Fight the Frost: Tricks to Keeping Your Garage Door from Freezing Shut

It’s February folks, and you know what that means? Winter is still knocking at your (garage) door.

Last month, we here at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha went over some ways to help you maintain your garage door during the winter. However, for those especially frosty February days, it helps to know a few additional tricks to keep it from freezing shut.

 

Sometimes, You Just Gotta Shovel

Nobody likes to shovel. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that it’s the worst outdoor chore of all time. That said, if you don’t want your garage door to freeze, you have to try your best to keep it clean. Brushing away excess ice and snow in between the times when you go out to shovel the full driveway is usually all it takes to prevent the build-up that causes garage doors to freeze shut.

Feel the Heat

Space heaters crop up in every other room in your house during the winter, why should your garage be any different? Keeping a pair of small, sturdy space heaters handy will not only make the morning trudge to your car a bit easier, they’ll also help to keep the weather seal (that’s the fancy name for that thin piece of rubber on the bottom of your garage door) from cracking and the battery in your opener from draining – just make sure to be mindful of the cords and unplug them when you’re not using them.

Look in the Pantry

Ice melt should be your go-to if you’re trying to eliminate that last layer of frost for your driveway. However, we’ll forgive you if you didn’t want to make a special trip to the hardware store to lug 50-pound bags of it around. In those instances when you need something to break down icy build-up, look no further than your pantry for assistance. Both table and Kosher salt are serviceable replacements for the heavy-duty stuff. Just sprinkle a little seasoning near the weather seal, let it marinate and watch as your garage door returns to its former glory.

Just Add Water

What’s the best way to unstick a garage door? If you said adding water, congratulations you’re right (also, thank you for reading this post a second time). Pouring a small amount of warm (not boiling!) water on the weather seal could be the answer to unsticking it and preventing you from having to take more drastic steps.

 

If you’d like any additional tips or think you might need to replace the weather seal on your garage door, call the trained professionals at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha today!

(402) 331-0526