4 Most Common Cold Weather Garage Door Problems

Ice Buildup and Stuck Doors

A stuck door can be a hassle, preventing your from opening your garage door, and delaying the time that it takes you to make it from the home to the office in the morning. Most of the time, a stuck door is due to ice build up around the door. You can prevent ice buildup by making sure that your weather stripping is in good shape; when weather stripping fails, moisture can seep in. When temperatures dip below freezing, this moisture can freeze, making a garage door hard to open by binding it to the ground.

Garage Door Track Jams

Your garage door track can get jammed in the winter for a variety of reasons. One common cause of a garage door track jam is debris becoming caught in the track, most notably salt that is applied to the ground to help melt ice. Much like doors that are bound to the ground, ice can also build up in a track, causing a jam. You can avoid this by routinely wiping down your garage door track, and ensuring that your garage is properly insulated. When a garage door is not insulated well, it can get very cold – cold temperatures can equal ice formation.

You garage door track may also jam because of contracting metal, which is common when it is very cold out. Again, insulation will help to prevent this from occurring. You can also help to prevent a problem caused by contracting metal by keeping all moving parts well lubricated.

Broken Springs

When temperatures drop well below freezing, even metal—and thereby your garage door springs—can become brittle. This brittleness can lead to a broken spring. You can usually detect a broken spring by paying attention to whether or not your garage door is hard to open. If it is, a broken spring may be the cause. Make sure you have it repaired as soon as possible to prevent further damage or/and an accident.

Excessive Lubricant

Keeping moving parts lubricated during the winter is very important to ensuring that your garage door opens and closely smoothly. However, too much lubricant may do more harm than good. Excessive lubricant can cause tracks and rollers to move out of alignment, or can also lead to excessive grease buildup that can make the garage door more difficult to close or to open.

Get Your Garage Door Winter Ready

You can prevent most garage door problems by making sure your garage door is ready for cold weather by performing some basic winterizing tasks. To help you, or to repair a garage door in the event that a problem does occur, turn to the Dyer garage door professionals at Affordable Garage Door Inc. You can reach us today for a free quote by calling 219-696-4279.