Mcdonough, GA on Nov 30, 2011

When it rains even slightly I have water running into my garage and under the door.

The previous owner tried to caulk the wood molding at the bottom but that gave away a long time ago. This has now gotten to the point that the sheetrock inside the garage on this wall is becoming damaged and needs replacing. I tried making little cuts in the concrete here to divert the water away and it works if there is just a sprinkle anything more and I get what you see in the pictures.

Does anyone know of something I could do or use to block the water from coming in? I have thought of using thin brick pavers or some other sort of "hump" but im not really sure whats the best route. Id rather only have to do it once than to keep coming back and trying everything under the sun.

Any suggestions?

38 Comments Displaying 25 of 38 comments | See Previous

CR Draves . com Fremont, CA

Hard to stop the wind or water unless your re slope the concrete. Best bet would be to waterproof the dry wall with "Backer board". You do this by tearing out the bottom part of the old gyp board and add the new backer board. That way when water comes in it won't ruin the new waterproof board. When you expose the wood, waterproof it as well. This would be the cheapo fix!
C.R. Draves

on Dec 01, 2011 · Like 0
Charles R Longwood, FL

I have seen this before. You do not have a proper drain and proper drainage angle. Your Driveway is not pitched AWAY properly. A General Contractor can install a ( garage door length) Drain in front of the Garage Door. It will percolate down, properly, and drain away into a field.

on Dec 01, 2011 · Like 0
Itsreally C Marietta, GA

that ' drain ' is called a slot drain & both apron/vest stores carry 4" in stock,,, anyone can install it - its a diy project if you have any common sense, can read, & follow the directions :-)

on Dec 01, 2011 · Like 2
Seth F Mcdonough, GA

I found this on Amazon in case anyone comes across this and wonders how i fixed this issue...
http://amzn.com/B00008YGQS

on Mar 06, 2012 · Like 0
Peace Painting Co., Inc. Alpharetta, GA

That's great Seth, simple and effective.

on Mar 06, 2012 · Like 0
Southern Trillium LLC Stone Mountain, GA

Thanks for sharing, Seth. Just curious, is the water now pooling outside of the door, but at least not coming into the garage?

on Mar 06, 2012 · Like 0
Seth F Mcdonough, GA

It does a little bit but the grooves I cut in the concrete carry it away and then slope takes over and pulls it away.

on Mar 06, 2012 · Like 0
Southern Trillium LLC Stone Mountain, GA

Sounds like a great solution. Nicely done.

on Mar 06, 2012 · Like 0
Its Really Concrete, Inc. Marietta, GA

much cheaper than the slot drain but if it works better than nothing, good for you ! you probably could have sawed rain grooves into the conc w/o adding the gasket, too

on Mar 08, 2012 · Like 0
Cher D Elyria, OH

Do have a gutter on the house to pull the water away..

on May 12, 2012 · Like 0
Gordon F Mcdonough, GA

Cher, it's hard to see, but he does have a downspout coming off the gutter to divert the water away. it's on the picture on the left side.

on May 14, 2012 · Like 1
AquaGuard Foundation Solu... Marietta, GA

Seth, A Trench drain might be a good option to prevent this water coming into your garage.
http://www.aquaguard.net/core/images/waterpr...

on May 16, 2012 · Like 0
Its Really Concrete, Inc. Marietta, GA

trench drain, slot drain - a rose is still a rose,,, the drain shown is avail at your local apron/vest store but i wouldn't use it if i were driving our cars over it

on May 17, 2012 · Like 0
Therese C Greenfield, IA

what about placing a 2-3 inch high rubber splatter guard across the bottom of the door that meets the driveway flush when it closes?

on May 26, 2012 · Like 1
Its Really Concrete, Inc. Marietta, GA

other than it might scrunch up when the door closes ?? how would you keep the proper tension/force on the ' guard ' to prevent wtr infiltration ?

on May 27, 2012 · Like 1
Therese C Greenfield, IA

The ones we have used have a steel rod top and bottom that keep it down and in place.

on May 29, 2012 · Like 0
Its Really Concrete, Inc. Marietta, GA

have a source or product name ? tnx in adv

on May 29, 2012 · Like 0
Therese C Greenfield, IA

I have a product for you that is slightly cheaper than what we used and just as good. Go to BRUSHWeatherseal.com ..these are flexible non-cracking Santropene rubber that seal the bottom of the door and are easy to install. The cost depending on size are form $48.40- $51.50 plus shipping and handling. Products numbers are as follows (so you do not have to run all over the site) 8' door.H5001 9' door: H5003 & 10' door: H5002 Hope this helps you!

on May 30, 2012 · Like 0
Therese C Greenfield, IA

* these products do NOT have the steel rods but are guaranteed NOT to crack, smoosh up, etc..

on May 30, 2012 · Like 0
Its Really Concrete, Inc. Marietta, GA

the car garage door's 18' wide - will i find the steel thingies there, too ? tnx again

on May 31, 2012 · Like 0
Therese C Greenfield, IA

They go much larger on their sizes than what I listed for you. The prices I showed was just to give you an Idea. Look for the door seals that have a tube like bottom..you can add your own steel rods inside the tubes if necessary.

on May 31, 2012 · Like 0
Therese C Greenfield, IA

Try www.EliteExpressions.com and look for the the ones called "T-Bulbs" in custom lengths. The have the tube style bottom you can fit with a steel rod..good luck!

on May 31, 2012 · Like 0
Sharron W Memphis, TN

The problem is most likely not the door but the "grade" of the driveway, or the "grade" of the yard next to the driveway. But determining the problem may take a few questions and potentially some more pictures. I inderstand wanting to Do it once, do it right! So a question, did you have the driveway repoured or do you know if it was repoured when this problem began? If the driveway was repoured, or asphalted about the same time the problems started, then it is likely not done in a manner ...»
that gradually slopes away from the garage to ensure adaquate drainage. What about the gutters? Do you have gutters over the door in that area? Are they leaking over the top? Have you cleaned and/or checked for a blocked downspout? can you take pictures of the outside of the door with it closed, and maybe one of the driveway/porch whatever is outside the corner where the water comes in...

on Sep 13, 2012 · Like 0
Sharron W Memphis, TN

Ok, I just looked at the photo of the door closed, sorry....I had to save and rotate it before I could make sense of it...LOL.... So yeah it looks like the grade of your driveway is directly downhill towards your garage, and when it was poured the grade should Also have been sloped away from the garage door.... Just as important as the sheetrock inside the garage, is the framing outside the garage, and it is obviously rotting away and will be an open invitation to termites eventually if ...»
not addressed; and of course that's in addition to the actual structural issues you'll eventually have with the door if the situation isn't resolved. The Blue Dot on the picture below, represents your downspout, if you look at how the drive "should" have been graded and then secondly how it should have been pitched away from the garage door and apparently wasn't; now look at the location of the downspout, where is the water going to run? The path of least resistence and gravity it has no choice. If you want to test the pitch, take a level outside the garage door and perpendicular to the door, when placed touching the door, which way is it pitched? As you take the level further from the garage door, which way is it pitched? anyway...I hope this was some help to you because you are going to need to really resolve the problem before you start sheetrocking and door seals.....
on Sep 13, 2012 · Like 0
Its Really Concrete, Inc. Marietta, GA

here's what we just did for a condo assoc - your solution's probably still a properly installed slot drain but the abovegrade curb ( rainwater diverter ) is a less expensive alternate
on Sep 14, 2012 · Like 0

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When it rains even slightly I have water running into my garage and under the door.

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