Garage Door Maintenance in the winter

Garage doors, as a number of other things seem to not work as smoothly in the winter as at other times of the year. And the last thing you want in freezing temperatures is to get out of the car to try and figure out why the garage door is refusing to open. This is caused by a number of factors, some of which are highlighted below:

• The lubricant on the door tracks may be hardening due to the cold weather, causing too much friction. The motor in the garage door opener sometimes cannot cope with so much friction and therefore the smooth closing and opening of the door is affected. The best and easiest way of dealing with this problem is that you lubricate the tracks, springs as well as hinges with a lubricant such as WD-40. Do make sure that all these parts are given a good clean before applying any lubricant.

• In the winter months, it is not uncommon for the garage doors, mainly the ones made out of wood to contract because of the cold weather. Insulated doors don’t face this problem as much as non-insulated ones but again, general lubrication of the moving parts of the garage door should reduce the problem, if not completely eliminate it.

• The sides of the doors are lined with weather stripping that may have become sticky over time. This weather stripping may need adjusting from time to time to make sure it is not jamming against the sides. It may also need replacement if it has expanded and contracted due to extreme weather conditions. Garage Door Repair Houston would be able to come out and do the necessary repairs for you.

• Very often, in the winters, the garage door gets jammed and doesn’t open very well. The answer to this problem may be as simple as the bottom of the door getting stuck to the floor due to the freezing weather. The simplest way of dealing with this problem is by using some WD-40 at the base of the door, thereby creating a thin film between the door and the ground.

• Very often, the solution of the door not closing properly may be as simple as a thin sheet of ice or water on the photosensitive eye. You may need to give it a good wipe every so often to make sure that it keeps functioning properly.

• Finally, it is always advisable to call a professional in to service your garage door once every few months and fall may just the right time to do it. Also, parts like the extension spring are under extreme tension and it is not advisable to touch them if you don’t know what you’re doing. Call a professional company such as Garage Door Houston and get your garage door serviced once every few months.