The last few rains has blown water under the garage door into my shop. Need some ideas on how to stop that. Already tried the rubber threshold. Does not work. I was talking to a guy at home depot and he built a ridge out of concrete that the door sits on and stops water from getting under the door. He says he drilled holes in his floor and I think he said 3/16" and ran some 1x's down the floor the length of the door and poured concrete between the boards. My idea is somewhat like that but I thought I would lay some chicken wire the kind with the little squares and maybe tie it somehow to rebar with drilled holes for it to hold to. My question is can you just drill holes in the concrete and expect it to hold to the floor just by grabbing the holes? If so what size of hole? I don't want it to look like swiss cheese in case something happens that it don't hold. The other idea is to use a trex board screwed down to the floor. Can you tell me what you did and if it worked. I really hate to hire a contractor for such a small job.
idea to keep rain fron getting under garage door
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charlz
Elite Member
Well, I was thinking may some of that rubber/plastic speed bump material and put sealant along the edges... but per this site the stuff is almost $14/foot! 
Rubber Speed Bumps|12-Ft. Recycled Plastic Speed Bump.
Rubber Speed Bumps|12-Ft. Recycled Plastic Speed Bump.
ampsucker
Platinum Member
couple of questions:
why is the water getting so close to the door? do you have drainage issues in front of the door or no overhang? i would address those concerns first if they apply.
if you have a poor slope either in the garage or behind there may not be much you can do about that except keep water from pooling outside. i have built many a drain tile in front of buildings to divert water away from the doors.
if you still decide you need a hump, i would recommend using a latex bonding additive to your concrete to help it adhere to the floor. then, as you mentioned, so way to anchor it to the floor would help. it's not rocket science. just use some metal to give it support so when it cracks as you drive over it and the freeze/thaw cycles take their toll, it won't come loose in chunks. you can also caulk or fill any cracks as they develop.
amp
why is the water getting so close to the door? do you have drainage issues in front of the door or no overhang? i would address those concerns first if they apply.
if you have a poor slope either in the garage or behind there may not be much you can do about that except keep water from pooling outside. i have built many a drain tile in front of buildings to divert water away from the doors.
if you still decide you need a hump, i would recommend using a latex bonding additive to your concrete to help it adhere to the floor. then, as you mentioned, so way to anchor it to the floor would help. it's not rocket science. just use some metal to give it support so when it cracks as you drive over it and the freeze/thaw cycles take their toll, it won't come loose in chunks. you can also caulk or fill any cracks as they develop.
amp
radioman
Super Member
ampsucker- Where my garage door is located, its facing the south and it catches the northeastern winds easily so water gets blown in from high wind area. I suspect the OP has the similar issue, not drainage or roof runoff issues. I just learned not to leave anything in the path of that that can be damaged.
jayste
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Another less expensive and less labor intensive idea is to run an old garden hose through the bottom seal to give it some cushion if it is not sealing very well. This works pretty good if you have the kind of seal that is basically "hollow". Just run it through there and leave it a little long so you can attach it at each end.
Jay
Jay
rus_geek
Gold Member
Instead of concrete, you can add a rubber/plastic ridge to work with the garage door seal. Do a Google images search for garage door seal and you'll come up with a ton of examples. "Weather stop floor seal" looks promising.
I haven't tried any of these solutions, but I have a really good seal on the bottom of my garage doors, and my garage floor is tilted towards the doors.
Would you get a good enough seal if your doors provided more down-pressure on the bottom seal? If you have openers, they can be adjusted to provide a little more pressure on the seal. If you don't have openers, you could weaken the springs a little bit to let more of the door weight sit on the seal.
-rus-
I haven't tried any of these solutions, but I have a really good seal on the bottom of my garage doors, and my garage floor is tilted towards the doors.
Would you get a good enough seal if your doors provided more down-pressure on the bottom seal? If you have openers, they can be adjusted to provide a little more pressure on the seal. If you don't have openers, you could weaken the springs a little bit to let more of the door weight sit on the seal.
-rus-
Brad_Blazer
Veteran Member
My seal is not very good but I have a 1.5" drop from about 4" inside the door to the edge of the slab, about 12" total. I hand formed it when I poured (why I don't otherwise get a good seal ) I don't get any water under the door. Maybe a groove cut parallel to the outside edge of the door with a few slots running to the edge would work. Might require periodic cleaning.
Per your anchoring question, you can get special anchoring cement for fixing anchors into drilled holes. Some you mix like concrete. The best is a sand-filled 2-part epoxy. I have used the Sika Anchorfix brand with very good results. It was $18 at Home Depot for a tube that fits in a standard caulking gun. Comes with 2 static mixer tips.
Brad
) I don't get any water under the door. Maybe a groove cut parallel to the outside edge of the door with a few slots running to the edge would work. Might require periodic cleaning.Per your anchoring question, you can get special anchoring cement for fixing anchors into drilled holes. Some you mix like concrete. The best is a sand-filled 2-part epoxy. I have used the Sika Anchorfix brand with very good results. It was $18 at Home Depot for a tube that fits in a standard caulking gun. Comes with 2 static mixer tips.
Brad
I have the same problem and I plan to use a concrete saw to cut a shallow "slot" just inside the door and have it extend "out" on either side so that they drain any water that gets under the door.
This to me seemed like the only way to "trap" the water that inevitably gets under the door when it starts raining sideways. In a perfect world, the concrete where the door hits the floor is about 2" below the rest of the garage floor.
This to me seemed like the only way to "trap" the water that inevitably gets under the door when it starts raining sideways. In a perfect world, the concrete where the door hits the floor is about 2" below the rest of the garage floor.
Stumppuller
New member
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I'm building a new garage and expect that i'll be facing a similar problem. One solution I might consider is to attach a 3/4" diameter, thin-walled plastic tubing to the bottom of the door which can be inflated with low pressure (1-2 psi) air automatically when the door is closed.
I'll try to think of something more complicated in the meantime.
I'll try to think of something more complicated in the meantime.
Stumppuller
New member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2008
- Messages
- 17
I'm building a new garage and expect that i'll be facing a similar problem. One solution I might consider is to attach a 3/4" diameter, thin-walled plastic tubing to the bottom of the door which can be inflated with low pressure (1-2 psi) air automatically when the door is closed.
I'll try to think of something more complicated in the meantime.
I'll try to think of something more complicated in the meantime.