Winter and Weather Damage in Green Bay, WI

Seals frozen to the slab, salt rot in the bottom rail, and photo eyes knocked out of line by snow.

Beyond springs, winter produces a predictable set of failures in this region, and most of them are cheap to prevent and annoying to repair.

The bottom seal freezing to the slab is the most common. Water runs off the car, pools under the door and freezes overnight. In the morning the opener pulls against a seal that is welded to the concrete, and either the seal tears away from the rail or the opener strains and trips its safety reverse. A rubber seal is inexpensive; replacing it in January is not pleasant for anyone. Keeping the area under the door clear and using a silicone spray on the seal before the season helps more than people expect.

Road salt is the slower problem. Salt comes in on the car, drips off onto the floor and sits against the bottom rail, which is steel and is the lowest point of a door that was never designed to stand in brine. It rots from the inside, so a door can look sound from the driveway and be failing along its lowest two inches. If yours is more than ten years old, the bottom rail is worth a direct look rather than a glance.

Photo eyes are the third. They sit a few inches off the floor on each side, which is exactly snow-shovel and snowbank height. A nudged bracket breaks the beam, and the symptom is a door that starts down and immediately reverses. Before calling anyone, look at the small lights on both sensors and check they are still pointing at each other.

Cold also thickens old lubricant. A door that has become loud and sluggish in December is often asking for cleaning and fresh lubricant rather than parts.