Winter in Northeast Ohio, with its cold, damp conditions, freezing rain, and heavy snow, can cause problems with your garage door and door opener that you may not have thought about. Unfortunately, a sudden emergency can lock you out of your garage or lock your car in it. Your best defense: Expect the unexpected.
Dead batteries
Cold temperatures can quickly drain batteries, especially if the batteries are getting old. Plan to replace the batteries in your garage door remotes in the fall so you enter the cold months with fresh batteries that can hold up to temperature fluctuations.
Hardened grease
The heart of winter usually brings some extreme cold, which can freeze the grease that normally keeps your garage door rollers moving smoothly along the tracks. The hardened grease will collect in thick gobs on the rollers and in the tracks, making movement sluggish or causing the door to stop.
Disengage the door to prevent damage to the opener and clean the rollers and tracks – ask your garage door specialist about solvents that may help remove the hardened grease. Follow with a silicone-based lubricant to get your door moving again.
Broken metal parts
Extreme cold and temperature fluctuations will cause metal parts to contract. Sometimes this will lead to a door moving slowly or sticking, but other times these metal parts, including rollers, cables, and springs, will break unexpectedly. The metal roller tracks may not break, but they can bend, preventing the door from moving.
Keeping your garage as warm as possible though the winter months may help prevent these issues, but if you do experience bending or breaking of any metal parts, be sure to call your garage door technician for a professional repair. The parts of your garage door and opener are under extreme tension and can lead to injury or death if not properly handled.
Frozen garage door
Even a small amount of freezing rain or melting snow can freeze your garage door to the ground. An uneven threshold could lead to this happening multiple times during a winter season as snow melt will pool under the door and freeze when the temperature drops, especially at night.
If you suspect your garage door could be frozen to the ground, take care using your opener. You may want to check the weather conditions before trying to open the door to prevent damaging the motor. A frozen door should be carefully freed by pulling the door manually or by gently tapping at the base of the door with a board and hammer.
Stay ahead of emergencies
Scheduling an inspection with the professionals at Great Garage Doors can help you avoid emergencies. Your fall checkup can include checking the door, opener, and threshold for possible problems and replacing worn parts as well as lubricating rollers, tracks, and springs.
If you believe your garage door could be vulnerable to winter weather, call Great Garage Doors today.