5 Tips for Winter Garage Door Maintenance
With winter fast approaching, it’s important to consider how the harsh winter conditions might affect and/or damage your garage door. Cold temperatures, sleet, and rain can all affect how your garage door operates. Follow these quick 5 tips to prepare your garage door for the winter months before they arrive!
Oh, and just a quick reminder—if you don’t feel comfortable performing any of these preparatory steps, don’t hesitate to contact a professional like us. We can perform preventative maintenance on your garage door and inspect it for any issues it might face during the winter months.
- Wipe Down the Weather Stripping
- Lubricate
Lubrication will make your garage door more weather-resistant and strengthen its material. Before the temperature begins to drop, coat all of your garage door’s metal parts (and the weather stripping, too) with a lubricant to keep your door fully functional. Don’t forget to remove any excess lubricant. After lubrication, open and close your garage door to make sure it is well-balanced and functioning smoothly without any jumps or kicks.
- Replace the Keypad Battery
If you have an external keypad for your garage door, it can be easy to overlook when considering preventative maintenance. Extreme winter conditions, however, can damage your keypad and quickly drain the battery. Replace the keypad’s battery before the winter to make sure it survives the cold months, and check it regularly to see if the lower temperatures, ice, or rain have damaged the keypad.
- Remove Any Ice
If ice or frozen rain ever builds up on or around your door, remove it as soon as possible. Ice can cause serious problems with the opening and closing of your garage door. Use salt or a shovel to melt or remove the ice, and check your garage door for smooth operation afterwards.
- Consider Installing Insulation
Insulation will make a significant difference in the temperature within your garage interior, making it more comfortable in the winter months while simultaneously protecting any fragile items you might have in the garage. Plus, insulating your garage door will help reduce your energy bills and save you money!
Weather strips prevent moisture and cold air from creeping inside your garage, and they are typically made out of rubber. Because they play such an important role in protecting your garage door, it’s important to clean the weather stripping and inspect it for tearing before the winter or any harsh season. To clean your weather stripping, simply spray it with bleach cleaner or scrub it down with dish soap. This will eliminate any mildew or dirt buildup, which will ultimately make the weather stripping last longer and keep your garage door protected all winter.
Again, if you have any concerns about these maintenance tips, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our experienced technicians can help prevent minor problems from turning into big ones during the harsh winter months. We offer regular preventive maintenance and repair services to ensure your garage door operates optimally in every season.