The Most Common Winter Garage Door Problems
Have you ever wondered how winter affects a garage door? During this season, many homeowners experience residential problems due to the change in temperature, and their garage door is no exception. In fact, your garage is one of the most affected areas of your home.
We’re used to utilizing the garage door multiple times a day. So, when winter arrives and things aren’t working properly, it becomes a major problem. For this reason, it’s important to keep rainwater and snow away from your garage door opening and hire professional garage door maintenance when a problem arises.
Here are the four most common winter garage door problems — and how to avoid them.
The Essential Components of Garage Door
Before starting with the most common problems, you should learn the essential components of a typical garage door. This will help you identify the issues on time and ensure good functionality all the time.
The Main Door
The main function of the door is to seal the opening in the house through which your car enters and exits. Usually, the door experiences issues with how it moves or hangs.
The Springs
The garage door spring is one of the most important components because it’s responsible for holding the entire weight of the door. Most homeowners believe that the garage door motor opens and closes the door, but the springs are the ones doing the heavy lifting.
The Tracks & The Rollers
There are two tracks on each side of the garage door that guide it safely up and down.
In addition, the rollers allow the door stays locked into the tracks as it opens and closes. The number of rollers will vary according to the size and style of the garage door.
How Does Winter Affect a Garage Door?
Frozen Garage Door
If water accumulates at the base of your garage door, it can freeze and seal the door shut with ice. There’s no easy way to deal with this annoying issue, but you can try the following DIY solutions to fix it:
- Try to manually open the door using the emergency cord
- Use a scraper to crush the ice
- Try to melt the ice by pouring hot water
Depending on the difficulty level, these tips might or might not work. It’s highly recommended to contact garage door maintenance services to avoid any damage.
Broken Springs
Everyday wear and tear, freezing temperatures, and the lack of garage door maintenance can result in damage to the springs. Actually, they’re one of the most common issues that cold weather causes for garage doors and a good winter tip is to install a safety cable to avoid any accidents.
Garage door springs typically last around 10,000 cycles. So, it’s important to check them often by lifting the door halfway and letting go. If the door stays in place, the springs are in good shape and if the door begins to drop slightly, you should replace them immediately.
Water Damage
Winter can be a tough season for your garage door and water damage can be a significant concern, especially with wooden garage doors. Precipitation, melting snow, and ice can cause the frame of a garage door to swell. This type of damage leads to friction between the door and frame which can cause the door to get stuck, and prevent you from getting in or out of your garage.
Lubrication Issue
Garage door openers need to stay lubricated to keep the moving parts running smoothly. During the winter, this lubrication can harden and even thicken as the temperatures fall. The cause of this problem is that grease is designed to function in warm environments, so the lubrication is unevenly distributed during this season. With garage door maintenance services, your door will resume moving freely and smoothly.
How To Prevent Winter Damage to Your Garage Door
The quantity of cycles your garage door faces every week is high and preventing winter damage has never been easier with Rose Quality Garage Doors. We’re a locally owned business that proudly serves homeowners in Middle Tennessee.
At Rose Quality Garage Doors, we make sure that every customer is satisfied with our services and guarantee a way to avoid dealing with all the issues mentioned before, no matter the season. Contact us and learn more about our professional garage door maintenance services.
