The cold does something funny to different materials, such as metal and wood. It makes them brittle. In some cases, the cold can cause moisture to cling to the surface as frost.
At the same time, the cold effects liquids, too. It freezes water and thickens oils. The frozen water can put pressure on parts of a garage door when the water freezes between two surfaces. And as lubricants thicken, they don’t spread as well. Their effectiveness is challenged by the cold.
Metal parts in your garage door include bearings and hinges. These are among the parts that suffer the most when that Fox Lake winter arrives. And when they struggle, they put additional strain on the garage door opener.
Think about opening a door with new hinges as compared to a door with old and rusty hinges. Naturally, you’ll have to use considerably more effort to open the latter door. The same is true of a garage door opener when the hinges and bearings are old and rusty, or when they’re dealing with the effects of winter.
Preventative medicine for your garage door and garage door opener, before winter sets in, is to have some timely maintenance performed on your garage door.
Garage door maintenance includes applying fresh lubricants were called for. It also calls for adjusting the door, the garage door opener and related parts. If everything is lubricated and adjusted properly, the strain is reduced all around.
Garage door and garage door opener maintenance are good things to consider any time of the year. But that’s even more true during the winter.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that your garage door or garage door opener will fail this winter. But that extra wear, tear and strain will show over time. The life expectancy of your garage door and garage door opener will be shortened. On the other hand, if you maintain your garage door and garage door opener well, you can count on get the maximum amount of reliable service from both of them.
In Fox Lake, winter is inevitable. Some winters are colder. Some winters have more snow, sleet or freezing rain. But winter will come. A little garage door maintenance can reduce the effects of the approaching winter on your garage door or garage door opener.
