6 Ways to Keep Your Garage Door From Freezing
Have you ever experienced the frustration of waking up to find your garage door is frozen? If so, you know how inconvenient and time-consuming a frozen garage door can be.
If your garage door won't open, it's worth investigating whether it needs some minor adjustments or a full repair by a garage door specialist.
The good news is that there are some easy ways you can prevent your garage door from freezing. With a bit of preparation and maintenance, you can make sure your garage door will function properly all winter long!
keep snow and water away
It's a good idea to remove any accumulated water, ice, and snow from around the garage threshold before the temperature drops below freezing. Catching these issues early can prevent future problems. Almost all cases of frozen garage doors are caused by improper drainage. If water or ice builds up near your garage door, you will most likely find that your door freezes at some point, so you will need to take steps to ensure that water drains from your garage door.
Water and ice can damage the door section, metal tracks and seals of your garage door. The main damage caused by standing water is rust. Purchase a floor squeegee and regularly push out any standing water. Make sure to keep the garage door open when scraping, sweeping or shoveling.
Maintain Your Garage Door Regularly
Keeping garage doors and openers in good working order requires regular maintenance. To keep your garage door from freezing, you should maintain it year-round. This is especially true during the winter months, when inclement weather can be especially brutal.
In cold weather, be sure to inspect the entire system—tracks, hinges, rollers, and springs—for any signs of wear or damage that could affect proper operation. If something doesn't look right, have it checked out by a professional right away, before winter sets in.
open and close doors
Your instinct may be to stay inside when the thermostat drops, but make sure you don't overlook your garage door. Regularly operating the door will help keep snow or ice from accumulating around the weatherstripping.
If your garage door has jammed, you can use a manual release cord to disconnect it from the opener. Manually open and close the door a few times to clear any ice that might be preventing it from functioning properly. If the door is frozen to the ground, you may need to use a metal shovel or pry bar to pry it free from the ice. When you're done, simply pull the wire toward the door again to reconnect it with the opener.
sprinkle some sand
You read that right. Sanding the bottom of your garage door is an effective way to keep your door from freezing. If you have steel doors, do not use salt as it is very corrosive.
This layer should be placed where the bottom edge of the door meets the ground, such as along any cracks or gaps that may exist between concrete or asphalt sections.
hot car outside
As tempting as it is to warm up your car in the garage, don't do it. Carbon monoxide can still reach dangerous levels even if you open the door.
Additionally, the heat generated by the vehicle can cause the snow and ice around the garage door to melt. If your garage isn't heated, you'll soon see those puddles refreeze as soon as you leave.
final thoughts
Keeping your garage door from freezing is critical to keeping your door looking its best year-round. With the steps we've provided, you should be able to keep your garage door running safely and efficiently throughout the winter.
