Replacing Your Raynor Garage Door Seal

3" Gray 1/4" T-style Vinyl Seal

 Over the years the bottom garage door seal on your Raynor garage door can get stiff and no longer provide a good seal. Another problem that occurs (especially if you store bird seed in your garage) is that squirrels and chipmunks can chew holes in the seal. Most likely the animals go into the garage when the door is open. Since they can't just run out after you close the garage door they look
for the path of least resistance which just happens to be the bottom seal on the garage door.

The good thing about Raynor garage doors is that it is fairly easy to replace the bottom seal. Unlike some door manufacturers where they crimp the seal into the bottom of the section and make it next to impossible to replace Raynor uses an aluminum retainer on the bottom section to hold the seal. The bottom seal has two 1/4" T's that slide into the retainer which forms a "U" shape of the bottom seal.

3" Black 1/4" T-style Rubber Seal

The best time to replace the bottom seal on the garage door is during the warmer months of the year. Although there are times during the winter that the seal needs replaced. It can be a little more challenging but it still can be done.

Here are a few tips for replacing the bottom seal on your Raynor garage door:

• Open the garage door about 3/4 of the way. If you have an electric opener run the door open 3/4 of the way and press the wall button to stop it. If you don't have an opener then open the door 3/4 of the way and clamp a pair of vice grips on the track to keep the door from drifting closed.
• Measure your existing seal for replacement. Pull the end out of the retainer and measure the width of the seal. Raynor two main sizes they use is 3" wide and 4" wide.
• Measure the width of the garage door. You now know what width and length of seal you need.
• Pull the seal out from the retainer. If the bottom retainer has any dents in it then it may be a little difficult to pull out. Use a screwdriver and hammer to straighten any dents so the "T" on the seal can slide through.
• Use a sponge and soapy water to wipe down the aluminum retainer. This will remove any dirt and grime that may have built up. The water will also help in installing the new seal.
• Put the two "T"'s into the aluminum retainer and start pulling the seal through the retainer from one side of the door to the other. It will be easier if you have someone help by "feeding" the seal into the retainer while you pull the seal. If you don't have a helper it will take a little longer.
• Once you have the seal pulled through the retainer you should have 2" to 3" left over on either side of the door. Take this extra seal and tuck it back into the retainer. This will "lock" the seal in and keep it from sliding out over time.

The bottom seals can be a 3" wide vinyl bottom seal, 4" wide vinyl bottom seal, 3" wide rubber bottom seal or 4" wide rubber bottom seal. Any bigger than 4 inches wide and you could run into problems with the seal catching on the header (and the seal may be "floppy" instead of sitting on the garage floor properly). Also if the garage floor is that out of level you are better off fixing the floor.

You can find the different widths of 1/4" T-style rubber and vinyl garage door bottom seals at the Garage Door Zone Store.