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How to Replace a Garage Door Weatherstrip – The garage door is a heavy piece of metal attached to an assembly of springs and cables.
It is so massive that accidentally lowering it too fast can cause serious damage to your door and the ground underneath it.
The weather strip is a rubber seal that prevents this. It is lined along the metal to protect the bottom of your garage door.
Through time, the constant opening and closing of your garage door can cause wear and tear to this weatherstrip.
It can gradually rip, exposing the metal, and also leaving your garage open to dirt and rainwater from the outdoors.
These steps below will show you how to replace your garage door weatherstrip
1. First, check what kind of weather strip you have on your garage door.
Other seals are T-style or astragal seals, which form a U-shape when bent and slid inside the plastic track.
It has perpendicular T-shaped ends that allow you to secure the strip into the track.
They act as stoppers that prevent the strip from falling off.
2. Determine the length of the door
and choose the appropriate weatherstrip for your door.
Make sure that the length is 6 inches more than your door’s length.
3. For automatic garage doors
place your door to manual by deactivating the garage door opener. Turn off its power source.
Unhook the door from the cable connecting it to the opener.
4. Lift the door
and make sure it is stable before you replace the weatherstrip. Vice-grip pliers can be used on each side of the track to hold the door in place.
Secure the bottom of the door to the height before the track curves on the side of your door.
5. Get a screwdriver
and release the old weatherstrip attached to the tracks. You can easily pull off the rubber after, or slide it out of the tracks.
Peel off any excess strips. If it is stuck, use a silicon-based lubricant or a soap-water mixture to slide it out.
6. Check if the track is straightened out
If it is bent too hard, call a garage door repair specialist to address the issue.
Because the garage door is very heavy, it is hazardous to fix tracks by yourself and risk it crashing down.
7. Clean out the bottom of your door
especially the two tracks where the weatherstrip is to be secured.
With a lubricant spray, recoat the inner parts of the tracks to make the replacement easier.
8. Hold the new weatherstrip
pinch an end of the weather strip and attach each rubber flange to a track. Slide the strip in carefully.
You can ask for another person to hold the remaining weatherstrip to the level of the bottom door to avoid the strip from sagging.
9. Continue feeding the new strip on the tracks
Once you are done, there should be an excess of 3 inches in each side of the door.
Fold the seal towards itself and cut away the excess, making sure that its ends are aligned to the side of the door.
10. Repeat the last step for the other end of the garage door
then reapply any screws you detached.
11. Making sure the door doesn’t fall down quickly
remove your vice-grip pliers. Reattach the rope that connects your door to the opener.
Turn on the power source of your opener and reactivate it.
12. Open and close your garage door using the opener
Check if the weather strip doesn’t fall, and if it creates a vacuum seal for your garage.
Upon inspection and these check out, then you have successfully replaced your garage door’s weatherstrip.
These steps can sound daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will see how easy it is to restore your garage door weatherstrip.
Just prepare the tools you need and follow these instructions to return your garage door to its best working condition!
Contact Us
For residents of Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Woodbridge, we at A1 garage door repairs are available for any of your garage door repair needs.
Our specialists are trained and ready to handle any garage door repair jobs you need.
Just contact us and we can provide you with the best quality service you can trust.
