7 Effects Of Cold Weather On Your Garage Door

When cold weather sets in, low temperatures can cause various problems to your car. So it’s ideal to securely keep your automobile and other precious items behind a well-functioning garage door. However, winter can negatively impact your garage door. Colder temperatures can cause unwanted issues to your door’s metals, springs, and tracks, making it incapable to work properly. Thankfully, there are ways you can do to solve these problems. But it’s crucial to understand first what effects cold weather can do on your garage door. So please read on to learn about them.

Effects of Cold Weather on Garage Door

Cold weather can affect your garage door badly. A property owner like you must be swift enough to figure out which issue strikes your door.

The following are some of the most common garage door issues in winter:

1. Lubrication Problems

Lubricants are created to help the garage door open evenly and effortlessly. However, cold temperatures cause grease to thicken, which makes the door cease to work appropriately. So without proper lubrication, the door opener and other parts become worn and are more likely to break down.

You can investigate this issue by lifting the garage door manually. If it gets jammed on the way up, then it has a lubrication issue. One way to prevent this circumstance is to use lubricants with a viscosity rating suitable for low temperatures.

2. Broken Springs

Garage door springs generally keep going around 10,000 cycles, and property owners easily forget to carry out regular maintenance inspections on the springs during the restless winter months.

You can inspect the springs by manually lifting the door to approximately the halfway point, then letting go of it slowly. If the door begins to drop, it means you need to replace the springs. Call a professional right away to do the repair job for you.

3. Impaired Sensor

The remote sensor may also be the reason for your garage door system issue. If it is impaired, it might be improperly sending signals to the door’s mechanism. In this situation, it is best to contact an expert to deal with the issue for you.

4. An Issue with the Photo Eye

The photo-eye sensors are fixed on either side of the overhead door, about 6 inches above the flooring. It detects anything that comes into the door’s path while closing. The door stops if there’s an object on its way.

The thing is, photo eyes depend on a particular sensitivity level which causes them to interpret some objects as hindrances that really are not. The following are the situation examples:

• Photo-eye sensors may detect hardened lubrication as an obstacle.
• The cold weather can fog up the photo eyes, altering their view and causing them to respond to the condensation as a hindrance.

In these situations, the sensors will notify the garage door not to go up or down when you press the remote. Proper lubrication and cleaning the photo-eye lens are two ways to help resolve the issue. If the problem still persists, you may need to contact a garage door professional.

5. Metal Parts Contract and Become Warp

If you have difficulty raising your door manually, you may check the lubrication if it is not thickened. But if it seems okay, then the metals themselves may be the problem source.

Cold temperatures minimize the space between molecules, making metal parts contract slightly or grow tighter together. This contraction can distort your door’s tracks and cause poor alignment, making it hard for the door to function correctly. Applying lubricants can fix the issue. But if the problem continues, you will have to call a professional.

6. Frozen Ground

This is one of the most irritating winter weather effects on a garage door. Water melts and freezes very often, causing ice formation underneath your door. If water pools and freezes at the base of the garage door, it can freeze the door shut.

Here are some methods you can do to handle this situation:

• Open the garage door manually with the use of the emergency release cord. Take note that this option doesn’t always do the trick, depending on the degree of the freeze.
• Using a scraper or other tools, scrape and crack the ice.
• You can melt the ice using a heat gun, but be cautious in doing it to avoid applying excessive heat to the metal door.

• Throw hot water along the bottom of the garage door for a speedy repair, but be alert because this process can form a more severe icy area if it freezes again.
• Once you have managed to open your door, leave it that way. Wait for the ice to thaw if the circumstances are right.

Each of the above-stated methods takes a great deal of time and energy. In addition, there’s no assurance that they will work. The best way is to prevent it from happening by clearing the puddles and snow away from the bottom of your garage door.

7. Frost Between Panels

Most garage doors contain multiple panels that permit them to fold as they go upward. Sad to say, the connection spots between the panels have space for moisture to seep in and eventually freeze. When the panels become frozen, they cannot bend, inhibiting the door from opening.

You can address this issue by applying some of the above-stated methods for handling the frozen ground issue. But you have to be sure not to break your door in the process.

8. Water-damaged Garage Door

Continuous wet and cold weather conditions can cause the door and frame to swell or bulge from moisture absorption, specifically with wooden garage doors. With swollen parts, your door is more likely to get jammed, so you cannot go in and out.

You can manage this issue by maintaining your rain gutters clean, so water does not flow and pours onto the garage door, resulting in swelling.

Need a Garage Door Repair? Contact Inland Overhead Door

Cold weather can cause serious effects to your garage door. And if all the simple repair methods do not work well to fix your door issues, especially if it is a broken motor or severely distorted metal, it is best to seek help from a professional.

Inland Overhead Door has your back. Our company has highly-trained specialists who can deal with garage door problems, from mild to severe. We are ready to give you our service 24/7. Schedule an appointment today to have your door diagnosed and repaired.

For more inquiries about our door services, contact us today!