If you are like most homeowners, you work extremely hard to keep every part of your residence working efficiently. Many homes in the United States have garages attached to them. Sealing off this space with the help of a quality garage door is imperative. Failing to provide your garage door with proper maintenance can lead to serious problems developing over time.
During the winter months, your garage door will be exposed to brutally cold temperatures. Recent data released by Farmers’ Almanac shows that the winter of 2022 will be extremely frigid. Knowing how the cold can affect your garage door can help you adequately prepare for the winter ahead.
Watch Out For Lubrication Issues
The opener attached to your garage has a number of moving parts. One of the main things these moving parts need to operate correctly is the proper amount of lubrication. When cold weather moves into your area, the lubricant on these moving parts might change consistency.
If your garage door gets stuck when going up, then you are probably seeing signs of poor lubrication. When lubricant thickens up as a result of cold temperatures, it will be unable to adequately spread to all moving parts. Avoiding this problem will require the use of lubrication with the right viscosity rating. This rating will give you an indication of the lowest temperature a certain lubricant can withstand.
The Threat of Broken Springs
When your garage door appears to be misaligned or slams down to the ground, this is an indication that your springs are damaged. The average door spring can last around 10,000 cycles before needing to be replaced. Exposure to freezing cold temperatures can wreak havoc on your garage door springs.
If you want to stay a step ahead of spring-related issues, then conducting a manual lift test routinely is important. This test will require you to bring your door up to the halfway open point and release it. If the door remains in the halfway open position, then your springs are doing their job. However, if the door slams shut once you release it, contact professionals to take a look at your springs.
Cold Weather Can Expose Insulation Issues
There are a handful of garage door repair issues that are easy to overlook. Drafts are among the most common problems a homeowner can overlook. When colder weather moves in, you will be able to easily detect drafts around your garage door. Standing inside your warm garage and seeing if you can feel cold air coming from around the door is a good idea.
If you do detect drafts around your garage door, then you have to take action. Replacing the weather stripping is a great way to address a draft. Ignoring this problem can result in higher than normal energy bills. The last thing you want to do is put your heating unit in a bind, which is why fixing garage door drafts is so important.
H & L Garage Doors can help you fix winter-related garage door problems.
