Temperatures drop, but your garage door doesn’t work. Or it’s a cold morning, you’re trying to get to work, but your garage door won’t open. Sound familiar?
Several problems could be causing your garage door to stick in the cold. Most issues you can fix yourself, though more significant problems require a repair professional.
DIY Troubleshooting
Start by troubleshooting what the problem is:
- While your garage door is in the down position, disconnect the opener and try to raise the door manually. Check for spots where it sticks. This may show a grease buildup.
- Check for broken springs. If your garage door feels heavy to lift manually, you likely have a broken spring. We would advise a garage door repair professional for this problem.
- If the door raises and lowers by hand easily, the opener may need adjustments, such as the force setting.
Problem #1: Metal contracts
Metal contracts in the cold weather, so the springs and other metal pieces have the potential to seize up. If this is the problem, lubricant maybe required. Lubricating the springs, hinges, rollers and other moving parts will help keep your garage door working through the winter months. We suggest using a silicone-based lubricant.
Problem #2: Hardened grease
Grease tends to hardens in colder weather. We suggest using a grease solvent in combination of a silicone-based lubricant when maintaining the door. Use a small brush, such a firm bristle toothbrush, to work into cracks. Wipe away solvent, and apply the proper lubricant to the moving parts.
Problem #3: Wear or misalignment, warped tracks
Over the course of time, the garage door rollers can become worn down or misaligned in the tracks. Also, the tracks can become warped due to extreme temperatures or damage. You will need to call a garage door repair professional for either problem.
Problem #4: Broken Springs
Most garage door systems include a spring system which helps balance the weight of the door. Eventually, these springs will reach their life-cycle and break. This more often then not will occur in the winter months. A repair to a broken garage door spring should be performed by trained professionals only.
Problem #5: Frozen Weatherseal
When water freezes near a closed garage door, it can cause the weather stripping to stick to the ground. Then, as you raise the door, the strip peels and you lose the proper sealing that insulates the garage’s interior. Brush away snow and puddles often to prevent the weather stripping from becoming damaged.
Planned Maintenance
Prevent your garage door from winter issues:
- Apply a spray solvent to rollers, hinges, and track.
- Lubricate the pulleys and/or the bearings.
- Wipe everything clean. If any rollers or hinges seem stuck, soak them in a solvent, using a stiff brush to clean the cracks. Wipe clean again.
- Apply a silicone-based lubricant to the springs, screw drive, shuttle, roller bearings and torsion bar bearings.
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