5 Critical DIY Tips to Protect Your Garage from Flooding and Flood Damage

Excess water can damage the structure of your garage, including the foundation, walls, and floor. Furthermore, water can damage the valuable possessions that you store in your garage.   Besides the immediate harm that water causes to walls and stored items when it floods your garage, there are lingering effects as well. Floodwater that is left unattended can lead to the growth of mold and other microbial organisms that destroy your belongings and create health problems.   Garage flooding is a serious issue that you must fix as soon as possible to protect your home, possessions, and well-being. There are five easy steps to securing your garage from future harm when thunderstorms roll through or when snow piles up and melts quickly.   1) Use Flood Barriers and Sandbags to Protect Your Garage from Flooding   If you are looking for a quick fix because storms are heading your way, you can use sandbags and other flood barriers. This is not a permanent solution to ongoing flooding troubles, but it can help you while you work on a long-term solution.   Sandbags redirect water away from your garage towards the street, storm drains, and roadside gutters and drainage ditches. Flood barriers like sandbags do not provide a seal for you garage, but they usher away enough water to reduce garage flooding when experiencing a massive downpour.   2) Install Adequate Drainage to Protect Your Garage from Flooding   Street drains and gutters sometimes overflow during flood conditions, and the excess water can collect in your yard and driveway, and eventually land in your garage. When your drains and gutters cannot keep up with storm conditions and regularly create a swamp in your garage, you will need to install a trench drain, sometimes called a "French drain," in front of your garage or along your driveway to channel water away from your home.   3) Fix Your Foundation's Cracks to Protect Your Garage from Flooding   If you are puzzled when your garage floods because you have no idea why water pools inside of it, it might be due to cracks or other damage to your foundation. Cracks are often very small, but they provide enough space for water to leak into your garage and create havoc. Furthermore, unless you fix these cracks quickly , they will grow bigger with each storm and cause more problems in the future. Inspect your entire foundation for cracks and seal them with vinyl concrete patches or waterproof paint.   4) Install Weatherstripping to Protect Your Garage from Flooding   If there are gaps between your garage door and the garage floor, water will flood your garage during a severe thunderstorm, or when accumulated snow melts to water. Install weatherstripping under the garage door to create a tight seal against the floor. This will only help with minor flooding, though, so you will need to fix the larger exterior issue, which is probably poor drainage, in order to solve your flooding problems completely.   5) Install Overhead Storage Racks to Protect Your Possessions from Water Damage   For many reasons, it is a good idea for you to install overhead storage racks in your garage. They keep your possession organized, give you more floor space to operate or park your cars, and they keep your belongings off the floor in order to prevent damage when unexpected flooding occurs.   You cannot always prepare for major downpours or snow accumulation that invades your home and floods your garage, but overhead storage racks keep your items safe from water damage and mold.   Use these five tips to keep your garage safe from harm and your possessions dry during any wet weather condition that is giving your problems.