What are some Tips to Open a Frozen Garage Door?
Q: What are some tips to open a frozen garage door?
A: Canadian winters can be harsh and brutal, with temperatures and wind chills well below freezing. On these particularly cold days, you garage door can have problems of its own. It can open and close much more slowly if it is an automatic door. The cold could cause the parts and components to contract and potentially seize up.
Also, if there was snow on the ground near the garage door that happened to melt a little during the day, then water may get under the bottom seal of the door and freeze overnight, causing the door to stick to the ground.
If you press the button to open you garage door and the motor kicks in but nothing happens, you want to shut off the electric opener right away. You'll need to manually unstick the frozen door.
The first thing you'll want to do is check outside and make sure snow hasn't piled up against the door. If it has clear it away.
Once the snow is cleared away, attempt to open the door manually. You'll need to dis-engage the door from the automatic track, by pulling the manual release cord. If the door starts to move slightly, then stops, it likely means it's frozen to the ground. You can carefully pour hot water at the base of the door to melt the frozen areas.
If the door is not frozen to the bottom and won’t open manually, certain parts and components could have seized up or contracted too much. You can try using an electric heater and warm up the garage above freezing to see if this helps.
If the door opens after warming up the garage, then great. If it still won’t budge, now is the time to call in a professional garage door technician for assistance.
Here are 4 tips to help prevent a frozen garage door in the first place.
Before closing the door, make sure to spread deicer pellets under where the door will close. The deicer pellets will help stop the water under the door from refreezing.
Install a new weather seal around the garage door opening. If you notice cold air gaps or light coming into the garage when the door is shut, you need a new weather seal.
Make sure all moving parts and components are well-lubricated. Lubricants contain oils that do not freeze and can prevent moisture on the parts, components or the door’s track from also freezing.
Replace your existing door with an insulated garage door. Insulated doors help block out cold and could prevent freezing.