It is probably the most frustrating garage door problem you may encounter: you are on your way to work on a cold winter morning, and as you are getting ready to drive out of your garage, the door just won't open. When the door is frozen, it may be impossible or take a long time to de-ice the door and get it to work again. Worse, being forceful with the door as a way to rush the process may break it, requiring you to pay for expensive garage door repairs. To avoid such scenario, this article outlines a few ways you can prevent your garage door from freezing.
Keep the Snow Away
If you live in an area prone to snow in the winters, make sure to shovel it around your garage doors. Any snow left near the entrance could freeze the door seals shut to the ground. You can use table salt in complement of shoveling the snow, and disperse it around the door seals. Table salt raises water freezing temperature and will keep snow and/or water from freezing around your garage doors. You can buy special salt used on the roads or driveways or use regular table salt right from your pantry. If you decide to go with the latter, remember to use large amounts of it to maximize its effectiveness of your garage door. If you don't feel like table salt is enough, use snow-melting lubricant such as WD-40.
Keep the Garage Warm
If your garage is heated, a great solution to avoid frozen garage doors is to keep the garage heated at all times. You don't have to crank up the heat very much, as leaving it at 50F should be enough. Another method is to warm up your car outside the garage once you drive outside into the driveway on your way to work. Doing so will avoid turning any surrounding snow into water, which will eventually re-freeze and cause your door to be frozen when you go back home.
Other Solutions to Keep Doors from Freezing and Avoid Garage Door Repairs
There are a few other ways to prevent your garage doors from freezing. One easy solution is to leave the garage door a little bit opened so that it does not freeze to the ground. This can be a great idea but should not be put to practice is you live in a neighborhoods prone to robbery. It can also attract rodents and other unwanted animals to your garage, especially in the cold winter months. You can also put a tarp or other plastic material under the door to avoid leaving the door opened. Pam and other non-stick household sprays are commonly used, but could attract bugs and mice to your garage as well.
From table salt to snow shoveling, there are a variety of methods you can use to prevent your garage door from freezing to the ground. Make sure to regularly use such measures to avoid having to open a frozen garage door, which can be more complicated and stressful.
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Keep the Snow Away
If you live in an area prone to snow in the winters, make sure to shovel it around your garage doors. Any snow left near the entrance could freeze the door seals shut to the ground. You can use table salt in complement of shoveling the snow, and disperse it around the door seals. Table salt raises water freezing temperature and will keep snow and/or water from freezing around your garage doors. You can buy special salt used on the roads or driveways or use regular table salt right from your pantry. If you decide to go with the latter, remember to use large amounts of it to maximize its effectiveness of your garage door. If you don't feel like table salt is enough, use snow-melting lubricant such as WD-40.
Keep the Garage Warm
If your garage is heated, a great solution to avoid frozen garage doors is to keep the garage heated at all times. You don't have to crank up the heat very much, as leaving it at 50F should be enough. Another method is to warm up your car outside the garage once you drive outside into the driveway on your way to work. Doing so will avoid turning any surrounding snow into water, which will eventually re-freeze and cause your door to be frozen when you go back home.
Other Solutions to Keep Doors from Freezing and Avoid Garage Door Repairs
There are a few other ways to prevent your garage doors from freezing. One easy solution is to leave the garage door a little bit opened so that it does not freeze to the ground. This can be a great idea but should not be put to practice is you live in a neighborhoods prone to robbery. It can also attract rodents and other unwanted animals to your garage, especially in the cold winter months. You can also put a tarp or other plastic material under the door to avoid leaving the door opened. Pam and other non-stick household sprays are commonly used, but could attract bugs and mice to your garage as well.
From table salt to snow shoveling, there are a variety of methods you can use to prevent your garage door from freezing to the ground. Make sure to regularly use such measures to avoid having to open a frozen garage door, which can be more complicated and stressful.
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