Blowing snow and harsh winds can certainly have their way with your home’s exterior this time of year, but would it surprise you to learn that it’s not only exterior items that undergo strain? Indeed, certain parts of your garage door, no matter the brand or format, have to bring their A game to the colder months to serve your family faithfully—and if they take too much of a hit, you could be stuck with a service interruption, which is not something you want to deal with during one of our state’s brisk subzero streaks!
We’re talking, as this blog’s title implies, about your garage door’s metal facets—in other words, your garage door springs, garage door tracks, and more. Learn just what’s so tough about winter for these parts of your garage door below, as well as how to make sure you see them into springtime in one piece.
Metal and Cold Don’t Mix
Even if your garage is insulated, it’s unlikely to ever be as warm as your home, though the effects and benefits of insulation are indeed significant, as we covered in our garage door company blog “4 Reasons to Buy an Insulated Garage Door.” And because your garage is unlikely, especially during subzero weather, to be as warm as your living space, your garage door’s metal parts are sometimes subjected to the cold—which is something that, to put it lightly, they don’t enjoy.
Indeed, springs and cables can freeze, which will make opening and closing your garage door incredibly difficult and perhaps even unsafe. You’re obviously unlikely to encounter this problem barring extremely cold weather, but it still can cause a service interruption.
Plus, metal contracts in the cold. While you’re unlikely to notice a visible difference in this respect when it comes to your garage door installation, the minute changes contraction can create can add subtle added strain to the machine, as garage doors are designed to function within very specific physical parameters.
Finally, of course, there is the problem of rust. Winter is a highly humid time of year, which in turn can create issues for metal of all types, not just your garage door. On top of winter’s humidity, you’ve got salt and deicers to deal with; according to Hunker, such substances “greatly increase the rate at which rust forms on buildings, vehicles and other structures.” If you’re unprepared, you could be heading right towards a rust-related service interruption come spring!
What Can I Do About it?
First of all, don’t panic. Residential and commercial garage door installations have existed in Minnesota for quite a long time, and they’ve served countless families just like yours faithfully. In fact, with just a little preventative maintenance, your garage door will fare just fine against the cold, no matter how low the temperatures drop. Check out the list of to-dos below!
Mind Your Lubricants
If you’ve kept up with our garage door repair blog, you’ll have learned all about this topic from the entry “What’s the Best Lubricant to Use on a Squeaky Garage Door?”. The gist of the matter, though, is that the application of such products is an important part of keeping the moving, metal parts of your garage door healthy and strain-free. It’s thus a great first step to take to see these parts through the colder months, wherein they’ll necessarily endure additional stress.
However, be careful what type of lubricant you use! Silicone-based stuff is a much better choice when the weather gets cold because it can provide some waterproofing, which in turn could help guard against the winter season’s high humidity levels.
Consider an Insulated Model
It’s always helpful to know the risks when it comes to cold weather and garage doors, but with an insulated model, you’re unlikely to deal with very many of them, for obvious reasons. Our brand of choice, Clopay, proves the effectiveness of its models’ insulation in its buyer’s guide. Many times, it can keep your garage far above freezing despite the outdoors not being likewise!
Invest in Regular Garage Door Maintenance
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the old cliche goes—and garage doors are no exception to this line of thinking. If you want to get the most out of this machine through the winter, you’ll need periodic inspections from a garage door company. They’ll be able to pick up on small problems before they snowball into a service interruption. Such a company will also tell you how to best take care of your particular model of garage door, which, in addition to prolonging the machine’s life, will reduce your repair costs in the future and bring you peace of mind.
Door Power: Striving to Provide Same-Day Garage Door Services
If Minnesotan mayhem gets the better of your garage door, rest assured that we’ll do our best to be there that very same day. Give our Norwood garage door repair pros a call now at 952-467-3199.