The door is the biggest opening in the house
A two-car garage door is the largest moving part of most homes, and in a windstorm it is often the weakest wall. NOAA's engineering weather data for Fayetteville's Drake Field lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph. A door that bows inward under gusts can pop out of its tracks, and once wind gets into the garage, it pushes up on the roof from inside. When you replace a door, ask whether the model carries a wind-load rating, what reinforcing struts it includes, and how the tracks will be anchored to the framing.
Power outages and the manual release
Ice storms are the local test of a garage door opener. In the January 2009 storm, one to two inches of ice coated Washington, Madison, Benton and Carroll counties, and at the peak 75 percent of electric customers in Benton County had no power. If your car is in the garage when the power goes out, you need to know how to use the emergency release cord, and how to lock the door manually afterward. Ask the technician to show you both on the service visit. Many newer openers offer a battery backup that runs the door a number of times during an outage; if you are replacing an opener, ask whether the model includes one and how long the battery lasts before it needs replacement.
A word of caution: never pull the emergency release when the door is open and the springs might be broken, because the door can fall. If the door is stuck open during an outage, call for service.
Ice on the bottom seal
After freezing rain or a hard freeze following rain, the bottom seal can freeze to the slab. Running the opener against a frozen door strains the motor and can tear the seal or bend the bottom panel. Break the seal free gently, and ask the technician whether a replacement bottom seal or threshold seal would help water drain away from the door.
Springs in cold weather
NOAA lists an average of 62 freeze-thaw cycles a year at Drake Field. Torsion springs tend to fail on cold mornings, when the steel is stiffer and the door is heavier on the lift. A broken spring is a job for a technician: the stored energy can cause serious injury. Ask about the cycle rating of replacement springs, and whether replacing both springs together makes sense on a two-spring door.
Humidity and rust
Fayetteville summers are humid; NOAA counts about 768 hours a year with Drake Field's wet-bulb temperature above 73°F. Moisture and condensation in a closed garage can rust hardware, rollers and the bottom of steel doors over time. Ask about galvanized or coated hardware, nylon rollers with sealed bearings, and a door with a factory finish that suits a damp garage. Keep the bottom panel clear of standing water and leaves.
What to ask before you buy
Ask for the door model, gauge of steel, insulation value if the garage is attached, wind rating, spring cycle rating and the opener model, all on the written quote. Ask what the warranty covers on springs, the opener motor and labor. A good technician will also test the opener's auto-reverse and photo-eye safety features before leaving.