2026-03-24 6 min read
There's a gap between your garage door and the outside world that most homeowners in Klickitat never think about. until January rolls around and the cold air is pouring in, or they notice puddles forming along the garage floor after a rain. That gap is supposed to be sealed by weatherstripping, and in this part of Washington, it takes a beating.
Klickitat averages around 31 inches of snow annually, with winter lows regularly dropping into the upper 20s. Add the damp, windy conditions that come with living near the Columbia River Gorge corridor, and you have a climate that degrades rubber seals faster than you'd expect. This guide covers what to look for, what the different types of seals do, and how to know when it's time to replace rather than patch.
Most people think of weatherstripping as a comfort issue. keeping the garage warmer in winter. That's part of it, but it's not the whole picture. Here's what failing seals actually cost you:
- Energy loss: If your garage is attached to the house. common in Klickitat and White Salmon homes. cold air infiltration through a bad seal raises your heating bills. A well-sealed garage door can make a real difference, especially on sub-freezing nights. - Water damage: A compromised bottom seal lets rain, snowmelt, and ice water seep onto the garage floor and toward your foundation. - Pest entry: Mice and other critters are very good at finding gaps. A flattened or torn bottom seal is an open invitation. - Frozen door seals: Water that pools under a damaged bottom seal freezes overnight and can lock the door to the concrete. damaging the seal further when the opener forces it open in the morning.
For more context on how energy efficiency connects to your garage door as a whole, the energy savings calculator post is a good place to start.
A garage door isn't sealed by just one piece of rubber. there are several distinct components, each doing a different job.
This is the rubber or vinyl strip attached to the bottom edge of the door. It compresses against the floor when the door closes, blocking wind, water, and pests. It also takes the most abuse. it's driven over, frozen to the concrete, baked by summer heat, and compressed thousands of times. In Klickitat's climate, expect to inspect it every fall and replace it every 3,5 years depending on use.
Look for: cracking, flattening, tears, or sections that no longer make full contact with the floor when the door is closed.
This is a separate piece that mounts to the garage floor itself rather than to the door. When used alongside a bottom door sweep, it creates a tighter seal, especially useful if your garage floor is uneven or sloped. Threshold seals are especially worth considering in Klickitat homes with older concrete slabs that have settled or cracked over time.
These are the strips running along the sides and top of the door frame. They seal the gap between the door and the door stop on three sides. Cold Gorge winds find these gaps quickly, and if you're feeling a draft at the top corners of your garage door, that's where to look first.
Sectional garage doors have horizontal seals between each panel. These flexible vinyl or rubber inserts prevent air from passing through the joints when the door is closed. They're often overlooked because they're not as visible, but they deteriorate over time and can be a significant source of heat loss and draft in older doors.
You don't need any special tools for this. just a flashlight and about 20 minutes on a day when you're not in a rush.
1. Close the door fully and stand inside the garage. On a bright day, look for light coming through around any edge of the door. Light means air and water can get through too. 2. Check the bottom seal by pressing on it in several spots along its length. It should feel firm and resilient. If it flattens easily and doesn't spring back, it's compressed and no longer sealing effectively. 3. Inspect the side seals for cracks, pulling away from the frame, or areas where the rubber has hardened and shrunk. 4. Feel for drafts along the top and sides on a windy day. The Gorge wind that moves through this area will tell you exactly where the gaps are.
If you're doing this inspection alongside a broader spring checkup, preparing your garage door for spring covers additional components worth looking at while you're already in there.
Bottom door sweeps are one of the more accessible DIY garage door repairs. The seal slides into a retainer track along the bottom of the door, and replacement seals are available at most hardware stores in standard widths. The key is getting the right profile. T-style, bulb, or beaded. to match your existing retainer. Measure the width of your door and take a photo of the existing seal before buying a replacement.
Side and top seals are also manageable DIY work if you're comfortable on a ladder and have basic tools.
Where to call a professional:
- If the retainer track itself is bent, rusted, or pulling away from the door, If you have panel-to-panel seal issues that require disassembly, If the threshold needs to be bonded to an uneven floor, If the door itself no longer sits level in the frame, which means the real problem is track alignment or spring balance, not the seal
Klickitat Garage Doors can assess whether a weatherstripping issue is truly just about the seals, or whether something else in the system needs attention first. Browse our services or get in touch through the contact page.
The condition of your weatherstripping is closely tied to how well the rest of your door system is functioning. A door that's out of balance, running on worn rollers, or sitting unevenly in the frame will chew through seals much faster than it should. The bottom seal on one side may compress while the other side barely touches the floor. not because the seal is the problem, but because the door isn't level.
If you're replacing your bottom seal for the second time in two years, that's worth mentioning to a technician. It usually means something else needs looking at.
If the seal itself is cracked, torn, compressed, or missing sections, replacement is straightforward and inexpensive. The door itself only needs replacement if the panels are significantly damaged, rusted through, or structurally compromised. A worn seal on an otherwise functional door is a normal maintenance item. not a reason to replace the entire door.
For the cold temperatures and moisture here, look for EPDM rubber or vinyl seals rated for temperature fluctuations. EPDM holds up well in freeze-thaw conditions and resists cracking better than cheaper PVC alternatives. Avoid foam tape weatherstripping for garage doors. it compresses permanently within one season and doesn't provide adequate sealing.
Yes. When the bottom seal is cracked or worn, water can pool underneath it overnight. If temperatures drop below freezing, that water turns to ice and bonds the seal to the concrete floor. Forcing the door open in this condition can tear the seal or break a spring. The fix is to gently melt the ice first. and then address the underlying seal condition so it doesn't happen again.