Summertime Garage Door Performance
Have you noticed a difference in your garage door performance recently? Decreased performance could be due in part to extremely high temperatures! Think about it. When you’re outside on a hot summer day, you tend to get sluggish the longer you spend outdoors, right? The heat and unrelenting sun beaming down on you begins to wear you down after a while. Garage doors are the same!
With a little TLC, your garage door performance can remain consistent year-round, even during the most intense heat waves. In this article, we’ll discuss complications garage doors can experience in high temperatures and tips on how to overcome these issues.
Common Issues Garage Doors Encounter Due to Extreme Heat
There are three main aspects of a garage door system that are affected by extreme heat: the garage door material, the garage door opener, and individual moving parts.
- Garage door materials such as metal and wood can expand during the day as temperatures rise, causing warped panels and misalignment. When the temperature drops at night, the garage door contracts, eventually leading to gaps between the panels. These gaps can negatively affect the efficiency of the garage door insulation.
- Expanding and contracting garage doors can cause can cause misalignment and difficulties moving along the tracks. This adds strain to the garage door opener, as the motor has to work harder to open and close the garage door. Your motor can overheat if it works too hard, leading to garage door opener repair and reduced lifespan.
- Increased temperatures can cause the existing lubrication on moving parts to thin out or even evaporate. Without proper lubrication, moving parts such as garage door springs, cables, and rollers will endure more friction and wear out faster.
Tips For Improving Garage Door Performance in Summer
Weatherproofing & Insulation
Gaps and cracks around the garage door frame will allow outside hot air to enter your garage. Add weatherstripping to your garage door to prevent this from happening. Adding extra insulation to your garage door can also help improve garage door performance in summer. Extra layers of insulation help minimize heat transfer and regulate temperatures inside your garage.
Professional Maintenance
At Iconic Garage Door Services, we highly recommend scheduling yearly garage door maintenance to ensure the full functionality of your garage door. Summertime is a great time to have your garage door professionally serviced. During a garage door maintenance appointment, one of our skilled technicians will thoroughly inspect your garage door system, lubricate all moving parts, tighten loose components, and perform balance and safety checks.
Sun Protection and Ventilation
Choosing a lighter paint color or garage door finish can minimize rising temperatures inside the garage. Lighter colors reflect sunlight, and this can have a surprising impact on your garage door performance in summer. You can also consider an awning installation, which will provide shade for your garage door!
Smart Technology
Modern technology can also help your garage door performance in summer. Smart thermostats for garages work similarly to your home thermostat system. Using a Wi-Fi connection and syncing to your smartphone, smart thermostats give real-time updates about the current temperature in your garage and help regulate the temperature based on your preferred settings. You can even create a schedule for various times, helping the garage stay cool during the hottest part of the day.
Need More Help? Ask the Iconic Garage Door Services Team!
You need your garage doors to work well year-round, but extreme temperatures can make this more difficult during summer. If you’re concerned about your garage door performance and live in the Greater Phoenix area, contact our team! We offer garage door repair, installation, and maintenance services in Queen Creek, Fountain Hills, and numerous service areas nearby. At Iconic Garage Door Services, we do whatever it takes to improve your garage door performance and keep your garage door running smoothly all year round!