Garage Door Frozen to the Ground? Do This, Not That

This is the single most common winter call we get across Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse. Snow melts against the warmer door during the day, runs under the bottom seal, and refreezes overnight. By morning the rubber seal is welded to the concrete.

What not to do

Do not press the opener. Twice, three times, holding it down. That is the instinct and it is what causes the damage.

The opener does not know the door is stuck. It just pulls harder. One of three things gives:

• The plastic drive gear inside the opener strips
• The bottom section tears away from the frozen seal
• The cables come off the drums because one side lifted and the other did not

All three cost real money. The ice itself costs nothing to fix.

What to do instead

1. Pull the emergency release cord so the opener is disconnected from the door.
2. Break the ice seal. Warm water poured along the bottom edge works. A heat gun kept moving works. A hair dryer works if you have patience.
3. Do not use a metal tool to chip at it. You will tear the seal, and a torn seal means it freezes again worse tomorrow.
4. Lift by hand once free. If it will not lift easily, stop. That is a spring problem, not an ice problem.
5. Clear the water away so it cannot pool and refreeze.

Stopping it happening again

The real cause is drainage, not cold. Water is reaching the bottom of the door and staying there.

• Shovel a few inches clear of the door after each storm rather than up against it
• Check that the bottom seal is not cracked or flattened. A worn seal holds water
• Apply a silicone-based lubricant to the seal before winter. It stops the rubber bonding to concrete
• If the driveway slopes toward the garage, that is the underlying problem and worth solving properly

When to call

If the door is already damaged, if the opener made a grinding noise, or if the door now lifts crooked, do not keep using it. Call (646) 960-8060 and we will look at it.