Don’t Let Winter Freeze Out Your Garage Door:  Protect It Before It’s Too Late

New Jersey winters are no joke. Whether you’re in Somerset County, Hunterdon County, Union County, Middlesex County, or anywhere else the icy winds love to sweep through, you know just how brutally the season can treat your home. Snowstorms, moisture, freezing temperatures, and constant thaw-freeze cycles make winter one of the toughest times of year for residential garage doors.

Aluminum and glass garage door surrounded by snow on a cold winter day, illustrating a modern residential door in harsh seasonal weather.

If you've ever stepped outside on a frigid January morning only to find your garage door refusing to open, struggling to move, or making noises it never made before, you’re not alone. Winter is when garage doors that haven’t been properly maintained begin showing signs of stress. But the good news is that most of these issues can be prevented with simple, early maintenance.

At Overhead Door Company of Central Jersey, we’ve spent more than 50 years helping local homeowners prepare their residential overhead doors for harsh weather. After thousands of winter tune-ups and repairs, we know exactly how cold temperatures can impact the performance and lifespan of your garage door.

Snow falling on a closed sectional garage door at a house, showing a garage door exposed to winter weather.

Winter’s impact on garage doors often starts with the metal components. Springs, rollers, hinges, and tracks contract in the cold, becoming stiff or tight. This forces your garage door opener to work harder and increases the risk of wear and tear or even sudden failure. Lubricants are another weak point: many standard lubricants thicken in cold weather, causing rollers and bearings to resist movement or seize up completely.

Weatherstripping is also highly vulnerable. Rubber seals tend to harden, shrink, and crack during cold spells. Once they fail, cold air, moisture, and even pests can make their way into your garage, reducing your home’s energy efficiency and contributing to icing issues. Moisture brought in from your vehicle can freeze on the ground or inside the tracks, leading to jams, misalignment, or doors getting stuck to the floor. Even the batteries in your remotes and opener backup systems can suffer in low temperatures, causing unreliable operation at the moment you need them most.

A frozen garage door in harsh winter conditions 

These issues might start small, but winter amplifies everything. A garage door that hasn’t been serviced in a long time is more likely to experience problems such as frozen panels, grinding noises, broken springs, off-track movement, sensor failures, or total unwillingness to open on cold mornings. Some problems create safety risks, while others can quickly snowball into costly repairs if ignored.

That’s why scheduling pre-winter maintenance is so important. Preparing your garage door before temperatures drop is the easiest and most effective way to prevent breakdowns and ensure smooth, safe operation. A professional tune-up should include a full inspection of all working parts, adjustment of spring tension and tracks, cleaning and applying winter-grade lubrication, testing sensors and the opener system, replacing worn components, and inspecting or upgrading weatherstripping. These steps help maximize performance, improve energy efficiency, and protect your investment through the entire season.

Our techs are performing preventive maintenance on a residential garage door, checking tracks, springs and other essential components in a residential garage door.

For more than five decades, homeowners across Central Jersey have trusted us to keep their garage doors functioning in even the harshest weather. We understand exactly how local winters affect different door materials and systems, and our technicians are trained to spot problems before they become expensive emergencies. Whether you need a tune-up, weatherproofing assistance, repairs, or a modern insulated overhead door designed for cold climates, we’re here to help.

Don’t wait until the temperature plummets or your door refuses to open on the coldest morning of the year. A little preparation now can save you time, stress, and costly repairs later. Let our team make sure your garage door is winter-ready and working dependably when you need it most.

Insulated steel sectional garage door in a home garage: a strong, weather‑resistant door built to keep the cold out and warmth in during harsh winter weather.

Have questions or want to schedule a winter tune-up? We’re here for you. Contact Overhead Door Company of Central Jersey at (908) 722-5785 or email us at sales@overheaddoorco.com.

You can also visit our showroom at: 952 Route 202 South, Branchburg, NJ

Stay warm, stay safe, and stay ahead of winter, your garage door will thank you!