You jump in your vehicle, ready to go on a cold winter morning, but just when you hit the button on the garage door opener, your discover your garage door is firmly frozen shut. Unfortunately, this is a common problem for garage owners in the winter, especially if you live in an area that's prone to frozen precipitation. While everyone has their own tricks and tips to get a frozen garage door unstuck as fast as possible, there are actually a few rules associated with unsticking a frozen garage door that you should keep in mind. Here are the do's and don'ts of handling a frozen garage door situation at your home.
Do be patient.
A lot of homeowners make the mistake of trying to rush the process if their garage door gets frozen shut, and this will usually lead to making brash decisions that can damage your door. As much as you may want to hurry the process along, you have to understand that this is one situation that can require a little wait time and a whole lot of patience.
Don't try to pour hot water on the door to get it thawed.
Your first inclination may be to grab a pan of scorching hot water and pour it along the bottom of your garage door to thaw it out so you can be on your way. However, this is not only a potentially damaging act because it can ruin the rubber seals along the bottom, this will probably just make the issue worse. You are essentially adding more water to be frozen in place.
Do clear all snow and ice away from the bottom of the door.
If there is obvious snow or ice accumulation along the outside bottom of the garage door, use a snow shovel to clear the way. All of this frosty material will insulate the area along the bottom of the door and keep it colder, which will make it take longer to unthaw.
Don't set up a space heater outside to thaw out the door.
You may think running an extension cord and situation a space heater directly in front of the outside of the door will be the best way to get it to thaw quickly, but this is actually not the case. It is a much better idea to warm the area along the bottom of the door that is frozen from the inside out. Outdoors, whatever thawing takes place will probably just result in more ice.
For more tips, contact a garage door service.
Share24 October 2016
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