How to Prepare Your Commercial Garage Doors for the Upcoming Frost Season

1. How to Prepare Your Commercial Garage Doors for the Upcoming Frost Season Commercial garage doors can be prone to freezing during the fall and winter months, and this could potentially be disastrous for your business. When your fleet cannot get in or out of the garage due to frozen doors, productivity grinds to a halt and takes your revenue down with it. Below, you will discover some awesome tips to help prevent frozen commercial garage doors in the upcoming frosty season. Check and Replace the Weather Seals If you look at the sides of each door where they meet the walls of the garage and the ground, you should notice strips of black rubber material that are in place to form a seal. These seals keep frosty air from finding its way inside, which is crucial for preventing freezing. When cold, dry outdoor air finds its way inside a warmer, moister environment, that moisture can condense onto surfaces and freeze. Replacing the weather seals will help you prevent this. Keep the Garage Heated Many businesses fail to keep their garages heated because their drivers spend very little time inside them. In fact, heating a large garage that houses a fleet of vehicles is often viewed as an extra unnecessary expense. However, even if you do not want to heat your garages to a comfortable temperature, heating them just enough to prevent freezing is an important investment. You can use a gas heater, which is incredibly economical, or you can use an electric heater if you prefer. Prep the Ground with Salt Just as the city salts roadways to keep them from freezing over, and just as homeowners salt their sidewalks and patios to prevent slips and falls, you can also salt the area where your garage door meets the driveway to prevent freezing. The idea here is that salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes, and the more salt you use, the lower the freezing point. However, it is important that you apply the salt before the temperature of the driveway reaches 15 degrees; otherwise, it will have no effect. Lubricate the Garage Doors Regularly Just like salt can prevent your garage door from freezing to the ground, lubricating all the moving parts can prevent frost from forming on them. When frost forms on the tracks or the tension springs, this can make your garage door difficult (if not impossible) to open, and it can even trap your fleet inside. Fortunately, regular lubrication can prevent these issues and ensure that your doors continue to move, even when the temps outside are well below zero. Though winter is still a few months away, there is no time like the present to prepare for the harsh cold. Check your weather seals and lubricate the moving parts now to mark those off the list, and when the temperatures start to turn colder, be sure to keep some salt on hand and turn on your garage heaters. These are by far the best ways to prevent loss of productivity and keep your fleet moving as it should.