Updated: January 24, 2025

What to Do if Your Garage Door Is Frozen Shut

When temperatures drop below sub-zero and the grounds are covered in snow, your garage door may freeze shut. You can tell your door is frozen shut if it strains to open when you engage the opener or completely refuses to open. Forcing your door to open when stuck to the ground may damage the entire system or specific parts, like the opener system.

How to Unfreeze Your Frozen Garage Door

If your garage door doesn’t budge when you use the automatic door opener , it may be frozen shut. Here’s how you can check:

1. Perform a Visual Inspection

Walk outside to check if there’s ice build up at the bottom of the door or signs of broken parts, misaligned tracks or obstructions. Confirm that the garage door is on and getting power and that the door is unlocked.

Check for water, snow and ice accumulation near the the bottom of the door before the temperatures start to freeze, and clear them away with a floor squeegee or shovel to prevent pooling or freezing.

2. Try Opening the Door Manually

When your automatic garage door is frozen shut, don’t try to force it open by repeatedly pressing the remote. Forcing the door to open automatically may burn out the motor or break the door opener, leading to expensive repair and replacement costs.

Find the manual release cord near the motor and pull it to disengage the door from the opener. Once the door is released from the opener, lift it and shut it a few times to break the ice and dislodge the frost from the weather seal.

3. Clear the Ice

Whether you’re able to dislodge your garage door or not, you must clear the ice or snow at the base of your door. Use a scraper or ice-picking tool to chip the ice away from the weather seal while being careful not to tear or damage the rubber strip. Use the scraper to remove as much as possible before swiping the rest away.

If the ice is frozen tightly to the ground, try to melt it using the following methods:

• Blow dryer: Use a blow dryer or a heat gun on the lowest setting and run it back and forth until all the ice melts away.
• Space heater: Pointing the space heater toward your garage door is effective at melting the ice evenly.
• Boiling water: Pour hot water at the base of the garage door to melt the ice slowly. Keep the water away from the sensors and springs to prevent extensive damage to the garage door.
• Rock salt or ice melt: Spreading ice melt or rock salt at the bottom of the door will melt the ice and keep it from refreezing. Be sure to clear away the salt later to prevent corroding the metal parts at the base of the garage door.

How to Prevent Your Garage Door From Freezing

A better method than having to defrost the bottom of your garage door is not to experience this problem in the first place. There are a few steps you can take to help you avoid having to deal with a garage door that is frozen shut:

1. Clear ice or snow away from the area under your garage door. The longer you let it sit there, the greater the chance ice will build up and freeze the bottom of your door.
2. Clear the snow and ice on your driveway to prevent people and vehicles from tracking snow around the bottom of the garage door.
3. Lubricate your entire system with a silicone-based lubricant, focusing on the metal components and the rubber seal at the bottom to prevent the from freezing and shutting the garage door.
4. Even if you spend most of the winter indoors, try periodically opening and closing your garage door to prevent ice from building up.
5. To help prevent freezing, lay a layer of sand across the area where the door comes down to the ground.
6. Install an insulated garage door or a garage heater to keep the floors and door warm and prevent them from sticking shut.
7. Schedule your annual garage door maintenance just before the cold season starts.

Contact Liberty Door and Awning for Garage Door Repair and Maintenance

Liberty Door and Awning is a garage door installation, repair and maintenance company with over five decades of experience. We help businesses and homeowners select the best garage door for their property and maintain it to keep it in the best shape for longer. Schedule your annual maintenance before the temperatures drop below freezing point to help prevent your door from freezing shut and reduce the likelihood of costly emergency repair.

Contact us today to inquire more about our maintenance services or request a free estimate on our website.