Water damage near garage door opening

[The_Rural_Juror]

Found some water damage on both sides of the garage door opening (interior). Water mark looks to have reached about 1' to 2' high. House is under 2 years old. One bubble on dry wall about 1' diameter on one side near the floor.

Does a dehumidifier resolve the issue? Do I have to rip out the dry wall?

Thanks beyond!

[ExtraSlow]

More info needed. Is this an attached or detached garage? The recent temps have meant a lot of melting. Also, most cars arrive in the garage caked with slush, which melts and leaves water on the floor.

Finding the source of water is your first step.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Detached double garage. Only one car parked in it. I think the water's coming in from the snow that has been coming in between the garage door and wall (don't think they can ever get a perfect seal). Will snap some photos.

[The_Rural_Juror]

This is the worse side.

[ExtraSlow]

To me, here's my guess:
The water is leaking in through the wall somehow near that corner. Check your downspouts today before it gets cold.
I don't think high humidity in the garage would cause localized damage like that.

I also supsect you'll end up replacing that drywall.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Will do that. That's the side that's attached to the neighbour's garage as well. The other side has the same damage but to a lesser extent.

[bleu]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
To me, here's my guess:
The water is leaking in through the wall somehow near that corner. Check your downspouts today before it gets cold.
I don't think high humidity in the garage would cause localized damage like that.

I also supsect you'll end up replacing that drywall.

I agree, you will most likely have to replace the dry wall. Is it still seeping upwards in the wall? Is the wall is soft, where it feels like putty?

[codetrap]

Hmmm it looks like that's where the melt is puddling and it's wicking up the wall easy to test. Dump some water on the floor and see where it puddles.

Just an aside though.. why is there drywall down to the floor? My garage has like 10 inches of concrete, then everything is built on top of that... the only thing that's ever exposed to water is the concrete.

[ExtraSlow]

Lots of garages are built without that concrete "pony" wall.

[Ca_Silvia13]

My brother had this exact problem happen, his drywall went all the way down to the floor also. It still leaks but not nearly as bad as what it did.

Replace the rubber seal on the bottom of the large garage door with a new extra cushy seal.

Buy 4-6" rubber baseboard at Home depot and silicone it to the floor. Your choice if you do just the problem areas or the entire garage.

The above cut down 75% of the water entering the garage but as you said, no garage door seals very well so some water will always make its way through.

[roll_over]

Can you get a detached garage with a "pony" I've always wondered about that

[AndyL]

Off with the drywall - you need to figure out where the leak is coming from - and resolve that first. That's a lot more than one would expect for the 'usual seepage' - and it's not nearly brown enough to be just off the car...

That said - yeah, lot of houses of late suddenly seem to need exhaust fans in the garage, they're being sealed too tight - so water accumulates and causes lots of damage.

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by roll_over
Can you get a detached garage with a "pony" I've always wondered about that

my detached garage has a "pony" wall, however it's extra $$$ for it.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Thanks all. Will break open the wall and post pics when it warms up. Other wall wet as well, but no bubbling. Only the two main garage door opening corners are wet.

[The_Rural_Juror]

This is on the other side (side that is not attached to the neighbour's garage).

[Type_S1]

Picture of exterior? How is your neighbours garage attached? Are your eaves plugged? Do they have a good grade for the eaves to allow water to flow? Do you have a downspout that is directing water directly into the back alley and not draining to the side of the garage?

I had this problem to a lesser extent and it was a drainage problem. Water was pooling against the foundation and seeping in.