Diagnosing Winter Garage Problems
If you’re having problems with your garage door this winter, you are not alone. We see dozens of cases during this time of year as the weather turns cold. Cold winter weather results in many issues with garage doors, some that even require maintenance to correct.
But what causes these problems? It turns out that the cold weather can have many effects on your residential or commercial garage doors. We’ll explore the most common ones and give you a remedy to correct the damage.
Contracting Metal
When the temperature drops, metal contracts. In most cases of contraction, you’ll hardly notice. However, there are instances, particularly with a garage door’s springs, where the contracting metal can inhibit the opening mechanism. If this is the case, you can confirm contracting springs by using a bit of lubricant. With additional lubricant, these constricted springs will have enough extra give to raise and lower the door again.
Hardened Grease
Did you know the grease used on your garage door can harden in extreme temperatures? Winter garage maintenance sometimes requires addressing this hardened grease, and breaking up this buildup can rectify any problems you’re currently having, allowing you to get your vehicle back on the road.
The easiest way to address the problem is to use some solvent. Applying a small amount of solvent to the grease will return the substance to its original form and allow your door to budge again. You can find a suitable solvent almost anywhere; just be sure to apply it thoroughly to all the affected parts.
Rollers and Tracks
We see the most warping during the winter, particularly on rollers and tracks. Cold temperatures tend to warp metal, causing extensive damage to your tracks. If you’re having trouble getting a garage door to raise or lower, take a thorough look at your tracks and rollers to identify if they are the culprit.
Unfortunately, if your tracks and rollers are damaged, you’ll need to reach out to a pro for help. Replacement parts are easy to find, but it may take an expert’s knowledge to properly replace such a crucial part of your garage door.
Broken Springs
Winter is also one of the times of year that we see the most damage to springs. All of that contracting and expanding we talked about earlier can have a horrible effect on your parts. But there is a solution to broken springs: contacting an expert.
Springs can be challenging to replace, and that’s why we recommend reaching out to a certified technician rather than attempting an at-home repair. If you find that your springs are broken, contact your local repair service, and they’ll have it fixed in no time.
Frozen Weather Seal
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that your problem may not be mechanical at all. The bottom of garage doors often has a weather seal. This seal prevents water and debris from slipping under the door and into your garage. If the temperature gets low and you haven’t been clearing the snow and ice from your driveway, the weather seal can stick to the ground.
The good news is that this problem is easy to solve. All you must do is clear the snow and ice from the ground and clear off the weather seal. To avoid it freeing in the future, simply be diligent about clearing snow and ice piled up next to your garage door.
Garage doors can be tricky, especially in winter. Cold weather can wreak havoc on your garage’s parts and function. When this happens, don’t be afraid to contact someone for help. American Door Works provides repair for every situation. And if the damage is too much, then we’ll replace the whole thing. Contact us today and book your next repair.