As the largest moving object in your home and one of the primary routes that cold air takes to enter your home, now is the perfect time to take an extra-long look at your garage door. Preparing for winter’s cold temperatures and weather during fall can help you avoid unwanted issues. It is important to remember that minor issues are often magnified when temperatures drop below freezing. Cold weather puts additional stress on your garage door’s moving parts and springs, so HABPRO Garage Doors wants to give you helpful tips to “winterize” your garage.

Below are five tasks that you can do to help make your garage door safe and reliable throughout the winter.

1. Clean out your garage. While this may not sound like an important “winter tip” for your garage, believe us when we say that it is. Fall weather brings high winds that can cause leaves, twigs, and other debris to gather into your garage. Not only is it beneficial to clean out any debris inside your garage that could easily cause slips and falls, but it is essential that you also ensure that the tracks on both sides of your garage door are clear of debris. Trapped debris can make your garage door not open and close properly, causing a safety hazard to anyone who enters.
2. Inspect the rubber seal on the bottom of the door. The rubber seal on the bottom of the garage door keeps out cold air, water, and nasty pests that are looking for a warm and dry spot to hang out. If your garage door seal is cracked or brittle, you should replace it. Most hardware and home improvement stores sell weatherstripping. Applying the weatherstrip seal is relatively simple – you cut it to the size you need and insert it into the grooves on the bottom of your garage door. You will want to make sure that the flange’s wide angle is placed so that it sits inside the garage door.
3. Clean the rubber seal on the bottom of the door. Whether you are replacing your rubber seal or it is in fine condition, you will want to make sure that the rubber seal at the base of your garage door is clean to keep it from sticking to ice or snow. You will need to use a wet rag with soap and water to clean the rubber strip’s bottom and edges. Once the rubber strip dries, spray a light coat of WD40 to the rubber strip. This will help prevent the strip from sticking to anything during the winter months. **Make sure you keep the WD40 away from all other door parts.
4. Inspect the garage door batteries. Automatic garage doors are wonderful conveniences that most single-family modern homes enjoy. With the push of a button, your garage door opens and closes so that you can remain inside your vehicle without fighting the elements of nature. However, your automatic garage door only works properly when the battery is at full power. It is important to check the batteries in both the opener and remote control to ensure they are at full power. If the batteries are weak, you should replace them. Batteries are not big fans of cold weather, so a weak or dying battery will function at even less capacity.
5. Schedule your garage door maintenance inspection. Annual garage door maintenance will add to the efficiency and longevity of your garage door system. Old, weak springs and all other moving parts are under additional stress during cold weather, and garage door companies across the nation receive many calls during the winter months. By setting up scheduled maintenance, you can identify specific sources of possible trouble before they leave you in the cold.

At HABPRO Garage Doors, we have been serving the Greater Atlanta Area for over 40 years. We are the name to trust for all your garage door concerns. Contact us today!