At roughly 6,000 feet at the foot of Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs puts garage doors through almost every kind of weather in a single year. Hailstorms build over the mountains in late spring and summer, winter nights drop well below freezing, and strong downslope winds can gust through town. The sun at this altitude is intense enough to fade a door's finish faster than it would at sea level.
The housing mix is broad too, running from older homes near Old Colorado City to sprawling newer neighborhoods such as Briargate, with a steady flow of military families moving in and out around Fort Carson, Peterson and the Air Force Academy. Here is what that combination means for your garage door.
Hail damage and how to handle it
Hail is the signature garage door problem along the Front Range. Thin, uninsulated steel doors dent easily, and one storm can leave dozens of pockmarks across every panel. Cosmetic dents rarely stop a door from working, but a hard hit near a section's edge or on a strut can bend it enough to bind in the tracks.
After a hailstorm, take dated photos of every panel before anything is fixed, and check whether your homeowner's policy covers the door; an attached garage door is often treated as part of the house. When replacing a hail-damaged door, a thicker steel skin over an insulated core resists dents far better, and a textured or wood-grain finish hides minor marks.
Cold mornings, ice and frozen seals
When snow melts against the bottom of the door and refreezes overnight, the rubber seal can bond to the concrete. Run the opener against a frozen door and it may strip a gear, rack the door out of alignment or tear the seal. Stop, ease the seal free with a plastic scraper or lukewarm water, then dry the area so it does not refreeze.
- Push snow and slush away from the threshold before evening.
- Replace a cracked bottom seal with a profile made for cold weather.
- Use a lubricant rated for low temperatures, since thick grease stiffens in the cold.
- If the door moves slowly or reverses on cold days, have the balance and force checked rather than turning settings up yourself.
Openers in a high-altitude climate
Cold weather exposes weak openers. Lubricant drags, batteries lose capacity and older motors turn sluggish, while a door that has drifted out of balance makes the opener strain in every season. The fix is often a balance check and spring adjustment by a technician, not a more powerful opener.
When an opener does need replacing, a DC-motor unit with soft start and stop, battery backup and a belt or jackshaft drive runs smoothly in a cold garage and spares the door from jarring. Put fresh batteries in remotes and the wall keypad before winter sets in.
Wind and wide doors
Downslope winds off the mountains can be fierce, and a 16-foot double door behaves like a sail. Reinforcing struts on the upper sections keep the door from bowing, and correctly tensioned springs and tight track brackets keep it seated. If the door shakes or rattles in a breeze, have the hardware checked before a strong gust bends a track.
Moving in or out? Tips for military families
Many families arrive here on orders and move into a house they did not pick themselves. On move-in day, erase and reprogram every remote and keypad so previous occupants' devices stop working, test the auto-reverse, and look over the springs and cables. Before moving out, note any damage and make sure the door runs smoothly for the next residents.
Last updated by the American Garage Door Team.