Cold Weather Garage Door Maintenance

When the temperature gets to the level of freezing (or far below it), garage doors and openers begin to have problems. Since the temperature is now well below 0 here in Logan, Utah, we thought a few cold weather garage door maintenance tips would help you out!

1. Begin by removing any gunk or grease build up on the garage door tracks. Everyday use can cause dirt and debris to build up interfering with the opening and closing of the garage door. Simply wipe out the tracks with a clean cloth.

2. Next, lubricate all moving parts. Let’s begin with the rollers, hinges and springs.  The most common lubricant is WD-40, but you can use a good silicone spray or garage door lubricant spray. All of these can be purchased at your local hardware store or on-line. Start by spraying the springs. Spray the full length of each spring several times. Next spray each hinge. After that is complete move to the rollers. Using a garage door remote, open your garage door. As it is going up spray all of the rollers on one side. Now shut the door and as it is closing spray all the rollers on the other side. **If you have ball bearing rollers you will need to use heavy motor oil as a lubricant NOT the above mentioned lubricants***

3. Lubricating the opener rail is the next step. It is best to use a light grease, or even better, a low temperature grease. Again you can find these products at your local hardware store, on-line or from your garage door repairman such as us.  Just put the grease on your finger and run it down the rail where the trolley travels. Then run your garage door up and down a few times.

4. Now that all the parts are lubricated try these other cold weather garage door maintenance tips:
–To avoid your garage door from freezing and sticking to the ground, keep your bottom rubber seal clean and dry. If you let ice and water build up under your garage door then there is a possibility that the bottom rubber seal will freeze to the ground. If the door is frozen and you try to open the door with the electric opener the top section will bend and can result in major damage. Use a cloth and wipe off the bottom rubber seal and and keep all moisture away from the bottom of the door.
–Keep the safety sensors free from snow. In an attempt to keep the snow out of our garages we sometimes bump the sensors that are located near the bottom of each side of the garage. Make sure they are aligned and that the lens’s are wiped clean from debris and dirt. Be sure not to block the sensors with snow, snow shovels or other items. If the sensors are blocked or out of alignment the garage door will not shut properly.

5. Very cold temperatures can cause springs to break. If you have a broken spring, call Anderson Garage Doors and we will be out in a hurry to help you.

With these simple DIY cold weather garage door maintenance tips you will enjoy a troublesome free winter. It is a good idea to repeat these maintenance steps several times a year to avoid unnecessary problems.

Anderson Garage Doors can answer your troubleshooting questions so give us a quick call and let us keep you safe and warm over these next few months of winter. You can also email us at anderson.door.ut@gmail.com. We appreciate your business!