7 Ways to Prep Your Parking Structure Doors for Winter

Winter weather puts every parking structure entrance to the test. Snow, ice, freezing temperatures and constant vehicle traffic can impact door performance when reliability matters most.

A little preventive maintenance before the cold weather hits can help reduce downtime, improve safety, and keep vehicles moving in and out efficiently throughout the season. Here’s a handy checklist to make sure your high-performance doors are ready for whatever winter brings your way.

Winter Readiness Checklist

1. Test Door Performance. Run doors through several open-and-close cycles to ensure they’re working properly. Listen for unusual noises, check door speed and watch for any inconsistent movement. Also make sure that doors close quickly and completely. If you see any issues, address them before temperatures drop.

2. Check All Components. Checking your door’s motor is your first defense against winter weather – because if your motor doesn’t work properly, your door won’t open and close as it should. Schedule any maintenance now to ensure the motor and all of the door’s mechanical parts keep working correctly all winter long. Also inspect the door’s mounting hardware, including nuts, bolts, set screws, anchors and bearing blocks, to ensure they’re tight and secure.

3. Lubricate the Gearbox. Cold weather can place extra strain on moving components, such as your door’s gearbox. Make sure it’s properly lubricated by checking oil levels at the plug, located on the lower section of the gearbox. If oil levels are low, top them off now to prevent complications later.

4. Inspect Seals. Specially designed seals on the sides and bottom of high-performance doors prevent frost and ice build-up around doorways, which can affect door performance. Inspect the seals on the sides and bottom of your doors for cracks, wear or missing sections, and replace any damaged seals before winter arrives.

   Pay close attention to the bottom door seal. During winter, it’s exposed to water, ice, salt and fluids that drip off vehicles as they enter and leave the parking structure – which can compromise its integrity and ability to withstand winter weather. If you notice the seal is ragged or worn, replace it to ensure your doors will shut out cold temperatures, snow and ice.

5. Test Safety Systems. High-performance doors feature multiple safety systems that keep people and equipment safe. Start by checking reversing edges by tapping the bottom of the edge while the door closes to ensure it immediately reverses. Make sure you test any other systems you might have in place to ensure doors will continue to keep people and vehicles safe.

6. Consider Tech Upgrades. Modern high-performance doors can be paired with the latest access control technologies to provide secure entry into parking structures. From Bluetooth key fobs to smartphone apps, there are plenty of options that will give authorized users easy access to your parking structure. Some door models include the Rytec SmartSurround^® system to automatically detect vehicles or people in or near the door threshold. This AI-based technology system also features an environmental mode that recognizes beam-blocking weather conditions and adjusts door closing speed accordingly. 

   If you’ve been considering upgrading your door technology, now’s the time to do it. Then your tenants and visitors won’t have to open their car windows to gain access to the parking structure – a big plus during cold winter weather!

7. Make a Plan for Snow. Develop a strategy to quickly remove snow and ice from around door openings. Keeping thresholds clear helps ensure smooth door operation and reduces unnecessary wear.

   Explore Rytec’s parking structure doors or contact us to make sure you’re fully prepared for the cold season ahead.