Now that Winter is officially here, we’re going to need to be aware of any cold weather issues that may affect the effective operation of our garage doors. There’s myriad malfunctions that can occur as a result of low temperatures or snowstorms – so by understanding what can go wrong, it can help you be much more prepared.
Frozen Floor
If your garage door doesn’t open when you activate the opener, or even manually, it can be frozen to the floor. Ice and snow accumulating in front of and under the door can cause it to be frozen and sealed to the floor – or not be able to fully close. Make sure to keep the floor under the garage door clean – we recommend applying a bit of cooking spray to the rubber seal at the door’s underside to help prevent this from happening.
Metal Contracting
Metal expands and contracts in heat or cold – and as the temperature shifts, it can make it more difficult for the opener to open or close the door. This can usually be fixed by adjusting the force on the garage opener – a process that should always be attempted by a professional. By re-lubricating and re-tuning your garage door, you can make all of it’s interior working aspects, like bearings, rollers, and hinges work much more smoothly.
Grease Congealing
If the garage door isn’t opening or closing correctly, grease may have congealed in cold weather within the tracks – preventing it from operating in a smooth fashion. If you live in a climate that gets cold, we recommend never applying grease to the tracks – and depending on how serious this problem is, you might need to get the tracks or rollers replaced to restore your garage door to working order.
Travelers and Gears
If the garage door opener is making noises similar to it does when it’s working fully, but the door does not move at all, it might be frozen to the floor, as mentioned above, but more commonly it’s caused by the interior gears or possibly the traveler piece (this all depends on what type of garage door / who the manufacturer is.) To repair these issues, we highly advise you to contact a professional, as it’s a complicated and potentially dangerous process.
