Winter Weather Garage Door Issues: Tips For Homeowners
Winter weather brings with it a lot of different hazards for your home. While most people address the HVAC concerns, window and door conditions, and other similar issues, the garage door is often overlooked. The truth is that winter's cold temperatures can damage your garage door and its components too. Here's a look at what you need to know about your garage door and the risks that winter can pose to it.
Broken Springs
As the temperatures drop, it can cause many of the components of your door to freeze. Over time, that freezing can cause older components to become brittle and fragile. The springs on the door are no exception. If the springs are a couple of years old and have seen a lot of use, the cold, freezing temperatures may cause the springs to crack or break completely.
One of the signs of a failing garage door spring is increased resistance in your garage door. If the door is getting progressively harder to move, or you hear a loud pop when you close the door, that's a key sign that the spring is failing, or has failed. You'll want a garage door repair technician to replace it, though. The springs are under significant tension, so they are safest installed by a professional.
Lubricant Problems
If your garage door isn't moving smoothly or seems to get hung up around the same section of the track each time, it could be because the lubricant is deteriorating. The cold temperatures can cause the garage door lubricant to thicken, harden, and become clumpy. This hinders the door movement.
You will have to treat the track with solvent to break down the old lubricant, then apply new, fresh lubricant to the track to repair this problem. Just make sure that you opt for a silicone-based lubricant because it holds up to temperature fluctuations better than products like WD-40.
Frozen Door
If the base of your garage door is frozen to the concrete or asphalt outside the door, that's a serious problem. Unfortunately, many homeowners respond to issues like these in the wrong way, causing damage to the door in the process.
The best way to deal with something like this is to chip away at the ice around the door carefully or to pour warm (NOT hot) water along the base of the door until the ice melts. Do not put rock salt or ice melt products on it because that can actually cause your garage door to deteriorate. Don't force the door because that can damage the door itself and may even destroy the weatherseal at the bottom of the door.
For more information, contact a company such as Affina Door.
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