When winter approaches, homeowners perform a variety of tasks to prepare their homes for the upcoming cold, ice and snow. These include cleaning gutters, winterizing lawns and, perhaps most importantly, winter-proofing the garage. Winter-proofing, which involves replacing weather stripping and adding insulation, makes a garage more comfortable and protects it from moisture damage during the coldest months of the year.
In this guide, we go over the many benefits of winter-proofing a garage and provide tips on how to perform these tasks efficiently.
How to Winter-Proof Your Garage for Winter
Follow these five steps to help you learn how to winterize your garage door for the cold months ahead:
1. Clean Your Garage
Before you start winter-proofing the garage, you first must clean it thoroughly. Sweep away debris, dirt, leaves, mulch and bugs. Then, clean your walls, removing all dirt, dust and cobwebs.
2. Install New Weatherstripping
Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned your garage, you can start the winterization process, beginning with the insulation. When you hear the word “insulation,” you may think of that fluffy pink stuff found in your walls, but insulation can also refer to sealing any leaks that may be allowing warm air out during the winter.
For this reason, before you deal with actual insulation, it is recommended that you examine the weatherstripping found on all your garage’s doors and windows — including the garage door itself. If you notice any broken or cracked areas, fix or replace them.
Weatherstripping crack holes become brittle with time, which may result in air leaks and cold drafts. If you’ve felt any drafts caused by cracked weatherstripping, you will want to take out the weatherstripping, scrape away any sealant that remains, then apply the new weatherstripping to your garage door. This is an essential aspect of how to insulate your garage door for winter.
If you need to replace the weatherstripping for the garage door, make sure that you correctly measure and align the new weatherstripping so that it forms a secure, reliable seal. To do this, close the door and align your weatherstripping so that the rubber flap gets flattened against your garage door. To know if you properly sealed your garage door for winter and cold weather, you can test by checking if any cold air gets through where you applied weatherstripping.
3. Add Wall Insulation
After sealing all of the air leaks, you can start adding your garage insulation in your walls, which will serve as one of your garage’s protective barriers. It’s recommended that you use fiberglass bat insulation with a thickness that matches that of your walls.
4. Insulate Your Garage Door
Even though you’ve already updated your garage door’s weatherstripping, if it’s not insulated, there’s a chance you’ll lose a lot of heat through it. To make sure your garage stays toasty during the cold season, you should insulate your garage door as well. To do this, you can buy a wide variety of kits, including options like fiberglass, reflective barriers and foam boards.
When you insulate your garage door, cut the insulation with care so it fits inside the panels of the door. Then, secure each piece using an adhesive. If your garage still feels cold after the installation is complete, you may want to replace your current door with a newer, more insulated model.
5. Install a Heater
The last step in winter-proofing is installing a reliable garage heater. Although weatherstripping and insulation are great at preventing cold weather from getting inside, they don’t really help to warm up the room. For that, you’ll need a reliable unit heater, which is affordable to install and doesn’t take up much space.
Fill out a contact form or give us a call at (800) 820-9841 if you want help making your garage warmer in the winter.
Why Should I Winter-Proof My Garage Door?
If you’re not sure you whether winter-proofing your garage is worth the time and effort, consider the following benefits:
- A warmer garage: If you spend even a little time in the garage during the winter months, you’ll greatly appreciate the warmer temperatures that winter-proofing will bring you. Even if you only use your garage to walk between the car and the entrance to your home, you’ll find the walk much more pleasant. A warmer garage means that your car will warm up more quickly as well.
- Protection for your garage pipes: If you have water pipes that run through the garage, then keeping this area warm is critical for preventing burst pipes, which can have disastrous consequences for your plumbing. Averting this damage will save you money, time and stress.
- Protection for your stored items: Many homeowners use their garages for storage. By winter-proofing your garage, you will be protecting these items from exposure to water moisture and extreme cold.
- Warmth in your home: If your garage is warmer, that means the interior of your home will be warmer, as well, especially rooms that are adjacent to the garage. Likewise, if you choose not to insulate your garage, the cold air in your garage will seep through to adjoining rooms, making the rest of your home colder. To deal with this increased cold, you’ll have to turn the heat up, which will mean higher energy bills.
Should I Insulate My Garage Door?
Depending on the location and type of garage you have, insulating your garage door can be hugely beneficial. While you often get more benefit from insulating doors in attached garages, detached garages can also benefit from insulation, especially in regions with extreme weather. Here are three benefits of insulating your door:
- Improved energy efficiency: A garage door that is insulated prevents heat from escaping during the winter months and keeps warm air from coming in during the summer months. By keeping the temperature in your garage moderate, less energy will be required to cool and heat your house, meaning lower energy costs. If your garage is attached, having an insulated door can help prevent unwanted cold or hot air from seeping into other parts of the house.
- Stronger door: A garage door with insulation is stronger than one without. It can better withstand constant use and dents from toys, weather and vehicles. It is also better able to resist rusting that often occurs with single-layer, non-insulated doors. Insulated garage doors today are generally made using steel frames in which solid insulation is inserted, which makes them both lightweight and sturdy. They’re designed to last a long time and be resistant to sun, heat, wind and other harsh elements.
- Less noise: An insulated garage door operates more quietly than a non-insulated one because its strength means fewer rattles and creaks. Quieter operation is particularly important if your garage is next to or below a living area.
How to Prevent Common Winter Garage Door Problems
When temperatures drop, garage doors are more likely to malfunction, which means you won’t be able to pull your vehicle safely inside. Being aware of the issues you might experience and knowing how to prevent them will help you ensure you can get back into your cozy, warm home quickly. Some common winter garage door problems include:
- Excess grease: Although this issue can happen at any time of year, winter is when it can become a serious problem. Excessive lubrication could cause the rollers to become misaligned, meaning the door will have trouble opening and closing smoothly. To avoid this problem, you must determine the ideal amount of lubrication for your door.
- Contracting metal: Some materials tend to contract when the temperature falls below a certain threshold. One such material is metal, which the screws, springs and many other garage door components are made of. All of these parts are known to shrink when it gets cold outside, and while you can’t prevent this from happening, you can reduce its effects if you add more lubricant. Lubricate the springs, screw drive and torsion ball bearings with a good amount of garage door oil. However, make sure the oil stays off the tracks to avoid the misalignment issue mentioned above.
- Thickening grease: While lubricating greases can generally operate well in extremely high temperatures, they don’t always perform so well in cold temperatures. Cold can cause grease to thicken, at which point it is no longer an effective lubricant. To prevent this situation, take off old hardened grease using an appropriate solvent and apply a silicone-based oil, which will perform better in cold temperatures.
Reach Out to Speak With Our Garage Door Experts
Cornwell Door Service is a Lebanon, Pennsylvania-based overhead door company that has set unparalleled standards of excellence in the industry for over four decades. To schedule a service, please use our online form or call us at 800-820-9841 for more information.