With frost and ice on the ground and cold wind in the air, the weather can impact your home in various ways. Some homeowners experience problems with their garage door when the weather is cold or extreme, which can cause it to remain open or closed.
To avoid inconvenience or serious injury, it’s so important to identify the problem as quickly as you can so you can call out a repair expert to fix your door and get it firmly closed as the cold weather blows in. Or you can completely do without a technician and solve your problem yourself, and we will explain how to do it.
As there are numerous ways that the weather can impact your garage door, we reveal seven main reasons why your garage door might not be closing in cold weather. We then reveal some other things to check if your door still isn’t closing, and how Firstline Garage Door Repair can help you to get things fixed in no time.
Table of Contents
Reason 1: Garage door lubricant issues
The cold weather has a negative and potentially problematic impact on the way the metal parts of your garage door operate.
Throughout the year, it’s a good idea to keep your door in good working order with a high-quality silicone-based lubricant. This ensures that the door moves across its tracks properly and doesn’t get stuck during operation.
Ensuring that your garage doors have enough lubricant isn’t only important during the winter months – it’s a year-round maintenance tip to keep your doors in good working order.
Equally, applying too much lubricant can be problematic, as it can cause the door to slip and operate improperly. The type of lubricant you use is also important.
Avoid aerosols like WD-40, as they’re not particularly effective. As mentioned, opt for a weather-resistant silicone-based lubricant for your garage door, which will keep it operational throughout the colder months of the year.
Garage door lubrication:
- SSCAYD Gel Lube. Our choice is this spray. We have used many materials and decided that this spray is one of the best. We lubricate all the main parts of the garage door with this spray.
- Low-Temp Lubriplate– This is a special grease lubricant that we use only for lubricating the rail of the opener.
If possible, we recommend purchasing these lubricants for your garage door. Below, we provide a video demonstrating how to lubricate your garage door before the winter season properly.
Reason 2: Faulty garage door remote
One of the most common garage door issues that we encounter throughout the year relates to the remote control. After all, if the remote doesn’t work as it should, you might think that there’s a problem with the door itself.
When batteries are subjected to cold temperatures, they often struggle to power their device correctly. Also, batteries can drain more quickly when it’s particularly cold outside, so even if you have recently replaced them, you may find dead batteries within your garage door remote.
If you’ve replaced the batteries and the remote is still not functioning properly, you will need to order a replacement. Consult the owner’s manual for directions on how to replace a faulty remote and await its arrival. In this case, it is especially important to pay attention to your keypad, which often stops working. You don’t even have to replace the battery—just wait for better weather and try again.
In the meantime, you can operate the door manually without the remote. If it works as expected, this is how you know that the issue is definitely with the remote and not the garage door or the garage door opener.
Reason 3: Damaged or ineffective garage door sensors
Most garage doors have two sensors, which are integral to the entire garage door system. If your door won’t close or open, damaged or ineffective sensors could be the issue.
During the winter, the safety sensors might be covered by snow or ice. In this case, clearing the snow is required, and wiping the sensors clean will probably resolve the issue.
Equally, we’ve also encountered malfunctioning safety sensors because of cold air. Also, condensation can lead to sensor issues, which are more common during the winter time. You can solve this yourself. Read our detailed article about the sensors.
Unfortunately, if the sensors have been damaged by the bad weather, they will need to be replaced. We can assist with sensor repair, alignment, and replacement.
Reason 4: Cold temperatures cause the metal to contract
Cold and freezing temperatures can cause numerous issues for the metal elements of your garage door. In extreme temperatures, metal contracts. This can affect the springs, coils, or screws. A sign of contracted metal is when the garage door won’t close or open as it should.
Also, if your garage door is stuck open, it might be caused by the contracting metal resulting from the unusually cold temperatures.
Applying a weather seal is the best way to protect your garage door from contracting issues. Cold conditions, specifically in Illinois, are unavoidable, so taking the necessary steps to protect your garage door from extreme weather conditions will pay dividends in the long run.
Find out more about the many benefits of weather stripping and how Firstline Garage Door Repair can help. Our weather stripping shields your garage from extreme conditions, increasing the lifespan of your door and offering additional protection during the coldest months of the year.
