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How Winter Weather Affects Your Garage Door

By: webadmin | January 30, 2019

Cold temperatures and harsh weather during the winter months will make any homeowner appreciate the comfort of a garage even more. Even though your garage will save you the hassle of warming up a cold car or scraping ice off of the windshield, your garage door can still be affected by winter weather.

Winter weather, including low temperatures, rain, sleet, snow, and ice can all take a toll on the on several components of your garage door system. The most common garage door problems caused by winter weather include:

• Damage To Springs, Rollers, Tracks and More: The cold weather can affect nearly any metal component of your garage door system, particularly springs. The changes in temperature can lead metal to warp after months of expanding and contracting putting more stress, wear and tear on the various components of a garage door system.

 

• Problems With Garage Door Opener: Your garage door opener can also malfunction with harsh winter weather. The most common problem is poor lubrication after cold temperatures cause lubricating products to harden or change consistency affecting how smoothly your garage door opens or closes. Hardened lubrication can even cause the motor falsely sense an obstacle in its path kicking in the emergency reversal feature.

 

• Water Damage: Rain, snow, and ice can also affect garage doors, particularly wooden ones, in addition to affecting the wooden components of your garage as a whole. Wooden garage doors and framing can both experience issues with swelling, cracking, warping and water damage from heavy moisture.

 

• Door Frozen To The Ground: The combination of freezing temperatures, rain and snow can even cause a garage door to freeze to the ground. Be sure that water does not pool at the bottom of your garage door and if it does take some precautionary steps such as sweeping water puddles or snow away in order to avoid a problem.

 

• Worn, Broken, Or Damaged Weather Stripping: Weather stripping can play a big role in preventing damage to your garage door during extreme weather conditions, but it can also be affected by those conditions. Check weather stripping, especially if you’ve experienced any other problems due to weather.

 

Protecting Your Garage Door During The Winter

 

Taking a few simple steps can help you protect your garage door during the winter. Be careful to inspect springs, rollers, tracks, and weather stripping for any signs of wear or damage. Being proactive and scheduling professional garage door repair before a cold front hits will help you avoid the annoyance of a garage door that won’t open or the danger that can result from broken parts. Make sure to also clear away snow or water that may accumulate at the bottom of the door.

Scheduling yearly garage door maintenance before temperatures drop is one of the most effective ways to prevent garage door problems during the winter. During regular maintenance, a garage door company can properly inspect all components of your garage door system from the door to the garage door opener. They will tighten any loose parts and make sure that all moving parts are properly lubricated.

Salt Lake City Garage Door Service

 

Universal Garage Door Repair in Salt Lake City, Utah offers professional garage door repair and garage door maintenance that will keep your garage door functioning safely and efficiently during harsh weather and cold temperatures. Call us today at (801) 784-4550 to schedule and appointment.

Universal Garage Door Repair
2150 South 1300 East, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
(801) 784-4550