It’s 8:50 am. You slept through your alarm and you have to be at work in ten minutes. You’ve thrown on some clothes (forget brushing your teeth), grabbed your keys and ran out to the garage, only to find that the door is frozen shut. Your luck has run out and now you’re definitely going to be late.
Some of us are deep sleepers, and we’ve all had mornings where the alarm clock somehow seems to blend perfectly with your dream. And besides, it’s warm and cozy in your bed and cold as the dickens outside. Sometimes you just can’t avoid these kinds of things. But the frozen door crisis is something that you can undoubtedly prevent, provided that you take some very simple and easy proactive measures.
First things first, you’re going to need some WD-40. Open up your garage door and spray the bottom of it thoroughly. While you’re at it, spray the ground where the door will be closing as well. WD-40 will resist freezing over night when it reaches those really unpleasantly chilly temperatures. Furthermore, unlike some other substances that also resist the ice, WD-40 will not damage the material of the door.
Secondly, be sure to put down some salt on the ground all around the general area outside of the garage. If you’re missing either of those items, another option is to use kitty litter, which will have the same effect as salt. If you look ahead, check the weather and put the salt down the night before, you may just prevent a morning disaster. Or you can also work retroactively, put the salt down after the door has already frozen over, and then take the bus to work and arrive 20 minutes late. We’ve all been there.
If you went with the latter option, and now have a frozen door that won’t cooperate, be sure not to damage it trying to get it open. Turn the heat on, put some salt down, wait 30 minutes and then chip away at the ice with a shovel or sharp object. Whatever you do, don’t try and force the door open if it isn’t budging.
We wish you all the luck and hope you get to work on time tomorrow. If you do encounter any issues at all with your garage door, we want to help. Call us at (845) 876-2772 or email us. Whatever the issue, we’ll be there to make life easy for you.