Six Winter Garage Door Maintenance Tips
You may have noticed the weather started to change last month, with more rain and colder mornings. That means autumn is here and that the weather will only start to get colder and wetter. With more time spent at home than ever before, this is a good opportunity to keep an eye on your garage door and do some maintenance in preparation for winter.
Your garage not only provides security for your home, but it can also add a layer of thermal insulation if kept in top condition – something which can help to keep your heating bills down. With this in mind, Doormatic are here with six winter garage maintenance tips to help you keep your garage door at its best.
Regular Cleaning
If you’re diligent about your cleaning schedule, you probably don’t need to worry too much, but if you’ve neglected to clean your garage door, now would be a good time. This isn’t a one-off task either, since debris, foliage and muck will all make their way to your garage door. Clear the space in front of your garage, clean the door itself and take a cloth to any components which are caked in grime – just don’t wipe away your lubricant accidentally.
Lubricate Your Door
To keep a smooth action for your garage door in winter, make sure you refresh the lubrication on the moving parts. You can remove any built-up gunk and grime from these areas with a cloth as long as you replace and evenly distribute the fresh lubricant. This will ensure your door has a fighting chance when we get into colder, frostier weather and saves you struggling against the elements with a stiff, stubborn garage door mechanism.
Check Your Weather Seal
If your garage door has a weather seal – a small, raised ridge along the floor at the entrance of your garage – you should check that it’s still clean and intact. This will ensure that you keep as much cold air, debris and water out of your garage as possible. These items are tough, so shouldn’t need replacing very often but can sometimes be damaged or come loose – something you don’t want during a storm or extremely cold temperatures. It will also help to keep out pests who might seek shelter in your garage during winter by trying to slip under the door.
Test The Balance
It can be difficult enough to open your garage in winter, battling the wind and rain while wearing gloves. The last thing you need is a garage door which is stiff or unbalanced. Now is a good time to test this, checking that it’s easy and smooth to lift the door, without too much strain on either side. If the balance of weight feels off, it could be that your springs or cables are damaged and require attention from a garage door professional.
Check Remote Batteries
The luxury of automatic garage doors is amplified in winter since you don’t have to get out of your car in bad weather; you can just roll into the garage and unload the car while keeping dry. However, you won’t want your remote to run out of power once the weather turns, leaving you scrabbling for spares and having to open the garage manually in the pouring rain. Check your batteries and maybe change them if you haven’t done this in quite some time. You can find out more about garage door remote issues in our previous piece.
Observe Your Garage
A more general tip, but one worth noting: keep an eye on your garage door. The more you pay attention to your garage, the sooner you’ll catch early faults. If you ignore small issues, they tend to only get worse over time and are exacerbated by cold weather. Does your garage door make a noise when it opens? Can you hear it rattling in the wind? Observation is your best bet throughout autumn and winter, allowing you to call in the experts for maintenance or a replacement garage door if required.
At Doormatic, we can offer professional maintenance to help you with any and all issues you might face in winter weather. We schedule our maintenance service to your schedule and can work with any garage door style to keep all components in the best possible working condition. Our expert engineers can also recommend remedial work to help prevent future issues and save you from needing to replace your door.
Book maintenance and repair work for your garage door today before the bad weather hits. We’re always happy to offer advice and work around your needs.
