to them at the joints to keep water from penetrating the joint. And, as mentioned, they pinch tight when they are closed. I'd think they'd have a pretty hard time accumulating enough water between the panels in the first place and the tongue on the lower panel of the joint would keep any small amount of water to drip off to the exterior as the door opened.

[Jim Matthews]

Hmmm... BORGS? What's that? That's a new intornets acronym for me. Also, what is foam backer rod?

Big Orange Retail Giant, not a term of endearment.
Is it possilble to drop a canvas tarp as a curtain over the opening?

I use a canvas cover for my woodpile, and it's water-tight.

[Michael Dunn]

Typically, a garage door pinches tight when it closes. Introducing anything into the joint is liable to stress the hinges and wear them out over time.

I have a fairly thick, insulated Wayne-Dalton commercial door that is likely similar in construction to yours. On mine, the panels have a bit of a tongue and groove shape to them at the joints to keep water from penetrating the joint. And, as mentioned, they pinch tight when they are closed. I'd think they'd have a pretty hard time accumulating enough water between the panels in the first place and the tongue on the lower panel of the joint would keep any small amount of water to drip off to the exterior as the door opened.

I believe mine has a tongue and groove of sorts as well. It only happens when we have some torrential downpour.

I just thought of this... What if I put some sort of high adhesive strip on the outside? Sort of like the Festool splinter guard for they're rails. I could put it on the upper panel and let it cover the (closed) gap.

Actually, that might look weird from the outside.

[Michael Dunn]

Big Orange Retail Giant, not a term of endearment.
Is it possilble to drop a canvas tarp as a curtain over the opening?

I use a canvas cover for my woodpile, and it's water-tight.

Ahh... Gotcha! I've thought about using a tarp. I usually prefer to eliminate an issue as opposed to placing a band-aid over it.

I really would like to keep the water from even entering the gap between the panels.

[Stew Hagerty]

Hey guys!!!

Three years ago I installed a 2 1/2" thick galvanized steel, polystyrene insulated garage door. It's great. I think the R value is like 19 or something.

Anyway, when it rains real hard water gets trapped between the bottom two and the middle two panels. This is bad since I keep my BW8J 8" jointer and my WM-718 near the door opening on each side. I'm conscious enough to wipe the tools down if water should happen to call on them. My wife and kids, that's another story.

I have some weather stripping I could try to cram in there if I have remove the wheels of the offending panels to access the hinge point.

Any other known successful remedies?

Are you talking about drips when the door opens? I think you are bound to get amount of water in there with the right conditions. I would talk to the guys at the door company where you bought it. Or if you installed it yourself, just pick one (YFI, the "Original Overhead Door Co." and "Raynor" guys have always seemed to be the best trained and most knowledgeable to me.

[Logan William]

The key is to keep the water from getting to the joint. Either take a rainstrip style weatherstrip and attach to the upper panel so that it hangs over the joint, any water running down the face of the door should run down the leaf and drip off, and should protect from windblown rain from getting in. Other option would be to attach(glue) a flexible piece of rubber across the gap to shield the joint, make sure that there is enough material to allow the panels to open/close