Reason 5: Electrical issues
Winter weather can affect your home’s wiring and electricity supply. During extreme cold snaps, the weather may cause specific devices to trip and may even lead to flickering lighting.
This, in turn, may affect the wiring of your garage door. You should take the necessary steps to ensure that all wiring relating to your garage door is properly insulated to protect it from the cold weather.
Also, sealing gaps and cracks can make a big difference, as they can prevent moisture leaks that may increase the risk of electrical issues impacting your garage door.
Generally, weatherproofing your home and garage should mitigate most electrical issues. But if there’s been a recent cold snap and power outage in the area, there’s a chance that your garage door has been affected.
This problem may bypass you if your opener is equipped with a battery backup.
Reason 6 : Freezing of the garage door's bottom rubber seal to the floor.
A common problem occurs during the winter: during the day, temperatures rise slightly, but at night, they drop significantly, causing ice to form between the garage door’s bottom seal and the floor. When you try to open the garage door—either with the remote or the wall button—it doesn’t work. The motor strains, the rail contracts, and the door remain stuck.
In such cases, most customers call us. Here’s what we recommend:
- Disconnect the opener and try to open the garage door manually. This will help separate the frozen seal from the floor. Once freed, you can reconnect the opener and resume normal operation.
- Use warm water. Heat some water in a kettle and carefully pour it on the rubber seal outside. Be cautious and follow safety measures to avoid burns. Once the ice melts, you can use the remote or the wall button to operate the door.
Reason 7 :Opener malfunctions
In extreme cold, a garage door opener may sometimes display errors. Here are the most common issues:
- Incorrect force detection – The opener may misinterpret increased resistance as a broken door. Due to severe cold, metal components contract, increasing the load on the opener.
- RPM sensor malfunction – The sensor may fail, causing the door to stop automatically during opening or closing.
- Limit setting errors – The door may overshoot its open or close limit. It might open too high or too low, or when closing, it may miscalculate and reopen.
All of these issues can occur due to extreme cold. Before calling a technician, wait for warmer temperatures and check if the problem persists. Check out our article on how to fix your garage door in 20 steps, where you can find your specific issue and resolve it yourself.
Other potential garage door problems to investigate
We recommend checking the above seven issues when trying to identify the problem with your garage door in the winter. But if your garage door isn’t working properly during the cold weather, here are some other things to think about:
Roller bearings
The cold weather can also impact the way your garage door rollers operate, specifically the bearings within. Damaged bearings can cause the rollers to go off track, which means your garage door won’t open or close as it should. Fixing the rollers right away is so important to prevent more damage.
Torsion bar bearings
The problem with end bearings and middle brackets is that they are the parts where sealed bearings are installed. These bearings rotate along with the torsion shaft and springs. The cable drums are mounted on them, which hold and guide the lifting cables.
If the torsion spring or bar bearings are bad, the door might crash down, resulting in a loud bang. Again, it may also result in various other garage door issues, so solving it right away is key.
Broken springs
There are two main types of garage door springs – the torsion springs at the top and extension springs at the side. If you notice any visible gaps between the coils, or if the coils have weakened, they need to be replaced. We can assist with broken garage door spring replacement across Chicago and Illinois.
Hardened grease
Hardened grease on a garage door is an indication of lubrication problems, as documented above. Using the correct silicone-based lubricant should prevent this from happening in the future.
Use the correct spray lubricant, and never use grease or solid oil for the garage door tracks or rollers. In winter, these substances thicken, causing excessive wear on the garage door and its components.
Damaged door panels
It’s also possible that the extreme wind, rain, or snow has caused direct damage to your garage door panels. This is fairly easy to recognize – simply conduct a visual inspection of the door and identify any damage. Depending on the damage to the panels, they may impact the door’s operating system, so be sure to fix broken panels as soon as you notice them.
In our experience, we’ve had service calls during black ice conditions when cars lost control and slid into garage doors, causing significant damage. This often results in dents, misalignment, or even complete door failure.
Garage door closing issues: What to do
If you think the recent cold snap has caused certain garage door issues, specifically related to the way the door closes or opens, you should first try to identify the cause.
For instance, if there’s a lubrication issue, take a soft cloth and stiff brush to clean the rollers and apply a new silicone-based lubricant to replace it. This might resolve the issue.
