When winter approaches, homeowners perform a variety of tasks to prepare their homes for the upcoming cold, ice and snow. These include cleaning gutters, winterizing lawns and, perhaps most importantly, winter-proofing the garage. Winter-proofing, which involves replacing weather stripping and adding insulation, makes a garage more comfortable and protects it from moisture damage during the coldest months of the year.
In this guide, we go over the many benefits of winter-proofing a garage and provide tips on how to perform these tasks efficiently.
Follow these five steps to help you learn how to winterize your garage door for the cold months ahead:
Before you start winter-proofing the garage, you first must clean it thoroughly. Sweep away debris, dirt, leaves, mulch and bugs. Then, clean your walls, removing all dirt, dust and cobwebs.
Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned your garage, you can start the winterization process, beginning with the insulation. When you hear the word “insulation,” you may think of that fluffy pink stuff found in your walls, but insulation can also refer to sealing any leaks that may be allowing warm air out during the winter.
For this reason, before you deal with actual insulation, it is recommended that you examine the weatherstripping found on all your garage’s doors and windows — including the garage door itself. If you notice any broken or cracked areas, fix or replace them.
Weatherstripping crack holes become brittle with time, which may result in air leaks and cold drafts. If you’ve felt any drafts caused by cracked weatherstripping, you will want to take out the weatherstripping, scrape away any sealant that remains, then apply the new weatherstripping to your garage door. This is an essential aspect of how to insulate your garage door for winter.
If you need to replace the weatherstripping for the garage door, make sure that you correctly measure and align the new weatherstripping so that it forms a secure, reliable seal. To do this, close the door and align your weatherstripping so that the rubber flap gets flattened against your garage door. To know if you properly sealed your garage door for winter and cold weather, you can test by checking if any cold air gets through where you applied weatherstripping.
After sealing all of the air leaks, you can start adding your garage insulation in your walls, which will serve as one of your garage’s protective barriers. It’s recommended that you use fiberglass bat insulation with a thickness that matches that of your walls.
Even though you’ve already updated your garage door’s weatherstripping, if it’s not insulated, there’s a chance you’ll lose a lot of heat through it. To make sure your garage stays toasty during the cold season, you should insulate your garage door as well. To do this, you can buy a wide variety of kits, including options like fiberglass, reflective barriers and foam boards.
When you insulate your garage door, cut the insulation with care so it fits inside the panels of the door. Then, secure each piece using an adhesive. If your garage still feels cold after the installation is complete, you may want to replace your current door with a newer, more insulated model.
The last step in winter-proofing is installing a reliable garage heater. Although weatherstripping and insulation are great at preventing cold weather from getting inside, they don’t really help to warm up the room. For that, you’ll need a reliable unit heater, which is affordable to install and doesn’t take up much space.
Fill out a contact form or give us a call at (800) 820-9841 if you want help making your garage warmer in the winter.
If you’re not sure you whether winter-proofing your garage is worth the time and effort, consider the following benefits:
Depending on the location and type of garage you have, insulating your garage door can be hugely beneficial. While you often get more benefit from insulating doors in attached garages, detached garages can also benefit from insulation, especially in regions with extreme weather. Here are three benefits of insulating your door:
When temperatures drop, garage doors are more likely to malfunction, which means you won’t be able to pull your vehicle safely inside. Being aware of the issues you might experience and knowing how to prevent them will help you ensure you can get back into your cozy, warm home quickly. Some common winter garage door problems include:
Cornwell Door Service is a Lebanon, Pennsylvania-based overhead door company that has set unparalleled standards of excellence in the industry for over four decades. To schedule a service, please use our online form or call us at 800-820-9841 for more information.