Some DIY garage door projects are easy to take on; others aren’t. A lot of this has to do with your confidence in performing the repair. Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Phoenix, Arizona has a step-by-step guide to change the bottom weather stripping on your garage door. Read through and determine if it’s a project you can do.
Assess the Damage
Regular inspection of your overhead garage door is always a good idea. Be sure to include your weather stripping with all inspections. You’ll likely know when it’s time to change the bottom weather stripping on your garage door. If it’s been torn or split on accident, chewed up by animals, or dry rotted, you need to replace it.
You’ll also need to determine the extent of the damage. You’ve already noted damage to the rubber u-shaped seal. Check beyond that and see if the actual aluminum retainer is damaged. If it’s intact, there a few steps you can skip below.
Seals
With any project, you’re best to gather all your equipment and parts before starting so you don’t have to keep stopping to get tools as you need them. So, assemble the following:
- Eye protection
- New bottom seal
- Screws to install retainer, if needed
- Drill
- Vice-grips
- Utility knife
- Silicone-based lubricant
- A friend
The new bottom seal can be purchased at any garage door retailer. Be sure you bring the old one being replaced to the retailer to insure you get the right type.
Removal of the old seal
If you have an automatic opener, use it to raise the door to a height that makes it easy to work on. If yours is manual, raise it up to the proper height and use a vice grip on the vertical rail to hold it in place. Place one on each track, for safety.
Slide the old bottom seal out of the retainer. If you’re having a hard time with it, apply some of the lubricant to get it moving easier. If you are replacing the retainer, unscrew it to remove it from the bottom.
Installation of the new seal
If applicable, screw the new retainer into place. Here’s where you going to that friend. One of you will grip one end of the seal with vice grips and pull it through the retainer slots. The other will guide the seal into the retainer, making sure that it doesn’t snag or tear on the edges.
If this process sounds like something you can tackle yourself, jump right in! If however, you feel that it’s not that easy to change the bottom weather stripping of your garage door, it’s time to call in some back-up. Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Phoenix, AZ has the help you need! Give us a call right away and we can get you back on track. While we’re there, we can also perform our $29 lube-n-tune with safety inspection to see if there’s any other areas that need work. We’re standing by ready to help, call today!
