Ways Cold Weather Affects Your Garage Door
Not being able to use your garage door at any time of the year is inconvenient, but when your garage door breaks in the winter, it is insult to injury in addition to the cold temperatures. With that being said, the cold weather season is the worst time of year for garage door failure. The metal components of your garage door will expand and contract from cold temperatures (especially here in Wisconsin); this will often create problems. From broken garage door springs to the garage door freezing to the ground, we will walk you through two different ways cold weather affects your garage door and some simple tips that can help you diagnose and potentially solve the problem yourself, saving you time and money.
The number one way cold weather affects your garage door is broken garage door springs. In order to save money before this happens, property owners can have a safety cable installed. This safety cable exerts force to counter the weight of the door. Most people don’t have the time or inclination to replace their broken garage door spring themselves, so you can call the experts at Modern Overhead Door to install new garage door springs.
As a home or business owner, the best way to prevent broken garage door springs are maintenance checks. The biggest reason garage door springs break is due to wear and tear. Most garage door springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles. When you think about the average homeowner cycles their garage door at least four times a day just going to work and back, that comes out to approximately 1,200 times a year just for work. Then you add in errands, kids, etc. and you can burn through almost five to six thousand cycles a year easily. A way to check your garage door springs is to lift the door halfway up and let it go. If your garage door springs are good working order, the garage door should remain completely still. If your garage door falls a bit, the springs are starting to show some wear.
Another way cold weather affects your garage door is by freezing the garage door to the ground. Pull the emergency release cord so you can manually open your garage door. Then pull up on the garage door to see if you can provide enough leverage to break the seal. If that does not work, you can go outside and scrape the ice between the bottom of the door and the concrete using an ice scraper or if you have one, use a heat gun to melt the ice. While not the best option, you can pour hot water along the base of the door. This option does fix the problem but has the potential to create more ice which is hazardous. If you have time and the weather is right, leave the garage door open so the ice will melt.
Winter is an extreme season in Appleton, Ripon, Green Lake, Berlin, Appleton, Greenville, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Waupun, Lomira, Princeton, Markesan, Poy Sippi, Redgranite, Wautoma, Westfield, Montello, Marquette, Columbus, Randolph, Brandon, Waupaca, Kingston and Weyauwega, Fremont areas. Freezing temperatures and increased precipitation can wreak havoc on many areas of your home, including your garage door. For this reason, our team at Modern Overhead Door is here to help with broken garage door springs and any and all garage door repairs, as well as regular maintenance. Contact us today.