Living in Ottawa means dealing with long, harsh winters that test everything around the house, and garage doors are no exception. Our winters are no joke, with cold temps, heavy snow, and ice that will wear down even the best of doors. Knowing how garage door winter damage happens and taking steps to prevent it will save you from unexpected repairs and keep your door working the way it should when the weather is at its worst.

The Hidden Effects of Cold Weather on Garage Doors

When the temperature drops below freezing, every part of your garage door system is going to be effected. Metal components like springs, hinges, and tracks can contract, which puts extra stress on the moving parts. Over time, this can lead to your system being noisy or even suddenly failing, since this stress can cause parts to weaken or break. It’s not only what’s inside your garage that’s affected, but your garage door itself too. Wooden doors can warp or crack as they absorb moisture and freeze, while steel doors can get rust if water sneaks through small gaps or scratches in the finish.

The first thing you’ll probably notice, and one of the most common types of garage door winter damage is your weather strip decaying. The rubber seals around the door help keep cold air and moisture out, but extreme cold can cause them to harden and lose flexibility. Once that happens, gaps form along the edges of the door, letting in drafts and melting snow. Even a small break in the seal can make it harder to heat your garage and increase energy costs.

Snow and Ice Can Block or Break Key Components

If you live in Ottawa, you’re familiar with the piles of snow that sit in your driveway.If you don’t shovel it quickly, it’ll freeze over into a solid block, which will make your garage door stick to the ground.Don’t try to force open your garage door, since it can give extra stress to your opener and you might break something in the process.

Ice can also build up on your tracks even if it’s not exposed to the elements, which would make your rollers unable to move up and down smoothly. This leads to jerky movement or even a complete stop. If you force the rollers to move, they can bend or pop off the track, which is a huge safety hazard. If your garage door isn’t working like it should because of the cold, contact us today! Our expert technicians can come out, diagnose, and fix your Ottawa garage door in the same day!

Salt and Moisture Speed Up Rust and Corrosion

Salt is our best friend during winter, with it being all over the roads and our driveway, it’ll eventually get to our garage doors. As cars pull in, slush mixed with salt splashes onto the bottom of the door and along the tracks. While salt is great for snow and ice, it’s also corrosive and can eat away at metal. Springs, cables, and brackets can rust from salt, which weakens their strength and shortens their lifespan.

Not only does rust look bad, it also effect’s how your door works. Corroded springs can lose tension, making the door heavy and difficult to lift. Tracks with rust buildup can create friction, causing the door to move unevenly or stop partway. Don’t ignore this since it can lead to expensive repairs or full on replacements.

Steps to Protect Your Garage Door From Winter Damage

While Ottawa winters are tough, there’s steps you can take to prevent garage door winter damage and keep everything at 100%. Regular maintenance is the first step, and should be done regularly, not just in winter. Check the weather stripping for cracks or stiffness and replace it if you feel like it’s too worn. Lubricate moving parts like hinges, rollers, and springs with a silicone-based lubricant to help them handle freezing temps and just work smoothly all year round.

Clearing snow from around the base of your garage door is another simple thing to do that’ll make a difference. Shovel or sweep away any buildup after each snowfall so ice doesn’t have a chance to freeze the door shut. If there is ice, don’t chip it away with sharp tools because you can damage your garage door and make things worse. One common solution is to use warm water to melt the ice, but this is not one of our recommendations so use at your own risk.

It’s also worth cleaning the door and tracks periodically during the season. Wipe down the bottom panel to remove salt and slush before they can set in and start corroding the metal. For steel doors, a mild soap and water solution works well. For wood doors, use a cleaner suited to the finish and consider applying a fresh coat of paint or sealant before winter to keep moisture out.

Why Professional Service Makes a Difference

There’s small stuff you can DIY without a professional, like what we said earlier with lubing and general maintenance.But some issues you’ll need an expert with the right training, especially anything spring related.These parts are under high tension and are a safety hazard, which is why we never recommend you to DIY anything with springs.By getting one of our experienced technicians to do winter checks, we can catch problems early before they become a big repair job, saving you time, money, and stress.

Preparing Your Garage Door for Ottawa’s Winters

If you live in Ottawa, you know how bad the winters can get with the snowstorms and constant freezing and thawing. This causes extra stress on your whole garage door system, but if you’re proactive you have nothing to worry about. Start early in the season with a full inspection and maintenance routine. Keep the area around the door clean and dry whenever possible. Address small issues right away instead of waiting for them to get worse. These little details before and during winter will protect your investment and makes sure that your garage door will last.