You count on your garage door to protect the things stored inside. You expect it to stop all of the rain from flowing in and making it impossible to store things safely. If your garage isn't staying dry during those heavy rains, there are some things that you can do.

Is there weather stripping on the door?

Go to your garage door and open it up. Look at the bottom of the door – the part that presses up against the floor of the garage when it closes. You should see a rubber strip that extends across the entire width of the door. This seal should be somewhat pliable – you should be able to press on it and have it kind of flatten out. You see, when the door closes, this seal is supposed to create a water-tight seal at the door's opening. If the seal has become brittle or is damaged, the water will continue to flow into the garage.

Weather stripping is actually pretty easy to replace if you have any DIY skills at all. Replacement requires only some hand tools and good measuring skills. If the strip isn't long enough, water will flow in around the edges. If it's too long, the door won't open and close smoothly.

Is there a slope leading to the garage?

Does your driveway slope downward leading to the garage? If so, the weather stripping might have a difficult time stopping all of the water flowing into it. You can install a rubber threshold just before the opening of the garage door. This threshold will catch the water and direct it away from the garage.

To install the threshold, you will need to insert small bolts into the concrete surface. This will require a drill and some DIY skills. When the threshold is installed, it should have a slight angle to it so that it forces the water towards the sides of the garage door.

Is your garage door in good shape?

If you have a threshold and the weather stripping is in good shape, the problem could be with the garage door itself. If the heavy rains are beating against the garage door, it should be able to prevent the water from penetrating through. If the garage door is damaged or has aged too much, the water may be able to slip through the cracks and seams.

You shouldn't have to deal with a wet garage. Talk with your local garage door repair expert to learn more about what could be causing the problem and what it'll take to fix it.