Preparing Your Garage for Cold Weather
Winter is coming, and that means it’s time to prepare the house for colder temperatures, ice, and harsh elements. Since your garage door is so close to the exterior elements, it bears the brunt of winter’s beatings. Consequently, it is important that you are preparing your garage for the cold weather.
Tips for Preparing Your Garage for Cold Weather
In addition to your normal garage door preventative maintenance, consider doing the following.
1. Check lubricants.
Cold air makes liquids hard. This includes any and all lubricants on your garage door. When your door lubricants freeze, they get hard and gummy, making it difficult for the garage door to slide on its tracks. To ensure your door moves smoothly and efficiently, check your lubricants after every freeze and ensure nothing needs to be re-lubricated.
2. Clean weatherstripping.
If you have ever had to salt your driveway after heavy snow or frost, you know that the salt gets everywhere. Many times, it makes its way on to your garage door’s weatherstripping and eats away at the lubrication. It’s wise to wipe down your weatherstripping after every frost, or every couple of weeks. This decreases the number of times you have to re-lubricate the door.
3. Check metal.
Heat expands, and cold contracts. Consequently, your rollers and springs will expand and contract with the changing temperatures. When this happens over and over again, parts and panels can begin to break. It’s important to keep an eye on these things so you aren’t caught off guard if the metal suddenly snaps. Additionally, if you have a method of regulating the temperature in your garage, use it.
4. Perform seasonal inspections.
Most homeowners understand that certain services and appliances need to be inspected or maintained on a regular basis. As a general rule of thumb, you should inspect each component of your garage door with every passing season. This allows you to take note of any changes and locate potential problems.
What Should You Do if the Ice Takes Its Toll?
If the ice negatively affects your garage door, the best thing you can do is call a professional. An industry expert can locate problems at the source and fix them before they become long-term expensive issues. It’s always better to nip problems in the bud than to wait it out and regret it later.
Customers have been putting their trust in Nofziger Doors for more than 70 years. If you find yourself in need of garage door repair or garage door installation, call us today. You will receive prompt service from a licensed professional. With our reputation for dedication and excellent products, we are the garage door repair team you can rely on.
