The freezing cold of Chicago winters doesn’t have to negatively affect operation of your garage. In this brief guide, the expert garage door repair people at Garage Doors Chicago will help you ensure that your garage door stays intact and in full operation during this freezing winter, where metallic parts tend to shrink.

Regularly Inspect and Maintain your Garage

Make sure that all moving parts are properly working, or hire a garage door expert to inspect all parts of the door. You can try a self inspection by disconnecting the door opener and trying to open and close your door manually – but never attempt to fix any issues with the garage door springs or cables by yourself. Also, winter maintenance will require inspection of the area underneath your garage door to make sure there’s no accumulated ice or snow.

Garage Lubrication

Make sure that your garage’s parts are lubricated the correct amount, not too little or too much. We recommend silicone based lubricant that will not harden due to temperature changes, as metallic parts regularly contract or shrink in the winter. If any parts need to be replaced due to bad maintenance, you should do it before it gets way too cold.

Garage Rollers

It can be a very dangerous issue when garage door opener rollers become misaligned, especially in the winter where shrinking metal parts can cause them to slip, or rapidly drop or fall with great weight.

Green Garage Door Maintenance

Panels that are often used in green or environmentally friendly garage doors are usually made with a uniform construction principal that makes them look like wood while resisting the splitting, cracking, warping, or moisture issues that real wood has. With these doors, which are fantastic options, no protective primer or coating is needed – and although they are often built for harsh weather, they come with warranties – and represent a great option for those looking to minimize the amount of work they have to do to maintain garage doors.