Preparing Your Garage Door for Winter in Murfreesboro
Cold mornings are when brittle springs break and stiff doors bind. A late-autumn check of springs, seals, and lubrication helps your door through winter.
At a glance: Cold mornings are when brittle springs break and stiff doors bind. A late-autumn check of springs, seals, and lubrication helps your door through winter.
Winter in Murfreesboro is not as harsh as in the north, but it is cold enough to cause garage door problems. Night temperatures can drop below freezing, and that is when spring steel becomes more brittle, lubricant thickens, and a door that worked fine in autumn starts to bind or refuse to move. A short check in late autumn, before the first cold snap, can prevent a breakdown on a cold morning when you need to leave the house. This guide covers what to check and what to do.
Check the springs first
Winter is the season when garage door springs most often break, because cold makes the steel more brittle and the final cycle that breaks a worn spring often happens on a cold morning. Look for a gap in the torsion spring coil above the door, and listen for whether the door has become heavier or the opener is straining. If your home was built in the early 2000s and still has its original springs, they are now at the age where a winter break is likely. Do not adjust the springs yourself. If you see a gap, or the door feels very heavy, leave the door down and call for garage door spring repair. Our post on signs of a broken spring explains what to look for in more detail, and our seasonal maintenance checklist covers the full check to do each autumn.
Lubricate, seal, and check the sensors
Cold weather thickens lubricant, so a door that was quiet in summer can become stiff and noisy in winter. Lubricate the hinges, rollers, and springs with a garage door lubricant before winter, and do not lubricate the tracks themselves. Check the weather seals at the bottom and sides of the door for cracks or gaps, because a worn seal lets in cold air, rain, and draughts, and it can freeze to the floor on a cold night. If the bottom seal is damaged, a contractor can replace it. Wipe the photo-eye safety sensors near the floor and confirm both indicator lights are steady, because a dirty sensor can cause the door to reverse when you need it to close. Our post on garage door safety sensors explains how to check them.
Check the opener and the door's balance
Test the door through a full cycle and watch for jerking, sticking, or a door that stops partway. Cold can make a door bind in its tracks, and a door that binds will strain the opener. Test the safety reverse as well, because it should reverse if it meets an obstruction. If the opener is ten to fifteen years old, winter is a good time to think about whether it needs attention, because a struggling opener in cold weather is more likely to fail. If the door is noisy or jerky, our garage door repair page lists the symptoms and causes, and a contractor can inspect the rollers, tracks, and opener before winter sets in.
Getting help before winter
If your late-autumn check finds a worn spring, a frayed cable, a damaged seal, or a door that is binding, call before the cold arrives rather than waiting for a breakdown. Call (615) 845-8263 to speak with a garage door specialist. Homeowners in Murfreesboro, TN and nearby Lebanon can call and describe what they found, and we will help connect them with an independent local contractor who can inspect the door and discuss the next steps.
Key takeaways
- Check springs before winter: cold makes brittle steel more likely to break.
- Lubricate hinges, rollers, and springs; replace worn weather seals.
- Clean the safety sensors and test the safety reverse.
- Do not adjust springs or cables yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Stop using the door if it is crooked, jerking, or very heavy, and note what it does and what it sounds like. That description helps a contractor understand the problem when you call.
A door that has gradually become noisy is often worn rollers or hinges. A door that suddenly grinds, scrapes, or jerks should not be forced - call for service assistance, because a cable or roller may be about to fail.
Call (615) 845-8263 to speak with a garage door specialist and get connected with an independent local contractor in Murfreesboro, TN.
Does your door have this problem?
If the problem in this guide sounds like your door, call (615) 845-8263 and describe it to a garage door specialist.
Related services
- Garage Door Repair — Help with doors that will not open, will not close, make noise, or have stopped working the way they should.
- Garage Door Spring Repair — Help with broken torsion and extension springs — the most common reason a door suddenly becomes too heavy to lift.
Related guides
- Signs Your Garage Door Spring Is Broken
- Torsion vs Extension Garage Door Springs: What Is the Difference?
See all guides on our blog, or browse our garage door services.
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Call now to speak with a garage door specialist about your door, or get service assistance through our contact page.