Tips for Preparing Your Garage Door for Winter

The winter can be a difficult season for many homeowners. Some don’t know how to winterize their home properly, and those who do know understand that it can be quite an ordeal. Sadly, winter comes every year, so you can’t avoid these winterization steps. Read on to learn some tips for preparing your garage door for winter.

Inspect, Inspect, Inspect

One of the first things you can do to prepare your garage door for the winter is to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Before winter even comes around, you should be looking and listening for any loud noises or irregularities when it comes to your garage door. If there are already some issues with wear and tear with your door and tracks, they will only worsen when winter comes around. Some regular tune-ups are great for keeping your door in the best condition possible, and they’ll help keep your door intact when winter rears its ugly head. In addition to looking at the tracks, you should regularly inspect your door’s safety measures. If everything works properly, you shouldn’t need to do anything. But if your door regularly pauses as it’s opening or closing, you may have an issue with the safety sensors. This piece of the opening system is critical for making everything safe. As winter progresses, the snow can potentially disrupt your sensors. If this is the case, you may want to call for someone to take care of your sensors.

Upgrade Your Weather Stripping

On the perimeter of the garage door is some weather stripping, and its purpose is to keep out the cold air and different debris and pests. Harsh conditions and extreme temperatures can degrade the stripping over time. If you haven’t replaced your stripping at any point previously, now may be the time. Some high-quality weather stripping can keep those outdoor elements where they’re supposed to be and keep your garage clean and relatively warm. If you’re unsure whether you need to replace your stripping, give it a quick look over. Cracks and tears show that you must replace the entire weather stripping, as replacing small parts is not enough.

Add Some Insulation

In addition to inspecting the garage door opener and the weather stripping, you may want to add some insulation. Insulation can help protect your garage from the cold elements, but it will also help keep the garage door in working order. Over the winter, it’s easy for moisture to build up and freeze, making the door heavier and negatively impacting the opening equipment. Insulation can help keep these problems at bay and keep your door working like normal all winter! Keep these tips in mind so you can properly prepare your garage door for the winter and keep your garage door in the best condition possible. Winter isn’t easy, and even with these steps, sometimes your garage door can fail. Don’t hesitate to contact us at Steel City Doors in those cases! We offer garage opener repair and can get everything back into working order!