Your garage door is ultimately a resilient beast. That's why you bought it. It can fend off the elements like nobody's business, and you can be darn sure no one's getting into your garage until you hit that big electronic button that says "OPEN". Having said that, you can't just leave your garage door to its own devices. Every part of your house needs a little help and, as tough as your garage door is, it even needs a little help every now and then. Especially when it's cold, snowy, and dreadfully icy outside. Included throughout this brief article are four important ways to protect your garage door against snow and ice.
Lubricate Moving Parts
When it's cold outside, what is one of the best ways that humans seek to keep warm if they're away from any shelter? Survey says: moving around. By moving around, you're circulating kinetic energy, which keeps your blood flowing and ultimately keeps your warm. Garage doors too can benefit from kinetic energy, and by keeping your garage doors moving nicely, you'll make sure that they won't suffer from frost damage due to icy conditions. Lubricate the moving parts of your garage door, including its front joints, the rollers and everything that rests upon the rollers. This will ensure that your garage door won't become static and suffer from cracks and ice damage.
Spread Salt And Sand Along Your Driveway and Garage Door Floor
"This doesn't sound like something directly involving my garage door," you may be saying to yourself. You're right, this technique does not directly involve your garage door. Having said that, if you don't spread salt and sand along the aforementioned areas, something will occur that will directly involve your garage door: a direct collision. Sand and salt both act as a way to absorb and evaporate snowy and icy conditions. When driving along such conditions, cars tend to slip and slide. One of the victims of such slippery conditions could be your garage door. Make sure that the area around your garage door is dry.
Shoveling
Shoveling is often considered a no brainer when it comes to making sure that your garage door won't befall any harsh conditions during snowy and icy conditions. Having said this, how you shovel truly matters. Did you know, for example, that you should begin shoveling while the snow is falling? There are several reasons for this. One is born out of convenience. Shoveling while it's snowing will actually take time off of your hands when you start shoveling again after the snow has fallen. Another reason is far more substantive. The more you allow snow to build up, the greater weight it exerts on your garage door. This has proven to be a cause of collapsing many a garage door.
Aftermath
Just because the snow is over doesn't mean your work with the garage door is. It is incredibly important to investigate your garage door after snow and icy conditions. Take a look all around. Clean off your garage door with a power cleaner. Salt and sand can tend to stick to it and can actually cause damage to the integrity of the door if not cleaned. Check all of the moving parts and metal joints of the garage door. Icy conditions tend to create damage and if things have warmed up, there's also the potential for condensation, which can also harm your garage door's joint. Wipe these joints down with an old cloth.
Your garage door is a tough old thing, but so is snow and ice definitely is one tough costumer. Make sure that you adequately prepare for any harsh weather conditions that can potentially harm your garage door. For more info, contact a local garage door repairman.
