Protect your garage door this winter
With winter now upon us and Christmas just around the corner, we’re sure the last thing you want to be thinking about right now is your garage door, so we apologise in advance for this blog post! But in all seriousness, your garage door is incredibly important because it’s crucial to home security, especially for houses with a garage that leads into the home. Winter can be pretty cruel to homes and commercial properties, and this is exactly why you should make sure you’re doing all you can to keep your garage operating efficiently throughout the winter months.
Whether you own a single up and over door, a beautiful timber round the corner garage door, or a stunning pair of Wessex garage doors, a little bit of maintenance can go a long way.
What does a routine winter checkup involve?
Firstly, you’ll want to make sure your garage door’s tracks and rollers are free from any build up of debris or grease. Any dirt can build up and freeze which may then become engulfed by the mechanism, possibly preventing it from functioning as well as it should. Your garage door needs to be operating well all year round and a simple check to see if there is any dirt, grime, debris or grease can be incredibly important.
You will also want to make sure the door is well lubricated. A thick blob of grease in one area is not what we’re looking for here. You’ll need to spray oil to lubricate the moving parts like the tracks and rollers. Even if you have lubricated your doors a few months ago, or they are freshly installed, it’s still important to make sure there is enough lubricant, but not too much either. Some homeowners are always shocked to realise just how quickly lubricant wears off on garage doors, but it will of course depend on weather and how regularly you’re operating the door. Again, this is a quick check and it will only take a few minutes to lubricate all of the key areas.
Seals can also be a problem for garage doors in the winter. If your garage door has windows like many contemporary designs do, make sure you check and clean the seals around the outside of the glass. In most cases, burglars always aim to use a crowbar between the seal and the glass, so it’s important to make sure a gap is not exposed at any point. By going through each of these steps, you can quickly and easily spot issues before they become major problems, and we know it’s nearly Christmas, but at a time when the weather is bad and burglaries are at a high, it is a job worth doing, and there’s always the chance that you are very happy with how your garage door is looking, so carrying out any work may not be required. Why not spend 10 minutes checking your garage door now? It’s better to spot potential problems sooner rather than later!