Super Sealing a Garage door question.

Hey gang,

I have a garage door question, I know some guys here have some real high end cars, so I'm hoping you can help me with a question on sealing my garage doors. My doors don't seal perfectly and I get alot of bugs, spiders, etc. in my garage. What can I do to better seal the doors, not just on the bottom, but on the sides also to keep the critters out? I do have a climate seal on the sides. I know they'll never be 100% sealed, but I'd like to make them better than they are now. I'm looking for suggestions beyond the standard household garage door seal. So, what have you done with yours?

Thanks in advance!

Wow - could've really used Stu's expertise about now.

mine is pretty tight. it weighs 502 lbs [just the door1 !] .. it is also rated as r - 16 . this site may help --- https://www.garaga.com/information/faq/energy-efficient

Stu told me the best doors are CHI and the better of the Clopay line. Another thing in my notes is he said a back sheeted door will hold up a lot better than one without.

I got a CHI and it seems to seal up very well, could be as much the installer as anything. I do think after talking with about 5 outfits I ended up with the best bunch around.

THere should be big flat rubber seals around the side and top that seal it well unless they're worn out. Our problem the bottom corners where the seals don't overlap or get torn quick.

as said above, Stu would really be helpful for the OP.
he helped me several times, and although we conversed on the phone, we never met in person.
i sure miss that guy !

X2
He once walked me through a repair over the phone.

Stu was really one in a million.

Any photos of your current installation?

Many doors have the long hollow rubber balloon seal on the bottom. If it is not sealing due to any imperfections in the floor, mark the area. Poke a hole in it and spray in some expanding foam through the just created hole to expand the hollow 'tube'.

It should not take much, but be sure to close the door right after you take your finger off the trigger of the foam gun. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes.

In very windy areas, doubling up on the side and top weatherstrips can add a second layer of protection.

The vinyl ones with the longer flexible lips work great.

They do expand and contract in the heat and cold though, so I always caulk the bottoms where they meet the concrete.

In addition to the typical top and sides vinyl seals that mount to the exterior jamb, I also have brush seals mounted at the door sides on the inside. Really helps seal out the drafts and the only bugs I ever notice are an occasional earth worm after a rain.

That sounds interesting. Could you tell me more about the brushes? Maybe a pic? Thanks!

I currently have doors with good seals, but they just don't seal tight enough. I've talked to local door companies, but they just want to come put another residential seal in.

here's a photo...I'll try to get a better one later. I don't recall where I bought them. they've been installed for about 12 years now and still seal as well as they did the first day.

this is similar to what I have. they're mounted to the inside face of the 2x used for door track attachment.
https://www.northshorecommercialdoo...HibnT7wIV0vHjBx26mAXfEAYYBSABEgJMfPD_BwE

Another

In the top corner of your photo, the overlap is wrong. Top lip should be on the outside of the side lip.

If you still have a gap there after you flip it to the outside, caulk it.

You can close up the gap between the door and the wall by replacing hinges. They are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, you can swap a 2 for a 3 and close the gap by 1/8" or so.

Thanks!

Take a look at these hinges that I know were discussed on the Garage Journal before and I think here as well.

I bought a set a couple of years ago and have not installed them yet but I know people who have like them a lot.

https://www.greenhingesystem.com/

For that kind of seal if it's installed properly special hinges aren't required. It should already touch the door when it's closed, pushing it tighter won't make a difference.
A34's door looks like it ligns up good panel to panel. Unless new doors have gone down in quality that's usually not a problem either if hingers aren't worn out and installed properly.