Preparing Your Garage Door for Winter: Essential Maintenance Tips

Your garage door and gate are the largest motorized, moving parts on your property, and they are heavy! We are focused on extending the life of your garage door, gate, and motor and we are also highly committed to helping you and your belongings stay safe.

As the cold winter months approach, and if you’re up for the task, we recommend preparing your garage door, gate and motor for the cold. If this does not sound like a task that you are up to, contact us for pricing and scheduling. 

Garages mean different things to different people. Some garages are toy lockers, man caves, or work shops and they aren’t used to park cars in. They tend to be kept warm or they are not heated, but temperatures remain more stable and they are more dry. Conversely, garages which are used to park vehicles throughout the winter tend to have a high amount of humidity as well as broader fluctuations in temperature. That occurs when a warm, wet vehicle comes into the cold garage, and then also, the frequent opening and closing of the door lets cold air in.

Here are some of the things you can do, and we will always do when servicing your door & gate:

• Lubricate all moving parts (over 100 of them!) and ensure bolts are secure to walls, doors, posts and gates. Avoid using WD-40 and similar products which can attract dirt and debris. A silicone-based or lithium grease lubricant is ideal for cold weather.

• Check the alignment of tracks to keep your overhead door moving smoothly without extra friction. 

• Look over the cables. Frayed cables must be replaced before they break. Cables which fray and then break can cause significant damage which is preventable. 

• Rollers are inspected and need to be replaced if the bearings are worn and the shafts are bent. 

• Bottom weatherstrip inspection and replacement if needed. If your garage has excess moisture and water pools and then freezes under the door, the weatherstrip can become frozen to the ground and then tear when the door goes up.

Special Mention: Garage Floor Drainage

If your garage does house vehicles in the winter, your garage likely has some (or a lot) of moisture from snow melt and rain. Ideally, you have drainage in your slab and your slab is sloped away toward the garage door and further. We recommend squeegeeing that water out, and also adding a dehumidifier to your garage throughout the winter months. If that water remains in the garage, you may end up with all things being stored in the garage taking on that moisture. Also, as mentioned above, the bottom weatherstrip can become frozen to the ground when it is very cold. Then the motor will struggle to open the door and if the weatherstrip does not tear, you could burn your motor out. This rarely happens, but it can. Well worth taking steps to avoid.

What next?

Any questions about your door, gate, or motor when our CDI certified technicians are at your home: they are always happy to take the time to answer any questions. If replacement parts are needed, our Canadian-sourced products are unaffected by tariffs, readily available, and retain both reliability and quality. We are your garage door and gate company. Here when you need us: LegacyGarageDoors&Gates.com  or call 250.862.144.

Disclaimer: While DIY-ing your garage door and gate service may sound like a good and cost savings idea, they are VERY heavy and springs are under extreme tension. We prefer to be the ones helping you with your door and gate to be sure everyone stays safe and extra work isn’t then required if things go wrong.