Over 15 Years of Experience 
As the winter season sets in, you will have to take extra care of your garage door to protect it from the negative effects of a colder climate. And in some cases, these can even lead to accidents. To help you identify such potentially dangerous situations, we look at three ways how winter affects your garage door.
Proper Lubrication
In order for the garage door to move properly, it must be lubricated. If the lubrication gets frozen, is scarce, or is present in excessive quantities, then it will negatively affect the way the door moves. The moving parts will refuse to function. And even if they function, it won’t be as smooth as it normally should. This disjointed working can eventually lead to an accident if you are careless when getting your car out of the garage.
Damage From Water
In cases where garage doors are made of wood, you face the danger of water buildup. During winter, these wooden doors will absorb the moisture and can end up swelling. Eventually, the frame and the door might develop space between them which results in both of them rubbing against each other. In some cases, the door will remain stuck. Trying to get such a door to move will involve applying pressure to it.
If you are not careful in such a situation, there is a good chance of an accident happening. As such, it is recommended that you try to avoid the wooden garage doors from becoming damp. One way to do this is to ensure that the rain gutters in the immediate surrounding areas are kept clear. This makes sure that water is not constantly splashed on the door, which, in turn, prevents swelling.
Weather Stripping
On almost all garage doors, there will be an airtight rubber stripping at the bottom that blocks out the outside cold air from getting inside the premises. If it has been long since the stripping has been in place, then there is a chance it might harden and eventually crack.
This allows cold air to get inside, not only potentially damaging the items you store in the garage, but the garage door itself making it important that you regularly check the weather stripping at the bottom of the door during the winter months. If you happen to discover cracks, you will want to get the stripping replaced as soon as possible.
Salt Lake City Garage Door Service
Properly maintaining garage doors during harsher climates will go a long way to sustaining them as well as preventing accidents. For more information or to schedule professional garage door repair and service, contact Universal Garage Door Repair today.
Universal Garage Door Repair
2150 South 1300 East, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, UT 84106
(801) 784-4550