Winter is coming. We don’t mean to alarm you, but it’s the truth. But before those freezing temperatures arrive, there are some steps you can take to prepare and protect your garage door and keep the cold drafts where they belong—outdoors.
Winterizing your garage in the fall may seem like you’re jumping the gun, but prepping your door before the temperature drops can help prevent winter problems and make maintenance easier before the bitter cold sets in.
So, what type of fall garage door maintenance should you add to your to-do list? Let’s dive into the most common steps you can take today.
Check for Air and Light Gaps Around the Door
When the temperature drops, you don’t want to feel that bitter chill while inside your garage. Your garage door’s insulation (R-value) will play a part in how well it keeps the cold out. However, there are steps you can take to ensure your door, no matter its R-value, helps keep drafts at bay.
The first thing to do is check that your garage door doesn’t have any gaps where air is getting through. One way to combat this is to replace the seals. If daylight is showing beneath your door, you can help keep out wind, snow and cold air by replacing the bottom seal or adding weatherstripping around your door.
Inspect and Clean the Garage Door Tracks
Keeping your garage door operating smoothly throughout the colder months is a great way to limit how long the door needs to stay open and let cold air in.
Visually checking your rollers and springs for wear and sweeping out fallen leaves, dirt or debris that can get packed in the tracks over the summer months can help your garage door continue to operate as intended.
As part of your fall garage door maintenance, you can also apply a high-grade silicone or lithium-based garage door lubricant to appropriate moving parts, such as steel rollers, hinges, springs and bearings to help support smoother operation.
Organize Your Garage to Improve Access and Heat Flow
It might sound like a strange suggestion, but how you store items can actually help or hinder the way heat flows through your space. Try to keep boxes or items stacked at a lower height and don’t overstack things so that air can move properly throughout the room.
Also, try to place the items you need to access most often closest to the door so that you’re not constantly having to leave the door open while you locate items, letting heat escape the space for longer.
Test Your Garage Door’s Safety Features
Fall is a good time to make sure your garage door’s safety features are working properly before winter arrives.
You can do this by checking that the photo-eye sensors are clean, properly aligned and free from anything that could block their path. You can also test your garage door’s auto-reverse function according to the manufacturer’s instructions to make sure it’s operating as intended.
Schedule a Professional Garage Door Inspection
While you can tackle plenty of fall garage door maintenance yourself, some jobs are better left to the professionals. A professional inspection from the Overhead Door Company of Lethbridge, Calgary and Cranbrook can help identify worn or damaged components before colder temperatures put additional strain on your system.
A technician can inspect springs, cables, rollers, tracks, weather seals and other components and recommend repairs or maintenance where needed. If you noticed signs of wear during your own inspection, a professional can safely determine whether repairs are needed.
Getting Your Garage Door Winter-Ready
A little fall garage door maintenance can go a long way once winter temperatures arrive. Checking your seals, clearing debris, testing safety features and addressing potential problems now can help keep your garage door operating smoothly throughout the colder months.
If you think your garage door is in need of a little fall TLC, then connect with us. Our technicians at Overhead Door Company of Lethbridge, Calgary and Cranbrook can help get you started and ready to weather the cold.
