With the temperatures dropping, most people will forget all about the garage door until something bad happens. When the UK cold weather and dampness comes, it helps your garage door to prepare for it now so you don’t have to later. Up and over, or a sectional, or even a Gliderol roller door type, it all comes to the same basics of protecting the moving elements and draught prevention, small issues over time become huge problems.
Why Winter Is Hard on Garage Doors
Though built to withstand the elements, cold weather poses some unique issues for garage doors. Most notably, metal parts contract with cold, leading to stiffness across the door’s moving parts. Rubber seals contract and become hard, letting water and draughts into the garage. Lubricants that were perfect one season become too thick or wash away, leaving joints and rollers dry. Perhaps most concerning, water exposure to any electrical components in a door controlled by a garage door opener can lead to costly repair and replacement rather than the usual preventative maintenance or repair.
Common Winter Faults
- A door that becomes noisy or stiff to open and close
- Draughts and cold spots around the edges of the door
- Inside of your garage is wet or damp from condensation.
- Automated openers that respond slowly or intermittently
- Rust forming on hinges, tracks, or fixings
Checking and Replacing Weather Seals
The rubber seal along the base and sides of the door provides the first line of defence against the weather. Like most seals, they can degrade after a couple winters, resulting in cracks, deterioration, and even falls from their track. Each gap, splits, and flat spots along the seal are points of weakness that allow water to penetrate the door and enter your house. Look for gaps where light is able to pass through.
An important task before winter to help save on home heating costs is replacing a worn seal on garage doors. Many garage door manufacturers, like Hormann, sell replacement seals. You may want to confirm the correct part and not use a generic door seal that may not seal properly with your installer or supplier.
Insulation Matters Too
Consider insulation if you use your garage as a workshop or if it is attached to the house. Insulated sectional garage doors and foam backed panels on an up-and-over door can help control the temperature and reduce condensation in your garage.
Lubricating Moving Parts
Movement of hinges, rollers, tracks, and springs is facilitated by a thin film of lubricant. Before the approach of winter, remove old grease and dirt with rust with a dry cloth. Apply a silicone spray lubricant in place of the household oil, which can actually attract dust and grime.
- Apply light, even coats of hinges & rollers and wipe off any excess.
- Thoroughly clean Tracks first, as grit and debris cause more wear than lubricant.
- Springs – A light spritz should do it. Avoid over application, as it can attract and hold dirt.
- Locks and cylinders – a graphite-based lubricant helps prevent locks from sticking or freezing where they aren’t supposed to.
Automated and Electric Doors
A garage door fitted with an electric operator can behave erratically in cold weather, and older operators can be particularly sensitive. It can start to move slowly, stall, or reverse. If your garage door moves slowly to start, this isn’t too much of a problem. However, it is worth monitoring the behaviour of your garage door for the first few cold days of the season. If you see the garage door reversing, stalling, or even stopping, then this is definitely a problem and you should stop using the garage to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the operators.
Battery Backup and Remote Controls
Winter has cold temperatures and nasty weather that causes problems for batteries. It is a good time to check or replace your batteries. If your garage door opener uses batteries (as a backup) or if you have a weak signal on your remote controls, you don’t want to be stuck in the garage during a winter storm.
A Simple Pre-Winter Checklist
- Inspect the weather seal around the door and replace if necessary.
- Use soap and water to clean hinges, rollers, tracks, and springs.
- Make sure door opens and closes throughout its range.
- Look for signs of rust on metal fixings and address as early as possible.
- Test the automated opener and check the battery backup, if present
- Clear gutters or drainage near the garage entrance to prevent water pooling against the door
With bad winter weather just around the corner, it’s important that you take the time to run through most of the points in this checklist to avoid potential problems with garage door operation in the months ahead. Replacing rubber seals or topping up lube may take some time, but it costs a lot less than getting a stuck garage door freed on a freezing winter’s morning. If you’ve done all the checks and something just isn’t quite right, then it’s worth getting a professional opinion before the problem has a chance to get worse.
