Weather sealing
A garage door seals against weather it was never really designed for here. Treasure Valley wind drives dust under the bottom edge and into the tracks, winter cold snakes through shrunken stripping, and a garage that faces west loses its seals to summer sun years early. Daylight under a closed door is the whole diagnosis.
Where does the seal fail?
- The bottom seal takes the worst of it: pressed against concrete, cooked by sun, and chewed up by freeze-thaw cycles until it cracks or tears.
- Perimeter stripping along the sides and header hardens and shrinks, which is how wind and dust get past a closed door.
- The concrete itself is often the real gap: settled or spalled floors leave an uneven edge no seal can conform to, and the fix is a threshold seal or a taller bottom bulb.
What does a reseal cover?
Pull the old seal out of its retainer, fit the right bulb shape for the floor, replace the perimeter stripping, and check the gaps with the door closed at noon, which is when the light shows everything. It is an hour's work in most cases and the cheapest comfort upgrade on the house.
When is a seal not the fix?
If the door rattles in wind, check the hinges and track first; a loose door leaks air no matter how fresh the rubber is. If water runs under the door in storms, the driveway slope matters more than the seal, and that is a different conversation the callback can sort out.
Why does it matter more in Boise than elsewhere?
Because the garage is part of the house envelope here. A sealed garage stays warmer in January, keeps the wind-driven dust off the car and the storage shelves, and takes some load off whatever room sits above it. Builders underseal doors; this is the correction.