Benefits and Features of a Winter Garage Door Tune Up

Is your garage door ready for the winter? The wintertime can have a negative impact on garage doors. Snow, cold air, winter rain and strong winds enter the garage door and do damage. All around, the elements in the winter can cause your garage door to not operate properly or to break down. A winterization tune-up can help your garage door manage the elements of winter.

How the Winter Damages Garage Doors

There are basically two insidious ways the winter can damage a garage door: temperature drop and temperature change. Typically, the temperature drops during the night time in the winter. If the nighttime temp drops to 35 degrees or less, the lubricating oil in the garage door’s motor can thicken. This lubricating oil is what keeps the garage door moving up and down in a smooth manner. If the oil thickens, the door may operate in a jerky manner or even get stuck.

In addition, if the garage door spring is old, a change in temperature can cause the spring to break. Without a doubt, a garage door tune-up can give you the heads up about a worn spring. An annual garage tune-up is the key to keeping a garage door operating properly during the wintertime.

What’s Done During a Garage Door Tune-Up

There is a long checklist of tasks that are performed by a technician during a garage door tune-up.

• A safety inspection and maintenance check
• Lubrication of the whole drive mechanism, including the pulleys and rollers
• Adjustment of electric door openers
• Setting of limit switches
• Tightening of chains
• Full inspection of the weather stripping, bottom seal, keypad and transmitter batteries
• Tightening or replacement of faulty nuts and bolts

Plus, the technician will discuss with you any visible repair or replacement issues before the tune-up.

Common Garage Door Problems During the Winter

There are a few common garage door problems that often occur in the winter. Contracting metal is one of them. That’s why it’s important to keep the metal parts lubricated during the winter months. Even if the garage door isn’t made of metal, there are metal screws, rails and springs. If these components aren’t lubricated, the garage door may get jammed.

Weather stripping damage also may occur during the winter. The rubber weather strip on the bottom of the door is what keeps the cold air out. Water can freeze around the weather stripping and strip off or crack. The weather stripping of the garage door should be inspected regularly to ensure that it’s not too worn. This way, you can keep both the garage and home warmer.

Ice between the garage door panels can trap moisture. This causes the garage door to have difficulty opening. The door may even lock up.

Broken springs are another common garage door issue during the winter. It’s essential that the springs keep the garage door weight well balanced. A worn or faulty spring can be detected during a garage door tune-up inspection. Lastly, the remote sensors can crack during low temperatures in the winter. It may have to be repaired or replaced.

Phoenix Garage Door Repair

Without the right expertise, fixing a garage door can be both difficult and dangerous. Turn to a quality Phoenix Garage Door Repair team for repairs and garage door tune-ups. All of our technicians are trained and experienced.