There’s nothing more frustrating than when you’re running late for work and your garage door won’t open and let you out. This winter, with temps that routinely dip below freezing, this could be an increasingly probable occurrence. Why is this happening? How can you prevent it?

Let’s explore five reasons why your garage door won’t open in cold weather.

1.    Hardened Grease

Grease and lubricants make for easy opening and closing – most of the time. But when the weather gets very cold, the grease can actually coagulate so that it’s hard to get your garage door to open easily, or even at all. If your garage door is being stubborn, check the grease that runs inside the tracks. You may need to add more or replace it. We advise calling a professional anytime you need to work on the tracks, as this can be dangerous without the proper knowledge and products. Try adding heat to your garage to combat this.

2.    Not Enough Grease

If it’s been awhile since you added grease, the tracks could be dry and contributing to poor performance. In normal conditions, low amounts of grease don’t usually cause a problem. However, when the temps take a nose dive, your garage door may not open at all. Lubricate, lubricate, lubricate!

3.    Metal Contracts in Cold Weather

This is actually one of the more common reasons garage doors refuse to open in cold weather. That’s because metal tends to contract when cold. The space between molecules gets very cramped, leading to contraction. As a result, the metal could be locking the door in place with no give to move down or up. Warming up the garage may help.

4.    Broken Garage Door Springs

When the weather gets colds outside, metal can crack and break because it gets rigid. Your springs are made of metal and thus, they can break. Call a professional if this happens. Do not attempt to replace the spring on your own.

5.    Warped or Misaligned Tracks

If your garage door has contracted due to cold, this could pull the door right off its track. Cold weather can also warp the tracks, just like hot, humid weather can. Again, this should be a job for a pro.

Contact M&M Garage Doors

Cold weather got your doors acting funny? Contact us today at 586-610-5434 for on-time, affordable service for your residential garage doors.