5 Steps to Winterize Your Garage!
Work smarter, not harder and winterize your garage while temperatures are still comfortable enough that you’ll enjoy the work!
Here are some tips to get you started:
- Examine the garage door track for debris.
Dirt and grime like spider webs, dust, and yard waste can collect in the tracks of a garage door. Clear out the grit and grime, and don’t forget the gloves! - Check the weather stripping on your door.
If you can feel air moving between your door and the frame or the ground, the current weather stripping isn’t doing its job. If the weather stripping isn’t sufficient to make a good seal, remove it and scrape off the excess adhesive. Close the door and align the weather stripping so the rubber flap flattens slightly against the door. - Visually inspect the space around your garage door.
If you can see light between your door and the frame or the ground, then the door isn’t fitted properly. Aligning a garage door is a task best left to a professional. Our service technicians can align and fit the door to make it seal better and be more energy efficient. - Check your garage door for loose or bent parts.
Properly maintaining your door will help to keep your home comfortable during the winter. Loose, bent, broken or worn out parts can cause serious damage and they can affect the ability to keep weather out. - Consider updating to an energy-efficient garage door.
One way to improve the energy efficiency of your garage is to replace a traditional steel garage door with an energy efficient one. Traditional steel garage doors don’t typically have any insulation, which makes their R value fairly low; many are rated 0 and upscale models go to 7.4. Insulated steel garage doors have R values which range from 9.31 to 17.5, which can make a significant impact on transferring outside air to your garage. - BONUS TIP: Insulate your water heater.
If you water heater is in your garage, you may want to insulate it. If your hot water tank is newer, it is likely already insulated. If you have an older one, check the R-value, which is measurement of thermal resistance. It should have an R-value of at least 24. If it doesn’t, consider insulating it. Energy.gov has great DIY details and instructions. - BONUS TIP: Cover exposed pipes.
If you have water lines that send water from inside to the outside, prep them for winter by shutting them off and purging them. Then cover any exposed pipes with plastic or foam pipe insulation. If you don’t have that handy, try a home-made version using old towels or worn-out t-shirts and duct tape.