The most common garage door problems when it’s cold
Are you approaching the cold days and not sure what recipe it brings to your home and particularly your garage door? Do not give a sweat. The garage is a very crucial part of your home, serving many other duties apart from storing your vehicle. This place can be a store for many household equipment and other tools that can help with fixing the door itself. It must be, therefore, very accessible at all times without experiencing any problems. Cold weather comes with a variety of challenges, and as a homeowner, you must be prepared to handle such issues, especially those that directly affect the garage door. Garage doors are made for longevity. However, when it comes to cold, they become susceptible to a number of door problems. Some of the most common garage door problems when it’s cold are discussed below.
Excess Grease
Grease and any other lubricant are integral parts of any moving parts of a machine. They help the garage door springs and gears to operate smoothly with low friction. However, when your garage door has excess grease while winter is approaching, you should not take it easy. Too much grease may freeze on the door tracks causing the rollers to jump out of alignment. This is dangerous, and therefore a balance between enough lubricant too much lubrication must be established.
Most lubricating greases are meant to be used under extremely hot conditions. This is what makes them very effective in the high-power conditions found in engines that produce more heat while under operation. However, low temperatures can harden grease, thickening it to the point where it makes a very poor lubricant. Always avoid this from occurring in your garage door by removing excess, old, hardened grease using a solvent before winter. This can then be replaced with a silicone-based oil for better door performances during the cold season.
Contracting Metal
As a normal behavior, metals respond to changes in temperature by expanding in hot weather and contracting in cold weather. Garage door parts such as springs, screws, and many other components are therefore expected to contract or shrink in the cold months. This kind of behavior will affect the normal operation of the garage door. However, it cannot be prevented.
Nonetheless, the problems can be mitigated by adding more lubrication to the spring. While doing this, remember to keep oil away from the tracks to prevent the door from jumping off the tracks, as explained in the first problem.
Weather-stripping failure
If water freezes near a closed garage door, weather stripping may stick to the ground causing it to be ripped off when the door is opened. When this happens, poor insulation may make your garage colder, resulting in unbearable energy losses.
Broken springs
Garage door springs tend to become more stiff in cold weather. As a door feature that helps to keep the garage door weight secure and balanced, when it becomes stiffer, the resulting high pressure causes the springs to break more frequently.