However, if the garage door won’t close properly because of sensor or electrical issues, you may have to call an expert technician to help you identify the problem. Also, be aware of the following signs that your garage door is not working correctly during the winter months:
- The garage door feels heavy, and additional strain is being put on the hinges or springs.
- The door will only partially open or close, and you can’t get the opener to operate at its usual full capacity.
- You notice increased friction when the door is in manual mode.
- The moving parts make an unusual noise when the door is trying to open or close.
- The opener is stuck and cannot be manually operated.
- The garage door closes halfway and stops in the middle—you can neither lower nor raise it.
- When closing, the garage door slightly derailed and became misaligned—this is a cable issue.
The garage door is not closing, and one possible reason is a broken spring mounting bracket, which can lead to a sudden impact and compression against the door sections.
Fix your garage door today & protect it from the cold
No matter the cause of your damaged or weather-affected garage door, you should call the experts at Firstline Garage Door Repair to help you fix it.
We specialize in providing immediate and cost-effective garage door repairs to homeowners in Chicago and throughout Illinois. You can contact us today for a free, no-obligation quote or for some general advice on why your door might not be closing during the harsh winter months.
You may also be interested in insulating your garage door for the cold winter months, which is a brilliant way to put your internal space to better use. With an insulated garage door, you can use your garage as a home office or gym, without worrying about the cold weather seeping in from outside.
Garage door not closing FAQ
Can the bad weather stop my garage door from working?
Yes, long bouts of cold weather can cause various issues with your garage door. It may cause its openers and frames to swell, and low temperatures may have an adverse effect on your garage door’s lubricant. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to have your garage door inspected after a cold burst.
How to remove ice and snow from a garage door?
Begin by manually removing the snow and ice that is blocking the door. Then, consider heating up the areas surrounding the door with a heater or hot water. Then, chip away at the ice until it is fully removed. Avoid operating the door when it has ice and snow on it as it can lead to damage.
Will the red cord close my garage door when it’s stuck open?
The red cord on the garage door is the emergency release used to disengage the door from its opener. It enables you to manually operate the door during power outages.
As we mentioned earlier, if ice has stuck to the bottom seal, switch to manual mode and open the door by hand.
What is the best lubricant to use to fix my garage door?
While grease solvents and spray solvents can work, the best lubricant for your garage door is a silicone-based lubricant. You can order it online or in a local hardware store.
Earlier in the text, we described the best materials we use. Based on our extensive experience, these materials have proven to be the most effective.
Should I grease the wheels on my garage door?
As we mentioned earlier, we do not recommend using grease for rollers, tracks, or springs. Instead, we advise using the special silicone spray mentioned in the text. Grease thickens in winter, becoming a dense mass that interferes with the door’s operation.
If you are unable to find these materials, you can visit Home Depot and purchase a spray that will also work well.
How much does it cost to lubricate a garage door?
Here are the prices for the lubricants mentioned:
- SSCAYD Gel Lube (1st Ayd Gel Lube):
- Price: $14.99 per can .
- Low-Temp Lubriplate Grease (10 oz tube):
- Price: $23.99 per tube .
Be very careful and attentive if you are ready to purchase a cheaper lubricant for your garage door. Low-quality materials can leave residue after 2–3 months of use, causing malfunctions, especially when they dry out. The main issue is the roller sticking inside the bearings due to the adhesive properties of such lubricants.
Is it OK to lubricate garage door springs?
Of course, you can lubricate your garage door springs with spray, but remember—this lubrication is only meant to make the springs operate quieter than before. If you think lubricating the springs will extend their lifespan or improve their functionality, that is not the case. The spray is solely for reducing noise, not for increasing durability.
How do I stop condensation on my garage door?
You can stop the condensation process by taking the following steps:
- Insulate your garage door – Use special insulation on the sides to minimize temperature fluctuations.
- Check or replace your bottom seal – A worn-out seal allows moisture to enter, increasing condensation buildup.
- Use additional heating – Installing a heater in your garage can help maintain a stable temperature, which benefits both your vehicles and the garage door system.
How do you lubricate wires?
Cables and drums are the components where the cables are tensioned. You should never lubricate them. They must always remain dry to function correctly.
Written by Alex Caraus.
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I wish you good luck with your garage door repair!!!
