You know how hard it can be to open your garage door if you live in a region that gets freezing cold. The following guide will help you open your garage door if it is frozen shut. And it will also give you a few tips to prevent your garage door from freezing shut in the first place.
Preventing Your Garage Door From Freezing Shut
Consider the following to help keep your garage door functioning during the winter:
- Apply an oil lubricant that is safe for your garage door or its components. You need to apply this oil to your garage door hinges, rollers, and tracks. Oil lubricants have a lower freezing point that should keep your garage door and components from freezing. You can talk to your garage door specialist or your local hardware store about which lubricants are safe to use.
- Shovel any snow accumulation away from your garage door. The accumulation of snow may freeze shut your garage door.
- When you warm up your vehicle, try to stay close to your garage door. Car engines tend to get very hot and should help keep your garage door from freezing shut. You can do this by parking your car in front of your garage door from the outside or backing into your garage door instead of parking front first.
- Use a putty knife to remove any ice building up around the garage door edges before it freezes the door shut. Try to use the putty knife carefully to avoid scratching your garage door.
- You can also turn on the heater inside your garage to fight off the cold temperatures outside, but this does mean a higher electricity bill.
You can talk to your garage door specialist about other things that you can do to keep your garage door from freezing. You may have to have your garage door specialist apply weather sealant over your garage door during this cold season.
How to Open the Frozen Garage Door
Disconnect your garage door to run it manually. You can use your manual to help you do this, or ask your garage door specialist. Try the following solutions:
- Use a normal hair dryer on the lowest heat. Try not to keep the dryer in one location for too long.
- You can try to use boiling water; just be ready to open the garage door before the water freezes again.
- Add some salt water or rock salt to your garage door. Be sure to clean this solution off your garage door because it can cause corrosion.
There you go; that is how simple it is to prepare yourself and your garage door for the cold season. Click here for more information on garage door repair.
