How to Prevent a Frozen Garage Door

Your garage door is frequently exposed to the elements and acts as a vital entry and exit point to your home. Have you ever thought about how many times you raise and lower this door each day? It goes without saying that repeated use and exposure to cold weather may subject your garage door to a lot of wear and tear.

The good news is that there are several preventative measures you can take to unfreeze your overhead door or even stop a freeze-out from occurring in the first place.

How Cold Weather Affects Your Garage Door Opener

So you’re trying to get inside your house, and your garage door won’t open. When cold weather hits, your garage door opener may strain to open the door, which can sometimes cause it to break or become inoperative. Of course, a broken garage door opener means you won’t be able to open your door. If this issue occurs, do not attempt to open the door multiple times with the automatic opener, as doing so can burn out the motor on your door.

If you find that your garage door has frozen shut:

• Make sure the door is indeed frozen by inspecting the bottom for water or ice. If there’s ice directly under the weather seal, that means your overhead door is frozen shut.
• Pour hot water on the spot where the garage door meets the ground. Try to open your garage door immediately after pouring the water.
• Use a scraper to gently scrape the ice away between the bottom of the door and the concrete or ground. Attempt to open the door if it looks like you’ve made progress. 
• Melt away the ice with a heat gun by moving it along the bottom edge of the door.
• To reduce the risk of your garage door freezing a second time, check the bottom to make sure no water or moisture is there. If possible and safe, you can also try leaving the door slightly open so that it doesn’t touch the ground and re-freeze.

11 Tips to Prevent a Frozen Garage Door

Performing preventative maintenance on your garage door when temperatures drop is essential in keeping cold weather issues at bay. These problems include not being able to open or close your garage door due to freezing conditions. To prevent a frozen garage door:

1. Clear away snow and ice.
2. Warm your car outside.
3. Install a garage door heater.
4. Keep the seal lubricated.
5. Sprinkle salt along the floor.
6. Lubricate your door, opener, hinges and rollers.
7. Clean the surface of your garage door regularly.
8. Inspect your springs.
9. Make sure the door seals properly.
10. Keep sensors clean and free of debris.
11. Check the balance of your door.

Call idc-Automatic If Your Garage Door Is Frozen Shut

You don’t have to wait until winter to perform some much-needed maintenance on your garage door. By taking preventative measures before the cold weather hits — and checking up every so often — you may just prevent the elements from freezing your garage door shut.

Sometimes, your door may require more than just a quick adjustment or inspection. As a premier garage door service and installation company, idc-Automatic is here to help. Since 1974, we’ve been committed to serving the Twin Cities area with more than 30 overhead door field technicians on the road every day. We take pride in continuing our tradition of bringing you automatic garage door services that are first in every class.

If you find that your garage door is already frozen shut, contact us today to schedule service or request an estimate.