What is a Garage Door Seal?
A secure garage means more than just a closed door. Garage seals are one way to further protect your home and property.
Garage door seals, also known as weather-stripping or astragal, are found along the four sides of your garage door.
Closing the gap between the ground and your door is important because it ensures that your garage remains free of pests and is protected against rain, wind, and snow. A proper fitting bottom seal also keeps cold air and moisture from entering through gaps around the door, which may help lower energy costs.
Keep reading to learn more about the different types of bottom seals, and how each type is specifically designed to protect the interior of your garage.
Types of Garage Door Seals
Garage door seals come in several types, but they all serve one common goal: keeping your garage safe and secure. Here are some of the most common types of garage door seals.
A bottom seal is one of the more commonly known weather seals because it comes installed on the bottom of every new garage door.
Since the floor of your garage may not be exactly even from one side to the other, the bottom seal helps keep the door flush with the ground by sealing any gap that exists when the door is closed. This seal is prone to warping and shrinking when it’s consistently exposed to moisture and temperature changes, so it’s important to keep an eye out for signs of any wear and tear.
The appropriate type of bottom seal for your garage door is determined by the channel it slides into. The professionals at Precision Garage Door Service can help you choose an appropriate seal based on the type of garage door you have.
Here are some of the most common bottom seals:
T Shape
Named for the T-shape that is formed at the top of the stripping, T-shape seals are flexible enough to fill any gaps at the bottom of your garage door when it’s closed. This helps keep pests, moisture, and any debris from entering the interior of your garage.
Bulb Shape
Named for the rounded-shape that is formed at the top of the seal, the small circles on bulb seals help block air and debris from entering your garage. Similar to the T-shape seal, the bulb seal is flexible enough to seal any gap that exists because of an uneven floor when the door is closed.
P Shape
The P-shape seal, which is closed at the top, attaches to the frame of the garage door to create an airtight seal when your door closes. The P at the top of the seal provides further insulation by creating a tighter seal. This type of seal is ideal for doors that are constantly exposed to wind and precipitation.
Triple Contact
The triple contact seal has a bulb-shaped top and provides extra insulation by sealing in three separate places when your frame and garage door meet. This added point of contact provides excellent protection against outside elements.
Brush Seal
Brush seals are usually found on commercial garage doors such as sheet doors or rolling steel doors. They have thousands of bristles that are available in light, standard, and heavy-duty options. Brush seals help reduce outside noise when the door is closed. They also do a good job of keeping dust and fumes from entering the garage.
Threshold Seal
A threshold seal adheres to the floor directly beneath where the garage door meets the surface. Constructed out of hard rubber, threshold seals come with a unique peak design that acts as a barrier to water and debris. A threshold seal is best used with a new bottom seal.
Count on Precision to Replace Your Garage Door Seal
The seal on the bottom of your garage door is easy to overlook, until you start dealing with insects, moisture, and other debris entering your garage. If the bottom seal on your garage door is cracked or creating a noticeable gap, it’s time to have it replaced. And if you’ve noticed that the other seals around the perimeter of your door are starting to buckle and separate from your door, consider replacing all your seals at once.
Need a garage door seal replacement? Contact one of our garage door experts at (877) 301-7474, or find the Precision Garage Door Service technician nearest you.
