Go outside and you can feel a chill in the air. As winter nears, that chilliness will turn to a biting cold. Trust us when we say that fall is the ideal time to prepare for winter. A few of the most obvious winter preparation projects include cleaning the gutters, covering frost-sensitive plants and checking weather-stripping, but you mustn’t overlook your garage door—yes, we’re here to talk about wintertime garage door maintenance in McDonough, GA.
Even though garages are not set up like bedrooms, if yours is attached to the main house by a standard door, then cold air from the garage comes into your warm house every time the door opens. You use your garage door several times a day, and the result is a lot of wear on the door and system components. The fact of the matter is that daily use and cold weather puts garage doors at risk for failure, which is why wintertime garage door maintenance in McDonough, GA is a must.
Winter is not the only time to inspect your garage door, but it is the ideal time to make sure it’s operating as it should. Below are some pro tips to help you prepare your garage door for winter.
Check the door’s balance
A garage door that is off balance puts unnecessary strain on the door’s opener. This can cause the garage door to not function properly and to need to be replaced before its time.
To test the door’s balance, disconnect it from the opener and move it up and down by hand to make sure there’s nothing blocking the track. If all is clear, push the door halfway up. A balanced door will move back and forth just a little, while an unbalanced door falls or rolls up quickly. Bad torsion springs could be the problem. Performing maintenance on springs and rebalancing the door can be dangerous, so call a garage door repair company instead of attempting to do it yourself.
Clean and unblock sensors
Modern-day garage doors are designed with safety in mind. Sensors and other safety features keep doors from closing on people or objects underneath them by causing them to either freeze in place or roll back up. These features can prevent serious bodily injuries and property damage, but only if the sensor is functioning properly. Dirty or blocked sensors keep these safety features from operating effectively. Things like dust and dirt on the lens of a sensor or leaves, snow or other debris piled up at the base of the door can hamper proper sensor function.
Inspect and clean the surface of the door
Make time before and throughout the winter months to clean and inspect the surface of your garage door. Things like dirt buildup or moisture accumulation can damage doors that may lead to operating problems, so get cleaning! While scrubbing the door, check for signs of damage, such as chips, cracks or a dull finish.
Here at Affordable Dock & Door, you can get free inspections and price quotes on all our doors. We even have a preventative maintenance program for anyone wanting continuous garage door maintenance in McDonough, GA. Call us for more information!