what you need to know when buying a garage door

How To Care For Your Garage Door In The Winter

The winter season is hard on most every outdoor component of your home, including your garage door. To ensure all of the salt, slush, snow and cold weather don't leave your garage door damaged, follow these simple winter maintenance tips.

Wipe off the gaskets, tracks and chains.

Salt and moisture are going to work its way into the gaskets, tracks and chains, and they can cause these components to break down and rust. Every few weeks, just take a plain, dry cloth and wipe down these components. Wipe gently so you don't rub off all of the lubrication. If they look really salty and you have a warm day, you can wipe them down with a moist cloth to get rid of more buildup. (Don't use a moist cloth on a day that's below freezing; the water will freeze on the tracks.) Then, add a new layer of lubrication to the chains and tracks.

Make sure the windows are well sealed.

If there are windows on your garage door, you'll want to periodically check and make sure the seals around the panels are tight. Otherwise, moisture may seep in, causing frost to form between the window panes. If you see a spot where the window is coming unsealed, you can press some rope caulk into it temporarily. When the temperatures rise, have a garage repair professional come re-seal or replace the window.

Spray off the door on warm days.

Whenever there is a break in the weather, take advantage of the warmer temperatures and give your garage door a complete hose-down. This will get rid of salt and grime that have been splashed up over the previous weeks. Avoid using a pressure washer unless it has a low-pressure setting. Many garage doors (especially if they have windows) are not durable enough to avoid damage by a pressure washing -- and it's just not necessary to wash away grime. A regular hose sprayer attachment will work just fine.

Check for rust.

Make a habit of looking over your garage door -- especially the moving components -- for rust every few weeks. Really, you should be doing this year-round, but it's most important in the winter when moisture is most prevalent. If you see rust on the springs, chains, tracks or other moving components, contact a garage door repair person promptly. Operating a garage door with rusty components can present a safety hazard. Contact a business, such as the Able Door Company for more information.