Garage door bottom seal replacement (Dallas: how much, Home Depot, cost)

[nitynity]

I recently noticed my garage door seal is short and I am getting unwanted guests inside lately(garden snakes). Not sure what brand my door is, it's standard 16' long but for some reason the seal doesn't extend all the way. Seems like it's a p bulb? The track has only one groove to slide in the seal.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by nitynity

I recently noticed my garage door seal is short and I am getting unwanted guests inside lately(garden snakes). Not sure what brand my door is, it's standard 16' long but for some reason the seal doesn't extend all the way. Seems like it's a p bulb? The track has only one groove to slide in the seal.

Time to replace it obviously. Take the last little piece off and head down to Home Depot or Lowes and see if they offer your size and style. If not you can Google garage door seals and find one of many garage door parts places online. You can go to one of the local overhead door places but expect to pay a lot more than just ordering it.


Door seals are fairly standard items and easy to install.

[Bp25]

It should be straightforward unless you have a situation like I had where the previous installer pinched the ends of the channel so that the seal rubber does not slide out. That was a pain to straighten and slide that thing out.
And there are different sized T for the end where it goes into the channel. I had to order online.

[hbdwihdh378y9]

We have a garage door manufacturer right here in the City of Dallas. In fact, they installed a new garage door for me just this morning. I recommend Hollywood Overhead Door highly.

Residential / Commercial Garage Door Installation and Repair

[nitynity]

Thanks for the response guys. I did order online, the local quotes were insanely high for a simple installation of a garage door bottom seal. ($180, $280 and the third guy wont even quote over phone)

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by nitynity

Thanks for the response guys. I did order online, the local quotes were insanely high for a simple installation of a garage door bottom seal. ($180, $280 and the third guy wont even quote over phone)

Please post how your installation goes. Mine looks just like yours, except that it hasn't shrunk nearly as much as yours. Mine's only an inch or so from the end. My installer crimped the ends too after stretching the seal so it apparently has come loose. I'm not sure I could repeat his procedure.

My door has a two torsion springs at the top center, and they have broken on occasion. The last time was maybe 5-6 years ago, and getting those replaced was less than the quotes you got on the seal.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by nitynity

Thanks for the response guys. I did order online, the local quotes were insanely high for a simple installation of a garage door bottom seal. ($180, $280 and the third guy wont even quote over phone)

Good deal! The seal is fairly easy to replace. Here are some helpful steps after you make sure the seal received is the right one for your door.

1. When removing the old seal you may have a little difficulty. Just grip it with a pair of pliers and pull it down the track. You can spray it with a little WD40 at the two side tracks to help. Or you can just slice it down its length with a razor knife. That way you're only pulling on one side (one track) at a time.
2. Once removed use a stiff bristle brush (not a metallic one as it can scratch racks) and with a little soap and water clean out the tracks and bottom surfaces. Make sure you get all of the debris out of the tracks. Wipe it down and dry it good.
3. Double check the tracks to make sure there are no nicks, splits, or damage that can catch the seal and either block its movement or tear it. Also check the tracks to make sure no debris is still in them. Also check for corrosion (rust) on the tracks and any hardware holding the track to the door bottom edge. Best to handle that issue now instead of letting it cause issues later.
4. Once you insert it in the end it may be a bit difficult to pull down the length of the tracks. It can be easy to tear if you try putting to much force when you grip it with the pliers to pull. Use a little WD40 in the tracks. You don't need to spray to where it is dripping off but enough to lubricate it.
5. Carefully grip the end with the pliers and pull it along the track. It can help a great deal if you have a second pair of hands feeding it in the track as you move along the door pulling it.
6. If you have the length leave about 3" - 4" past the track on either end. You can fold the excess and insert it into the bulb a few inches. That will help protect the ends and prevent them from splitting and tearing later adding some more life to the seal. It also helps seal the ends so insects don't enter and nest.

They really are very easy to replace and once your done you can sit back and gloat on how much you saved doing it yourself!

[nitynity]

UPDATE:
The project turned out to be a disaster.


I easily pulled out the old seal and was real excited to install the new one. Started sliding in the new seal through the track. It went inside maybe a foot or two before it got stuck and won't move anymore. Tried pulling it out and started over, hit the same issue. Turned out the track wasn't evenly wide enough through out the length.



I did watch some Youtube videos showing how to install seal in under 5 minutes. It states to remove the track from the door bottom, lay down on the floor and slide the seal through. Wanted to give it a try. BIG MISTAKE. My Windsor garage door track was inbuilt(I was unaware at the moment) with the door bottom. I couldn't find any screws to remove the track. Ended up removing the screws on the end on a metal clamp(which I though would do the trick) that held the roller in place. There drops the roller onto the floor and my garage door now tilted on one side and the string holding the door in place got derailed from the pulley on top. A simple fix turned out to be a professional repair now.


It was a Sunday afternoon, ended up getting a quote for $39 service visit and go from there. Paid $280 to fix it. The tech told me they don't do seal install but only major repairs and minimum charge is $280. The guy who answered the phone got it wrong according to him. He ended up using screw driver and pliers to squeeze in the seal in between the groove. Took some elbow grease on both of our part to get the job done. Definitely a two person job in my case. Retuned the door back in place.



But he turned down the motor power way low (for whatever reason) from max power to 2 or 3 to save the motor life according to him. This morning, the door won't open neither close because of the cold weather. Called up the store and they want another $60 for warrant services appointment.



Luckily I had the tech phone number, called him directly and he advised to turn up the power which fixed the issue.



So all in all it cost me $280 plus $60(seal) for a supposed to be simple install which I screwed up.
Not messing with garage doors anymore.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by nitynity

UPDATE:
The project turned out to be a disaster.


I easily pulled out the old seal and was real excited to install the new one. Started sliding in the new seal through the track. It went inside maybe a foot or two before it got stuck and won't move anymore. Tried pulling it out and started over, hit the same issue. Turned out the track wasn't evenly wide enough through out the length.



I did watch some Youtube videos showing how to install seal in under 5 minutes. It states to remove the track from the door bottom, lay down on the floor and slide the seal through. Wanted to give it a try. BIG MISTAKE. My Windsor garage door track was inbuilt(I was unaware at the moment) with the door bottom. I couldn't find any screws to remove the track. Ended up removing the screws on the end on a metal clamp(which I though would do the trick) that held the roller in place. There drops the roller onto the floor and my garage door now tilted on one side and the string holding the door in place got derailed from the pulley on top. A simple fix turned out to be a professional repair now.


It was a Sunday afternoon, ended up getting a quote for $39 service visit and go from there. Paid $280 to fix it. The tech told me they don't do seal install but only major repairs and minimum charge is $280. The guy who answered the phone got it wrong according to him. He ended up using screw driver and pliers to squeeze in the seal in between the groove. Took some elbow grease on both of our part to get the job done. Definitely a two person job in my case. Retuned the door back in place.



But he turned down the motor power way low (for whatever reason) from max power to 2 or 3 to save the motor life according to him. This morning, the door won't open neither close because of the cold weather. Called up the store and they want another $60 for warrant services appointment.



Luckily I had the tech phone number, called him directly and he advised to turn up the power which fixed the issue.



So all in all it cost me $280 plus $60(seal) for a supposed to be simple install which I screwed up.
Not messing with garage doors anymore.

Bummer! I've replaced plenty of seals and never had an issue. Suppose with door seals I am lucky not to have major issues.