How to Winterize Your Garage Door
You change the filter on the furnace. You top-up the antifreeze in your car. You buy road salt for the driveway. You do them all because you want to minimize the chances of an accident or inconvenience in the middle of winter.
So why don’t you winterize your garage door? It might not be a disaster, but the moment your garage door decides to not work will probably be the coldest, stormiest and darkest moment of the winter.
It might be a ways off, but now’s the best time to get your garage door ready for winter.
4 Steps to Winterize Your Garage Door
This is mainly just good-sense, regular maintenance to keep your garage door in good working condition.
1. Look and Listen
To the garage door opener that is. If it conks out, the door won’t open. When the door is in operation, listen for unusual sounds of grinding in the motor and squealing from the metal parts of the door.
Also look at the door as it raises and lowers. Make sure the bottom of the door stays parallel to the floor and that the door doesn’t ‘lurch’ as it travels.
2. Check That the Safety Features are Working
Sticking with the opener, it’s important the door’s two main safety features are working properly.
For the first safety feature, put a 2X4 on the garage floor across the line where the door touches the floor. Trigger the door to close. It should automatically stop and go backwards when it hits the 2×4.
You can test the second safety feature with a stick and empty cardboard box. Use the stick to push the box into the path of the door as it closes. Stay well away from the door’s path. The door should stop and reverse as the box goes between the two photo eyes on either side of the door opening.
3. Fasten Connections Where Needed
There are metal hinges between each garage door panel. The tracks along which the rollers run are connected to the ceiling of the garage. And so too is the garage door opener. Check all their fasteners and connections for tightness.
4. Add Lubrication
Lubricate the rubber seals between the door panels, along the bottom of the door and around the door frame. Lubricate moving metal parts including the door hinges, cables, springs, and rollers.
There’s no guaranteeing that you’ll survive the winter without a garage door issue. But there are lots you can do to minimize it. And if you run into problems, contact Markham Garage Door. We’re happy to help in any way we can.