In the cold winter months, it can be easy to forget about keeping your garage warm. But a cold garage can in turn affect the temperature of your home, especially if they are connected.
Managing your garage’s temperature also helps to protect the contents from damp and cold damage. So it’s safe to say that it’s vital to keep your garage insulated during winter.
Perhaps one of the most effective ways to ensure your garage stays at a consistent temperature is by looking after your garage door. Today we’re exploring how you can prepare your garage door for the cold months, and what you’ll get out of it.
How to Look After your Garage Door
1) Keep your Garage & Garage Door Clean
Making sure your garage and its door are kept clean helps to troubleshoot any problem areas as they arise. By cleaning out your garage, you can identify any items that are prone to damp, or anything that needs to be thrown away. The build up of moisture over time can cause mold and damp spots, which can damage the contents.
Keeping both sides of your garage door clean helps to make sure the material and coating maintains its integrity. Regular cleaning can also draw attention to any gaps, cracks or other damage that needs to be looked at, or if more severe, could lead to a replacement garage door being required.
2) Look for Gaps in the Alignment
One of the biggest causes of heat loss in a garage is through a garage door that is not properly aligned to the space it is supposed to fit. If you have an older up and over garage door then it’s likely that there will be gaps around the side and bottom, thus letting in cool air and potentially water ingress. Garolla electric garage doors run inside guide rails which are fixed to the wall opening of the garage, and also feature a heavy duty rubber strip at the foot of the door to reduce any gaps, thus offering superior insulation.
Larger gaps can be found on garage doors that have not been made to measure. No two garage door spaces are exactly the same size, which means that industry standard sized doors often don’t fit quite right. Here at Garolla, our made-to-measure garage doors are manufactured to your specific needs.
3) Keeping Things Moving
It’s vital to make sure all of the moving parts of your garage are operating properly during the colder months. This helps to ensure that there is no significant build up of rust over time, which can cause a range of issues.
Fortunately, Garolla's slats are powder coated to protect them from the elements, while motor and barrel is housed inside an enclosed top box for ultimate protection.
4) Test your Garage Door Regularly
You should regularly check your garage door to see that it opens and closes smoothly. In the winter, you might not use your garage door as often, especially if you don’t store your car in the garage. This means that it’s important to keep the mechanism from seizing up by testing it from time to time.
Non-Garolla doors can experience problems with roller brackets and bolts. If they become loose you can try tightening them using a wrench and test again. Some parts may need replacing if you’ve had your door for a number of years, so it’s best to check these closely before your garage stops working all together. You can also see if any of the seals need replacing, as some garage seals will wear after a few years causing cracks that can let cool air in and hot air out.
However, garage door repairs can be costly and we would recommend speaking to the experts at Garolla to talk about a garage door replacement.
5) Check your Insulation
Garage doors made from quality materials are key to keeping the door sturdy over winter. Ideally your door will be insulated with CFC-free polyurethane foam - like our product range is. This ensures that the structure of the garage door is protected against heat loss and the permeation of cold air.
Benefits of a Well Looked-After Door
1) No Damp or Mould
When a garage door helps your garage to retain heat, you are less likely to accumulate mould or damp inside your garage. Mould or damp can cause multiple issues for your home. Your possessions within the garage can become damaged and unsalvageable, especially fabrics and permeable materials.
Damp and mould can also affect the structural integrity of your home if left unchecked for a long time. Not only this, but it can also cause issues for your health if the problem area is close to where you spend a lot of your time. For instance, mould gathering on the ceiling of your garage might creep into the floor of the room above. If inhaled, this can be detrimental for your health.
2) Your Home Stays Warmer
If it’s attached to your property, garages are the number one cause of unnecessary heat loss in the home due to their size and the amount of cold air they can accumulate. If you can remove your garage as a factor in heat loss, then your home is much more likely to stay warm during the winter. When a room is placed above a garage, it is very hard to keep this room warm if your garage is not well insulated.
3) You’ll Save Money on Heating Costs
It goes without saying that a better insulated home will have less to pay in heating costs. Instead of relying on your boiler to be constantly churning out heat, give your boiler a break by insulating any major contributors to heat loss.
Keep your Garage Warm with a Garolla Door
Here at Garolla, we provide custom-made garage doors that are designed to keep your garage warm in all seasons. With many installers situated across the UK, we offer a personalised service tailored to you. Simply check out our product range and book a free survey today to find out how you can upgrade your garage door.
If you have any questions about our garage doors or are in search of more tips, please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of our Garolla garage door experts.