Your garage door and opener system together constitute a mass of moving parts. Add cold weather, humidity and a pretty significant work load, and this system of moving parts could come under some stress, especially if your door or opener are aging.
Cold temperatures can make an older opener sluggish. The high humidity common during a Northeast Ohio winter can make the gears, springs and tracks icy. If your garage door and opener have not been serviced and lubricated, there’s a good possibility of ice forming on the gears and tracks, freezing your garage open or closed.
Is your garage door wood? Older doors were often wood, and while they can be attractive if they are maintained, they can present some issues in cold, humid weather. A wood door and its wood framing will absorb moisture, which means swelling and freezing. It’s important to keep your wood garage door as dry as possible, whenever possible, to maintain the integrity of your door and keep it from freezing shut.
Chances are, your opener system is equipped with safety sensors that prevent your door from closing when there is an obstacle. Cold, salt and debris can interfere with the photo-eye’s “line of sight.” While cleaning off the lens can help, these lenses should be checked for moisture entering the casing and causing fogging on the inside.
A maintenance check with the experts at Great Garage Doors will catch many of these problems. Our staff can also educate you on what to look for and how to keep your garage door and opener running smoothly and safely all year round.
A quality check-up includes:
- Lubricating moving parts with a silicone-based lubricant
- Inspecting rollers, springs and tracks for debris and damage
- Cleaning and alignment of the photo-eye sensors
- Inspection of weather stripping at the base and all door sections
One of the best ways to keep your garage, garage door and opener system at their best is to replace your old garage door with an insulated model that can resist some of the worst an Ohio winter can dish out. You may also consider improving the environment in your garage with heat or a dehumidifier, which can keep all those moving parts warmer and drier.