This is not the ideal way to start your day: you’re ready for work with coffee in your hand, and you sit down in your car to leave. But to your surprise, your garage door won’t open. What do you do now? Fortunately, the local garage door sales and service company, Mid-State Door & Opener knows all about garage door maintenance, and the team has compiled a few of the reasons you may need maintenance or repair this winter.

Before Performing Garage Door Maintenance

Disconnect your garage door opener before attempting any maintenance or repairs on it. After you’ve unplugged the opener, try to open the door manually. Here are a few reasons your garage door may not open.

• Ice Between Door Panels: If you see ice has built up, you can take a hair dryer and, on low heat, melt the ice. Don’t heat it too quickly; otherwise, the metal can overheat.
• Metal Has Contracted: This can happen in frigid temperatures. Lubricating your door’s parts, including springs and all rolling parts, can reduce the chance of this happening. If the metal contracts, try lubricating the parts.
• Grease Has Hardened: If you find your door’s grease has hardened in the cold weather, scrape off the old grease, and then, apply a silicone-based lubricant.
• Springs Are Broken: If you try to open the door by hand and it’s impossible or extremely heavy, the springs have probably broken. This commonly happens in the winter, and it’s important not to attempt repairing the springs yourself; call a professional immediately.
• Tracks Are Warped: Freezing temperatures can warp the tracks your garage door rolls on. This is another repair best performed by your garage door repair company.

Whether you need garage door maintenance, new doors, or new openers, Mid-State Door & Opener in Tomah, WI, can help you. They have more than 25 years in the business and can take care of sales, installation, and repairs. Mid-State Door & Opener also offers free estimates and emergency service. Visit them online or call them at (608) 372-9681.