Regardless of what you use your garage for, there’s a good chance that everything you have contained within it has a great deal of personal value. Whenever it rains outside, it’s important that you do everything that you can in order to make sure that these items are protected from what could become serious flood damage. Whenever a garage floods, this can potentially results in thousands of dollars in damage being created to all of the items inside, as well as damage to entire garage itself.
Generally, homeowners tend to make the mistake of thinking that their garage is protected from flooding because they think they don’t live in an area that is affected by this issue. No matter what kind of an area you live in, water will always be able to find its way into your garage and create all sorts of issues. No matter what, it’s always important to take all of the necessary steps to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen.
Even if you don’t live in a flood plain, water damage is still a possibility. You have a water heater right? What happens when there’s a tank or water pipe failure and the water heater leaking is out of control? For this specific issue, proper water heater maintenance goes a long way. But what about when nature has a say in it?
For starters, remove everything from your garage and take the time to carefully inspect both the walls and the flooring for any cracks, which can enable water to leak inside. If you do find any cracks, seal them up. This step may seem stressful, especially if you have a lot of items in your garage; however, in the end, it will be well worth it, especially since it will result in all of your possessions remaining dry.
When you’re sure that your garage is secure, take the time to inspect the garage door next. This is the area that will be the main point of entry for any water. Begin by examining the door’s bottom rubber strips and sides. If you find any broken rubber, holes, or cracks, have them replaced as quickly as possible. Whenever any of these areas are broken, especially the rubber strips, your garage will be at a higher risk of being flooded.
Here’s a good video on installing a garage door weather seal:
After you’ve examined these key areas of the door, take a look at the entire door itself. If you have an older door, chances are either the metal, wood, or both may have started to wear down and develop holes and/or cracks, both of which can create much larger issues. If you notice anything like this, this is a sign that you will need to replace the entire door.
When you take the time to fully inspect both the interior and exterior of your garage, you will be able to take all of the necessary steps to protect both yourself and your family from any flood damage that could prove to be costly.