Tips to Preventing a Flooded Garage

Flooding can be a nightmare for your property, but did you know that your garage is one of the most vulnerable aspects of your home to incur flood damage? There are several ways that flooding can occur in the garage, causing damage that'll need costly repairs.



In order to ensure that your garage is prepared to fend off a flood, we must consider any and all sources of water that can enter your garage.

Causes of a Flooded Garage

Listed below are the culprits that may very well cause a flooded garage.

Sewage

A sewage pipe can burst due to a number of causes - clogging, pressure or damage from above, just to give a few examples. Sewage leaks can happen from underneath the garage and seap up, or in the yard adjacent to the garage.

Fresh Water Pipes

Sewage lines aren't the only pipes lying under the ground. Aside from sewage, yards will inevitably have fresh water pipes that supply water to the house. These pipes can also burst, forcing water up into the garage from the ground below, or into the side of the garage from the sides.

Weather-Related Water

Weather related water can be tricky, because it can hit from all angles. Excess precipitation can cause garage flooding for a number of reasons - nearby streams, lakes,  water sources, or uneven ground can contribute to flooding. Rain water can come in your garage from above, below, or into the side, so your garage must be prepared from all angles.

Ways to Fix and Prevent a Flooded Garage

Now that we have an understanding of how water gets into the garage, let’s take a look at some helpful tips to prevent garage flooding from happening.

Gutters

Gutters are designed to properly dispose of any precipitation that lands on the roof. Clogged or broken gutters can lead to improper directing of rain or melted snow. Make sure that your gutters are clean and in working order at all times so that precipitation won’t leak onto the ground and head toward the garage foundation.

Weatherstripping

Installing or replacing the weatherstripping on the bottom of the garage door is crucial to flood damage prevention. As the garage door is constantly being opened and closed, the bottom is an obvious threat to flooding. To prevent this, make sure to adhere the proper weatherstripping material to the bottom of the garage door. If you already have a weatherstripping on the garage door, your work may not be over - weatherstripping must be routinely checked to ensure that it hasn't worn out and started gapping from the floor.

Waterproof Veneer

Waterproof veneer must be applied to the side walls of the garage frame. Aside from the garage door, the side walls are the next most obvious threat. Waterproof veneer will create a seal to ensure that there are no cracks for any water to seep in from the outside.

Foundation Inspection

As we talked about above, two main causes of flooding in the garage happen from below. Have your foundation inspected regularly for and cracks or damage that may cause a sewage line or fresh water pipe to burst. (check out our article on fixing cracked garage floors). Maintaining a strong foundation is a critical link to ensuring floods don’t happen in your garage.

Drains

Be sure to install adequate flood drainage. Depending on the way the land around your garage slopes, drains may need to be installed outside of the garage to give the water an alternate path away from the garage. When the water hits these drains, it's directed down, rather than straight into the garage.

Flood Vents

The ultimate goal is for water not to get into the garage at all - but if it does, you need a way to get it out. Flood drains ensure that any water that makes its way into the garage doesn't stay there for long.

Sandbags

Another last-defense flood barrier for your garage is creating a barrier with sandbags. Sandbags can be lined in specific formations to direct water toward a proper exit point. They can also be stacked to created a temporary dam, blocking off water from the garage.

Professionally Landscape Your Yard

Going along with the drains, have a landscaper assess your yard to ensure that your garage isn't the target of flooding for the property. Landscapers can smooth down uneven ground to make sure that any rain water from flooding won’t be directed toward the garage.

Talk to a Professional

Above are several steps that can be taken to prevent your garage from flooding. At the end of the day, a professional’s eyes are invaluable to making certain that your garage is safe from flooding. Be sure to book an appointment to have your garage professionally evaluated, spot any weak spots you may have missed and give recommendations for protecting your garage. Garage flooding is no picnic - but with the proper preparation, your garage will be clean and dry during any storm or break (check out our article on how to keep garage dry). Sometimes, a garage can be flooded beyond repair. In such a case, you can count on Danley's to build your new garage from the ground up with a solid foundation and construction to help it last through any weather that Chicago throws its way. We've built over 100,000 garages and would love to help you with your new garage project. Get a free quote now and see why so many homeowners trust Danley's.