Top 5 Most Common Winter Garage Door Problems
A garage can give you the ultimate convenience of not having to deal with dead batteries of your car or scraping off the snow on your windshield. Not only that, but you also won’t have to worry about getting into your car in the morning when you have to go to your work, because it is not freezing cold inside. These are just some benefits of having a garage to keep your car in winter. However, because of its direct exposure to inclement weather, it is probably not a surprise that the cold weather of winter can greatly affect your garage door. This is not uncommon even in areas with mild winter like in South California. Thus as a homeowner, you want to avoid such a scenario. But what exactly does cold weather affect your garage door? This article outlined the most common winter garage door problems, as well as the solutions you can take to prevent any damage.
Most Common Winter Garage Door Problems
Problem #1: Metal Contracts
In general, any metal materials can contract in cold weather. This includes your garage door. When the temperature outside drops, all the metal parts in your garage door (spring, hinges, rollers, etc) can warp or tighten, which will then result in the difficult movement of the door.
What To Do: Lubricate the spring, rollers, hinges, and other metal parts in your door to ensure that they can weather the cold. Regular maintenance is also crucial to have a functional garage door.
Problem #2: Frozen Door
While it is not very common in South California to have freezing weather, it is still possible to happen. The water or moisture that is caught at the bottom of your garage door can freeze when the temperature falls drastically. This can cause your door to lock up and frozen shut.
What To Do: Fortunately, this problem is easy to identify and resolve. First, you should give your door a visual inspection. If you can see ice at the bottom of the door, then you are certainly dealing with a frozen door. You can use a hairdryer or any heat source to melt the ice and dry out the area to prevent it from freezing again. But, be careful not to overheat the metal parts to avoid damaging them.
Problem #3: Hardened Grease
In most cases, lubricants are made to work under hot temperatures. That is why they work efficiently with high-powered machines or equipment. However, greases do not function properly when winter comes. The low temperatures can cause them to harden or thicken the grease which can result in the poor lubricant.
What To Do: Remove any hardened grease from the tracks and rollers and replace it with silicon-based lubricant. Silicone can withstand cold temperatures, so you are sure that your door will continue to function smoothly throughout the colder months.
Problem #4: Worn Weather Stripping
While a damaged weather stripping will not affect the opening mechanism of your garage door, it is a problem that needs immediate attention. The weatherstripping around the edge of your garage door helps keep the cold air out of your living space. However, cold weather and precipitation can damage this material and eventually let the outside temperatures and water to get into your home and cause serious damage and inconveniences.
What To Do: Once you notice a rapid spike in your energy bill, check the weather stripping in your garage door. Replace it if necessary.
Problem #5: Damaged Door Springs
Often, your garage door’s springs break because of wear and tear. But, in most cases, springs break during colder months because of the added tension and pressure of the chilly weather. The cold air can cause the springs to brittle and eventually break. Thus, it is important to have your garage door examined professionally before the winter season starts.
What To Do: Unfortunately, a damaged garage door spring repair should never be a DIY and should be performed by trained professionals only.
Professional Garage Door Services
With proper preventative measures and regular maintenance, you are sure that your garage door will weather the freezing weather of winter. But, in case, your door has sustained damaged in winter, call in professionals of Overhead Door Company.
Overhead Door is the leading garage door company in the Inland Empire. We offer quality garage door repair services, replacement, maintenance, and more. Our professionals will inspect all parts and pieces on your garage door, as well as tighten and lubricate them to ensure that they are in good working condition.
We also offer emergency garage door repairs and so, we are available 24/7. Call Overhead Door Company, Southern California’s garage door professionals today!
