Garage door frozen shut: what the door makers say to do

What you’re seeing and hearing

• It is below freezing, the opener hums or strains, and there was wet snow or water at the bottom of the door: Clopay says the door could be frozen to the concrete. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• Raynor says ice and snow built up along the bottom edge can leave the door stuck to the floor. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• The door will not lift by hand either and feels like it weighs a ton: Clopay says that can be a broken spring, not ice. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do

Is it safe to use the door right now?

Yes, if you stop pushing on it. Stop pressing the button.

• Raynor says not to cycle the opener to break the door loose: it is built for normal loads, not for lifting against a solid freeze. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• Clopay says not to force the door open and break the ice, because that can rip the weatherseal. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• If the door feels very heavy, drops fast or will not stay up, do not lift it and do not touch the spring or the cables. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do

DIY or a pro, and why

Clearing the ice is yours. A heavy door or a split coil is a technician’s.

• Gently chip the ice away or melt it with warm water (Clopay), or scrape it with a flat-blade shovel, taking care not to hit the door (Raynor). Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• If it is still stuck, Raynor says to soften the ice with a hair dryer or heat gun, keeping it off the door and the weather strip. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• Do not put ice melt on the door, especially a metal door, and wipe it off if some lands there (Clopay). Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• A popping noise the last time the door moved, or a coil above the door that looks split in two, are the broken-spring signs Clopay describes. Springs and cables are never a homeowner repair. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do

What the fix involves and costs

• Once the ice is gone, raise the door and clean and dry the floor where it sat so it does not freeze there again. Source: Garage door frozen shut? What to do, and what not to do
• The ice forms where the bottom seal meets wet concrete, so that seal and the floor under it are the places to look before the next freeze. Source: Garage door winterizing checklist, before the first freeze
• If the door moves freely but the opener still hums or strains, see the opener-runs-but-door-won’t-move checks. Source: Your garage door opener hums or runs, but the door won’t move