Winter Garage Door Maintenance Tips

Summer is gone, and the cooler days and nights are moving in quickly. Sooner than later, we will be experiencing below freezing temperatures, snow and freezing winds.

The cold air of winter seems to affect almost everything. Cars get a little harder to crank in colder weather, windows and doors can stick and even your home feels the effects of the weather.

If you are a homeowner, you probably have a garage, and it’s a great place to keep your car overnight during the winter months. Your garage protects your car and other belongings from harsh elements. As the colder weather comes in, older doors and openers could potentially operate with less than desired results. They could become hampered by the freezing conditions and overall colder temperatures.

There are several things you can do to make sure your garage door operates the way you need it to during the winter months.

Garage Door Lubrication

Make sure all the moving parts of the garage door are properly lubricated. Use a good quality lubricant that is made for garage doors. Spray everything liberally including the springs, rollers, tracks, bushings and hinges. This will help the door open without sticking when you hit the opener from outside. Make sure you lubricate between all the door sections. These tend to stick together in the winter and will affect how the door opener works as well. One month after you first lubricate everything, re-spray the springs, rollers, tracks, hinges and bushings once more for reinforcement.

Garage Door Doesn’t Open

If the door doesn’t open with the automatic opener, it may need a minor repair. Disconnect the door opener, open the door manually and shut it back. Repeat these steps a couple times and reconnect the opener. If your garage door still does not raise or lower, you may need to look at replacing the opener all together.

By using some of the tips above, your door should remain in good working condition throughout the winter. Most of these steps will only require a small amount of time. Following these steps every year before winter arrives so the life of your garage door is prolonged. And remember, Mile High Garage offers all of these services and more if you’d rather have an experienced professional handle the job.