Winter Garage Door Maintenance

What’s the easiest way to make a cold winter day even worse? A garage door that doesn’t work. Luckily, we here at the Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky have seen every sort of garage door disaster imaginable and we know how to prepare for all of them. By following the easy precautions below, your garage door will not only survive but thrive during the later winter months.

The Details Matter

If you used Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky to design your dream garage door, chances are, you put some thought into the details. Maybe you added some windows, interesting metal work, or a particular handle. Regardless of the features, you took your time to make sure that you got the exact look you desired. Don’t let these details fall by the wayside. Take the time to make sure that those windows are properly sealed, the metal is polished, and the handle is free of any snow or ice. After all, they looked amazing when you purchased them, and you want to keep them that way.

Keep It Clean

In case you haven’t heard, wood and water aren’t the best of friends. Same goes for steel and H2O. In addition to harming the functionality, the aesthetic damage to your garage door can be considerable during the frosty months. Warping, rust, and water damage can all be prevented by washing your garage door with a mild cleaner and giving it a wipe down with a soft towel. Just make sure to save this for one of the days when you don’t have to throw on a parka to do it.

Grease it Up

Ensuring your garage door’s moving parts – the rollers, tracks, springs, and hinges – are properly lubricated is imperative during the cold, snowy month. The elements can cause corrosive damage and buildup on everything listed above. This, in turn, leads to friction in your system and your motor having to work much harder than it should. Putting in the effort by adding a little elbow grease – and, in this case, literal grease – can go a long way. Spraying your system, with a thin, even coat of a lubricant like WD-40 should do the trick.

Check the Balance

Balance probably isn’t something that springs to mind when you’re thinking of garage door maintenance. If you think about it, when you’re pulling something straight up that weighs a few hundred pounds, you ideally want to spread out the weight as evenly as possible. Alas, it’s not always that easy during winter time. The combination of water and cold air can cause the metal elements of your garage door to warp which can lead to one side pulling more than the other. If you think this might be the case, check to see, but never, in any circumstance tinker with your setup yourself as doing so can be extremely dangerous.

 

If you are in need of any repairs, a replacement door, or would like to get more information on how to keep your garage door in tip-top shape this winter, call the Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky at the number below.

 

(270) 554-5162