When the cold weather strikes, it can bring with it a variety of issues for your Garage and Garage Door. The cold temperatures can cause your garage doors and garage door openers to malfunction, or even worse, completely stop working. In this post, let’s look at how cold weather can wreak havoc on your garage door and openers. What can you do to ensure they continue to work despite the chill? Well, just keep reading to find out more. When temperatures drop, both doors and openers can suffer the consequences. Frigid weather can cause a range of issues, from frozen tracks to damaged door springs. All of these problems can lead to costly repairs and replacements. Here at Lodi Garage Doors, we have some tips on how to prevent damage.
A little science behind cold weather and garage doors, motors, and openers:
Your garage door is made of steel. Steel is an alloy composed mainly of iron, with a small amount of carbon. Steel becomes brittle as the temperature drops. This means that the tension on springs and other hardware parts of the door system can increase significantly. The potential of putting strain on some or all of the components is high. If left unchecked, the functioning of your door system can be significantly affected.
The same principles apply to your door opener. Cooler temperatures cause the lubricants used in the opener’s mechanisms to be less viscus and be less effective, resulting in slower opening and closing times. Other symptoms could be higher power consumption or worse, complete failure! A little prevention is important. We want to help you to check your garage door regularly for any signs of wear and tear.
Top tips for keeping your garage door and opener running smoothly this winter:
As the largest moving part of your home, your garage door, opener and motor need YOU to be a little proactive a few times a year but especially as fall and winter arrive. Try these helpful hints at least twice a year.
- Clean the tracks of your garage door opener regularly, as dirt and debris can prevent the door from operating.
- Make sure all hinges, screws and nuts are lubricated on a regular basis, so they don’t freeze up in the cold.
- Check the balance of your door by disconnecting the garage door opener and manually opening and closing it a few times. If it’s unbalanced, it will be harder for your opener to lift and close in cold weather.
- Inspect the weather-stripping around your garage door to make sure it’s sealed properly and not letting in any drafts.
- Get professional garage service to check your garage door opener for any issues (we can help with this).
By following this simple advice, you can help ensure that your garage door opener runs smoothly during the winter months for years to come.
Give Lodi Garage Doors and More a call to schedule a service 602-269-0888
