How to winterize a garage door before a Winnipeg winter

Step 1: does the door pass the balance test?

The balance test tells you whether the springs are still doing their job. The springs, not the opener, are what lift the door; the opener only guides it. When springs weaken, the opener works harder, and in the cold that's when things break.

How to do it, following the opener and door makers' guidance (Garaga, Chamberlain):

1. Close the door fully. Only use the release when the door is closed.
2. Pull the red release cord to disconnect the door from the opener.
3. Lift the door by hand to about halfway.
4. Let go slowly, keeping your hands ready and your feet clear of the bottom edge.

If the door fails, don't try to adjust the springs. Garaga's own maintenance advice is that spring adjustment is best left to the professionals, and the cables carry enough force to cause serious injury. Reconnect the opener by following your opener's manual, and book a spring check. How long springs last, and why a tired one fails in the cold, is in how long do garage door springs last.

Step 2: lubricate the right parts

The door industry's technical guidance is that regular lubrication of the springs, as the door maker's instructions require, helps the springs last longer (DASMA TDS-190). Cold makes it more important, because grease that is fine in summer thickens in January.

• Springs: a light coat of spray lubricant along the coils. Garaga suggests this for the overhead springs.
• Hinges, rollers and bearings: LiftMaster recommends white lithium grease on these.
• Opener chain or screw: a light coat of white lithium grease if your opener uses one (belt drives don't need it).
• Tracks: don't grease them. LiftMaster says not to, and grease in the tracks collects grit. Wipe them clean instead.

Use a product made for garage doors. Thick wheel bearing grease or kitchen oil will stiffen or gum up in the cold.

Step 3: check the bottom seal and weatherstripping

Close the door and look along the bottom from inside, ideally on a sunny afternoon. Any daylight along the floor or up the sides is a gap that lets in snow, which then melts and freezes the door to the floor.

• Bottom seal: it should be soft and flexible. Garaga's advice is to replace it right away if it is brittle or cracked.
• Side and top weatherstripping: look for splits and gaps of light.
• Silicone on the bottom seal: Garaga recommends a silicone-based lubricant on the bottom weatherseal so it doesn't stick to the cold ground.
• Threshold: sweep it clean so the seal sits flat.

A seal frozen to the floor is one of the usual reasons a door won't open on a cold morning, and it's covered in garage door won't open in cold weather.

Step 4: look at rollers, hinges and cables, but don't touch the dangerous parts

With the door closed, look along each side:

• Rollers should be round and turn freely, not cracked or wobbling in the track.
• Hinges should be tight, without cracks around the screws.
• Cables run from the bottom corners of the door up to the drums. Look for fraying or broken strands near the bottom bracket, from a distance.

What you leave alone: the springs, the cables, the bottom brackets and the drums. All of them are under high tension. If anything looks frayed, rusted through or bent, that's a technician's job.

Step 5: test the opener's safety features and batteries

Your opener has two safety systems, and both should be tested before winter.

Safety reverse. Lay a 2x4 flat on the floor in the door's path and close the door with the opener. LiftMaster's test is that the door must reverse when it touches a 1-1/2 inch object or a 2x4 laid flat. Garaga describes the same test with a piece of wood or a brick.

Safety sensors. With the door open, start it closing and pass something through the beam near the floor, such as a broom handle. The door should stop and reverse. Clean both sensor lenses and check that both indicator lights are steady.

Batteries. Put fresh batteries in the remotes and the outside keypad. Cold drains them, and November is a better time to find out than a January night.

If your opener doesn't reverse, stop using it until it's fixed. A door that doesn't reverse can injure a child or a pet.

Step 6: insulation and when a new door makes sense

If the garage is attached or heated, a single-skin steel door lets a lot of cold in. An insulation kit can help, but it adds weight, and the springs must be matched to the heavier door or the balance test will fail. If the door is old, dented, rusted at the bottom or simply can't hold heat, a new insulated door is often the real fix. Our guide to the best garage door for cold climates covers insulation, R-value and seals.

Print the winter checklist

The Garage door winter checklist below puts all of this on one sheet: springs and balance, moving parts, seals, and opener safety. Do it once now and once in mid-winter.

If your door failed the balance test, a spring looks stretched or gapped, or the door is heavy to lift, book it now while it's a calm repair rather than a frozen-morning emergency. See garage door spring repair.