Different Ways To Help Protect Your Garage From Floods

Are you looking for a flood proof garage door or flood barrier for garage doors? Inside this guide you will discover the best things to keep in mind that could help protect your garage from flooding. You may not be able to avoid a flood, but you can prepare for it.

Replace Weatherstripping

The roof of your garage protects its contents from rain and snow. But your garage door is the main barrier during flooding.

Whatever material your garage door is made of, the rubber or vinyl strip at the bottom should form a tight seal between it and the floor. Appropriately called weatherstripping, this band protects your garage from destructive weather such as driving rain, snow, fierce hail, and wind. It can also be fitted on the doorstop molding to keep dust, insects, and other pests out of your garage.

Over time, the exposure and friction weatherstripping withstands can take their toll. A professional garage door installation company can replace dry, split, or brittle weatherstripping.

Inspect Foundation For Cracks And Damage

Tri-Lakes may get less rainfall than the U.S. average, but we do have way more snow and additional days of sunshine. Combined with the normal settling and shifting of any home, foundation hairline cracks are bound to occur under these conditions.

While these fine fissures do not impact the structural integrity of your home, they can lead to damp and water leaks. The more precipitation seeps into the gaps, the more they erode and widen.

The best time to examine your home’s foundation for cracks and damage is on a sunny day. (Luckily we enjoy 247 of those in this part of Colorado!) Minor cracks can be repaired with concrete filler or an epoxy or expandable polyurethane sealant.

While you are inspecting the foundations, check the condition of the walls, floor, and ceiling of your garage too. Inadequate or incorrect drainage can increase the risk of flooding or compound its damage. Keep gutters and drains clear of debris.

Make use of your landscape to absorb or redirect runoff water. From appropriate plants and heavy mulch to swales, retaining walls, and berms, there are many environmentally pleasing options available.

If necessary, building a French drain works to channel water away from your garage.

Avoid potentially damaging pressure and sitting water by installing flood vents in your garage.

Store Items Strategically

Hands up if you are one of the many of us who use the garage as a storage unit for excess belongings! While it may be a useful solution most of the time, it can be a disaster if you experience garage flooding. While there are no guarantees, the best way to prevent water from reaching your possessions is to move, lift, or cover.

If you have stored any items of great value or sentimental importance (documents, photographs, etc.) in your garage, try to find a place for them inside your home. The higher the better – ideally your attic.

Should that not be possible, place them and other objects that are most vulnerable to water damage as far back from the front of your garage as possible. Again, “up and back” is what you are aiming for. Use concrete blocks to lift furniture off the garage floor. Raise all tools that may rust and machinery that uses electricity. Save your back by using a ramp to lift heavy items, for example, your lawnmower.

Store what you can in sealed plastic containers secured with duct tape. Cover the rest with plastic.

Using sandbags as flood barriers will help to redirect stormwater away from your driveway.

Serving the beautiful Front Range from Colorado Springs to Denver, Tri-Lakes Garage Doors is ready to help with all your garage door needs:new garage door installation,garage door opener replacement, springs, rollers and trackrepair or replacement, RV Doors, even gate systems andcustom wood doors.

For more guidance on how to flood proof your garage door and other flood barriers for garage doors, contact Tri-Lakes Garage Doors today.