Five Reasons Your Garage Door Is Sticking This Winter

Everyone gets busy and loses track of home or garage maintenance tasks at some point or another. Perhaps you forgot to lubricate the tracks on your garage door. Maybe you put oil on the weatherstripping, but your garage door still sticks to the ground when you open it. Sometimes, you can do all the maintenance, but your garage door still has issues opening and closing correctly. We address these issues and give you tips to improve the movement of your garage door below.

Lubricants harden in the cold temperatures

Oils and greases get thick and dense when winter weather hits. Colder temperatures cause lubrication to seize up and get gummy. When hard grease sits in the garage door track, it causes the door to catch when in operation. You can identify this issue by watching the door go up and down. You can perform this check while you sit in your car waiting for it to warm up or when you have a few minutes of downtime. Seeing where the hitch happens can let you determine where the problem is and how many areas you need to address.

Weatherstripping sticks to the ground

Ice, snow, and salt buildup eat away at the lubrication you put across your weatherstripping at the bottom and sides of the garage door. After several snow events, your door lubrication wears away. You can reapply the oil or grease as many times as you need in a winter season. Begin by cleaning the bottom of the door with an all-purpose cleaner or deicer if the temperatures are freezing outside. Check the insulating material for cracks. If the material is broken, then you may want to replace it right away because broken weatherstripping lets water and ice buildup inside the insulation causing more sticking.

Metal contracts with freezing conditions

The rollers and springs in your garage door will shrink and expand as the temperatures outside cool down and heat back up. The freezing and thawing cycle can be harmful to your garage door causing metal panels and parts to break. Your springs, rollers, and bearings can also have these problems. When you combine metal contraction with hard grease, your garage door can have serious issues in cold temperatures.

Garage door tracks contort with cold temperatures

The metal in the tracks for your door are just as susceptible to warping and deterioration as any other component in your garage door. The tracks may be even more vulnerable because of how often you open and shut the door. When you have several family members accessing the garage each day, problems can come up quicker. If your door sticks in the same spot and you cannot find any hard grease, then look carefully at the track to see if the metal has any visible signs of pinching, expansion, or breaks.

Ice causes faulty hardware to fail

Your rollers and springs are other areas the ice can infiltrate and damage. Ice can get between metal parts and the changing temperatures cause expansion and contraction. If you have year-round heat in your garage, then this problem is less likely but can still happen. When you suspect your springs have damage, it is vital to call a specialist to inspect the springs because replacing these parts is dangerous. Springs are under tension and require a professional garage door repair person to perform fixes and replacements properly.

Lubricating your garage door does more than keeping it quiet

Too little grease can let rust form and cause your garage door to seize up or break. The key to solving this issue is to check the door frequently and look for signs of rust, dry spots, and hard grease. If you find gunky lubrication, then you should get rid of it and apply a new coat of oil or grease. Start by removing the old grease and lubricating material with a clean cloth before applying a new coat. Preventing rust will help you get the most life out of your garage door saving you money in the long run.

Regular checks for ice buildup can identify bigger problems

Seasonal inspections can help you spot small issues before they become disastrous. No one wants to go outside to leave for work to find out the garage door will not close leaving your belongings open to theft and damage from the elements. By adding an alert to your smartphone or penciling in a check on the calendar, you can remind yourself to do routine garage door inspections. Looking for signs of rust, warping, hard or missing lubrication, and performing routine safety checks will only take a little time each season, but they can save you thousands of dollars in repairs and an emergency call to the garage door specialist.

Fox News says you can install a garage heater to reduce sticking. With regular inspections and lubrication, you can keep your garage door from sticking. When you have problems, we hope these five reasons can help you spot the issue quickly and get you back on track. Commonwealth Garage Door specialists are happy to answer any questions you have about sticking garage doors at 804-920-9677.

Additional references:

https://www.doorsys.com/about-us/news/garage-door-quiet

https://www.foxnews.com/real-estate/5-ways-to-prepare-your-garage-for-winter

https://www.garagedoorspecialist.net/blog/winter-garage-door-maintenance-tips/

https://www.overheaddoors.com/blog/garage-door-wont-open-in-cold/