Impact of Cold Weather on Garage Doors (Part 1)

With the cold winter fast approaching, Utah homeowners throughout the state are taking a few basic steps to protect their homes and various features. The garage door is often top of mind here, as cold weather can impact garage doors in several different ways, and you want to ensure you’re prepared for them.

At Crawford Door Sales, we’re happy to offer a wide range of both commercial and residential garage door services, including quality garage door repairs or basic reinforcements ahead of a changing season like the upcoming winter. How does cold weather impact your garage door, how can you respond if cold weather effects are taking place on certain areas of your door, and how will garage door insulation help protect you from these risks? This multi-part blog series will go over everything you need to know here.

Garage Seals

One of the more common garage door issues during the winter takes place when moisture, whether from a recent snow or dripping issues above, begins to collect on the ground around the spot where the door closes. When this happens and then the temperatures turn cold, it may cause the door to become frozen shut.

Luckily, there are usually some basic fixes you can perform if this happens:

• Try to lift the door manually using the emergency release cord.
• If the door doesn’t open, use a scraper to chip away at ice. If needed, use a heat gun or another heat source to melt the ice (be careful if your door is metal, as it should not be exposed to too much heat).
• In some cases, pouring some hot water on the base of the door will help melt the ice – but this does come with risks of re-freezing and creating a slipping hazard, so be careful.

Door Springs

Door springs may also wear down during winter, as they can during any part of the year. If you’re worried this has happened, raise the door roughly halfway by hand and then release it – if it doesn’t fall, the springs are doing well. If it moves down, on the other hand, your springs may need replacement.

Opener and Motors

A garage door opener contains several mechanical parts, and some of these may be impacted by cold weather. This is particularly true if parts have not been properly lubricated, which you should see to before winter arrives. We also recommend examining your photo eye to ensure snow or condensation have not interfered with its lenses.

Material Issues

Finally, because your door has metal components, expansion and contraction are areas you may have to think about. Areas like tracks, springs, hinges and others that aren’t used often in the cold may warp, seize up or have other concerns, so these should be lubricated regularly plus utilized at least once or twice a week to ensure these issues don’t arise.

For more on the impact of cold weather on your garage door, or to learn about any of our garage door repair services, speak to the staff at Crawford Door Sales today.