Is your Garage Door Ready for Winter?
Its that time of year again. The leaves are falling from the trees, the air is getting crisper and the days are getting shorter. Fall is a beautiful time but we all know winter will be here soon enough, and the last thing you want to be stuck with is a garage door that is not ready for winter.
Here are some tips for getting your garage door in Winnipeg winter-ready.
Check your weather stripping
If you go into your garage with the lights off, can you see any outside light coming through the door? If there is any light coming from the sides or cracks in the door, that means your door is not sealing properly and cold can come in, and heat can escape. Broken and missing weather stripping is a main source of lost heat and exposure to the elements. Replace damaged, missing or old weather stripping.
Have your annual door inspection.
A garage door should have an inspection every year, so if you haven’t had yours done yet this year, now is a great time to do it. A maintenance inspection by a garage door expert will guarantee any door problems will be identified and can be resolved right away before the winter cold hits.
Think about your door’s insulation.
An insulated garage door can be extremely beneficial during the cold winter months, especially if your garage is attached to your home. Insulation will help stop heat from escaping through your garage. If your garage door is not insulated, that’s one more barrier to the heating or cooling efficiency of your home, and one less barrier to the escape of currency from your wallet! If you don’t have an insulated garage door, you may want to consider replacing your door with an insulated one.
Lubricate your garage door’s moving parts.
Lubricating is part of your annual inspection, but you should be lubricating all moving parts of your garage door at least once every season. This will keep your door running smoothly and safely. This is especially important to do before winter. The last thing you want is for your door to seize open or closed in the middle of winter.
Check the batteries in your garage door opener and remotes.
Making sure that your batteries in your garage door opener and remotes are new and/or fully charged will help prevent unfortunate events in the winter where you have to manually open your garage door. Also, make sure that your garage door opener is equipped with a battery backup. Winter snowstorms can disrupt power, and you don’t want to be stuck inside or outside your garage. A garage door opener like the LiftMaster 8550W features a Battery Backup System that guarantees continuous operation even in the event of a power outage. Opening a garage door manually in the snow and wind is even less fun than it sounds.