Why Huntington Beach Garage Door Repair Companies Warn About Extreme Heat
Your home’s garage door is created with extremely durable materials that, in some cases, are meant to last for decades. However, according to Huntington Beach garage door repair companies, homeowners should never underestimate the destructive force of everyday weather, and one of the most destructive examples is extreme heat. But what exactly can extreme heat do to your garage door? Other than making it very hot to the touch, extreme heat can cause a lot of damage.
Avoid Wood and Avoid Huntington Beach Garage Door Repair
According to various Huntington Beach garage door repair companies, wooden garage doors are lovely to look at, but they can also be extremely difficult to maintain. One of the biggest reasons for that is the fact that extreme heat can quickly cause extensive damage across the entire door. For example, not all extreme heatwaves involve dry heat. Some come along with intense humidity, thus causing moisture to build up within the door. This can quickly cause the wooden door to crack and warp severely. If you live in a hot climate, call in a precision garage door service company to add a protective topcoat to your door. This can protect it during the summer months.
Damage Your Sensors
The modern garage door has a couple of sensors that you may not have noticed but have surely used. The one that is most likely going to give you trouble is the phot-eye sensor. Also known as the automatic reverse safety mechanism, this sensor lifts the door whenever there is an obstruction underneath it. For example, if your door is closing and your child runs underneath it, the door will sense an obstruction and quickly begin to reverse itself.
How does extreme heat damage it? Extreme heat usually comes from intense sunlight. Because the sensors are often exposed to the sunlight when the door is open, they can easily become damaged. In many cases, the sun can be so intense that your sensor may believe there is something blocking the door. This makes it difficult for you to properly use it. For an appropriate replacement, call in a garage door Orange County installation company.
Discoloration of Your Garage Door From UV Rays
As mentioned, extreme heat is accompanied by intense sunlight as well as UV rays. Unfortunately, in many cases, it is the UV rays that are the most destructive. Let’s take your garage door’s paint as an example. Because some homeowners do not take the time to add a protective layer before the summer months, the sun’s UV rays are sure to impact how the door looks. Over time and with enough heat, your door will quickly begin to show signs of discoloration. Bring in an Orange County garage door repair company to add that protective layer. This can help minimize the impact of extreme heat.
Fried Garage Door Pin Pads
When it comes to electronics, extreme heat can certainly cause a series of problems. One of the most common for the garage door includes your pin pad. Because most pin pads are located just outside the door, they often remain directly exposed to heat and sunlight. This often causes the wires within the pin pad to expand to the point where they either are barely working or stopping completely. Because of the dangerous nature of working with wiring, you should call in an Irvine garage door repair service company. This ensures that qualified professionals handle the job. If you wish to avoid this issue, some experts recommend that you place some type of shading around the pin pad. This can be either through the installation of a covering or by adding a large bush or tree to block some of the sunlight.
Power Outages and Surges
In another issue with electricity, extreme heat is known to also bring power outages and surges. Outages occur when so much electricity is being used that it’s simply too much for the power grid to handle, thus causing power to turn off across a city. However, is it not the outage that homeowners should worry about but rather when the power resumes. Because power grids are providing so much power during a blackout, when the flow of electricity does eventually resume, it can cause a surge. Therefore, homeowners should use a single-plug surge protector for their garage doors as well as for their other important electronics.
Warping of Garage Door Panels
Perhaps the most common damage you’ll see is the warping of your garage door panels. This is especially prevalent with older doors because they have already been exposed to multiple heatwaves. However, it is not the heat alone that causes this issue. Sometimes, if you have an insulated garage door, the cold from the other (interior) side, in combination with the intense heat from the outside, can cause your door to warp. Again, you can see this in both panel doors and one-piece garage doors.
Decreased Lubrication
Lubrication is extremely important in keeping your garage door’s components running smoothly. However, because of extreme heat, that lubrication can quickly begin to evaporate. If there is not enough lubrication on areas such as the tracks, it can quickly lead to intense grinding of the components. Over time, the issue will become much more serious than just an annoying sound. In some cases, you may even notice bent tracks that barely allow your door to move properly.
Preventing Extreme Heat Damage
Although all the items listed above still have the possibility of happening, perhaps the best way to avoid having to deal with them is to increase the number of maintenance checks on your garage door during the summer months. This will help you catch issues much quicker, allowing you to take action to remedy the problems before they become worse. You may also seek the services of an Anaheim garage door repair company. They can provide you with additional information about your particular garage door.