There’s no doubt that a garage door has a lot of moving components that must all function together. Unfortunately, when the cold winter weather sets in, it can take a toll on your garage door’s components. We’re going to discuss some of the most common problems you’ll likely face in winter and how to prevent them from happening in the first place.
Slow Moving Door
One of the most common problems that wintertime brings is a lack of door lubrication. This will show up in the form of a slow-moving garage door, as the rollers will create too much friction along their tracks. Unfortunately, when the right lubricant isn’t used on your doors or they aren’t lubricated often enough, it can cause this unfortunate issue.
It’s best to first have any old lubricant that’s frozen removed from the tracks. Then, you’ll want to have a new lubricant laid down. Be sure whatever lubricant you choose is guaranteed to work in the cold winter weather conditions.
Broken Spring
For your garage door to move up and down, it relies on a couple of springs along with some safety cables. When one of your door’s springs breaks, it will prevent the door from being able to move. Identifying a broken spring is fairly obvious as it will either be hanging from the garage door ceiling or simply be missing.
A garage door spring is necessary to act as a counterbalance for your door. For this reason, it isn’t recommended that you do a DIY replacement on any garage door spring. This service should only be done by a garage door professional who can ensure safe installation and the overall longevity of the new door spring.
Bad Garage Door Motor
When the weather gets cold outside, it can take a toll on the various components that make up your garage door motor. Unfortunately, when your motor nears the end of its lifespan, its impending failure can be expedited with cold weather. You’ll notice that your garage door opens very slowly and then eventually won’t move at all.
Typically, garage door motors last between 10 and 15 years. When it goes, most homeowners opt for purchasing a whole new garage door setup as opposed to simply trying to replace the motor. It’s always necessary to have a professional install a new garage door opener for you to enact the warranty coverage that comes along with it.
Icing
Another common garage door problem you may experience during the cold winter months is icing between your door’s panels. The more panels your garage door has, the more susceptible your door will be to freezing. When ice gets between the panels, it will cause them to freeze up and won’t allow the panels to move freely on the door’s hinges. It’s necessary to safely apply heat in between the panels to melt the ice.
Contracting Metal
There’s no doubt that metal is highly susceptible to expansion and contraction over time. When rapid cold weather hits your area, you may find that it can distort some of your door’s metal components because of its contracted position. For example, it could distort your door’s tracks, which will prevent the rollers from successfully moving through them. If you notice any contracting metal, you’ll need to have a professional evaluate the piece and repair or replace it for you.
Excessive Airflow
Garage doors have weatherstripping around them that’s responsible for preventing outside cold air from seeping into your garage. Unfortunately, if your weatherstripping is nearing the end of its lifespan, it can break off and distort. This can easily allow that cold outside air to seep into your garage and drastically lower its overall temperature. To prevent this issue, simply opt to replace your door’s weatherstripping at the beginning of the winter season each year.
Remote Not Working
One particularly frustrating issue you can run into is that your garage door remote won’t open your door. First, double-check the manual pin pad to ensure that your door is still opening from there. It’s pretty common for the remote batteries to simply wear out faster during the cold winter season. Be sure to keep a spare set of batteries with you so that you can do a replacement whenever necessary.
Sensor Issue
All modern garage doors will have two sensors that sit just on the inside of your garage door. These sensors are responsible for detecting anything in the door’s path. If they detect something in that area, like your child or dog, they’ll trigger a safety mechanism where the door will open back up.
Unfortunately, it’s pretty easy for these sensors to get knocked out of alignment during the winter months by snow shovels and other items moving through their location. Furthermore, debris can block the eyes of the sensors and prevent them from properly communicating. Sometimes you may just need to wipe the sensor eyes clean, while in other cases you may need to realign the safety sensors.
Door Frozen to Ground
If there’s any snow or ice buildup that accumulates at the base of your garage door, your door may freeze to the ground. Unfortunately, this situation will require you to apply heat to the base of the garage door to allow the door to unfreeze. One of the best ways to prevent this issue from happening in the first place is to clear out the area where your garage door lands. Avoid leaving your garage door open during adverse weather conditions so that snow and ice can’t enter the space below your garage door.
Get a Door Inspection Service
Probably the most effective strategy you can implement to properly prep your garage door for the winter season is getting an inspection service. Have our garage door professionals come out and thoroughly inspect and service your door. They will take note of any worn-out parts so that they can be replaced before winter. This will go a long way in preventing issues from happening to your door during the cold winter months.
During this service, our garage door professionals will be able lubricant your rollers and tracks. They’ll replace the weatherstripping around your door so it will properly seal up. All of these small service tasks will ensure your garage door is ready to take on the cold winter months.
A Note on Heating Your Garage
One surefire way to help prevent a plethora of these cold weather-related garage door issues is to heat up your garage. With a dedicated heater, you can keep your garage space at a comfortable temperature. This will ensure all of the door’s metal components stay warm.
Expert Garage Door Repair Service
Lewis Door Service offers expert garage door repair services for the Louisville, KY area. We can assist with all your garage door installation, maintenance, replacement, overhead door, garage door opener, and commercial overhead door needs. Call us today to book your next garage door service consultation with one of our knowledgeable professionals.
