There is nothing more frustrating than trying to open your garage door during the cold season and discovering that it doesn't work. When it happens, it becomes a massive inconvenience because you cannot access your vehicle to go to work. A stuck garage door can be a reason to panic in the morning, but it shouldn't be. You can try and troubleshoot the possible reasons it won't open. Consider these four common reasons why your door has failed.
Solidified Lubricant
Grease and other lubricants are essential for the smooth functioning of your garage door. If you operate without lubricating it, you risk damaging it with friction between the moving parts. However, when the weather becomes cold, the grease becomes cold and makes the moving parts stick together. When it happens, the door becomes difficult to operate. You can try and get the temperature inside the garage up, as it might help melt the grease and ease the movement.
Damaged Springs
Damage to the garage door springs also leads to failure in the winter. When the weather gets cold, metal contracts, cracks, and breaks. Therefore, there is a higher possibility of your door springs snapping in the winter than in the summer. However, it is not advisable to try and fix this problem by yourself. This part of the mechanism carries massive weight, and tampering with it can lead to accidents. Instead, call a trusted garage door technician to assess and fix the problem.
Too Little Lubrication
Your door could also stop working in the cold season because the moving parts do not have enough lubrication. You should always check the components and ensure they have the right measure of lubricant to keep them moving. If you have not greased the door in a while, you should consider doing it before trying to get it to open. In warm weather, those with little grease will still operate with minimum noise. However, when the temperatures drop, it will get stuck.
Track Misalignment
Warping or misalignment of the tracks is more common in the cold season because of the contraction and expansion caused by weather changes. Humidity could also accelerate the warping. Only a technician can realign and open it.
You do not have to suffer from a dysfunctional door this winter. Call a garage door repair technician for the problems you cannot resolve on your own. They will help you get the door back to alignment and efficient functionality.
Share24 January 2022
I'm Megan Moore. I have always been very security-conscious ever since I woke up to find an intruder rummaging through my belongings in my living room. I never wanted this to happen again, so I purchased a state-of-the-art security system. But despite the security measures that I put in place, my home was still burglarized. The problem was with my garage door. Somehow, a burglar was able to get the code to the garage door opener. I realized that my garage was my weak link and I set out to learn everything I could about garage doors and garage door security.