Hiring a residential garage door repair service in the middle of winter is an unusual service request. However, it does happen, and the repair technicians willing to respond to your calls will come as soon as possible to fix the problem. You should, however, expect certain things to happen or not happen, given the circumstances and under certain conditions as follows.
If the Weather Is Particularly Foul, Technicians Are Not Likely to Respond
If you are experiencing a blizzard and/or arctic temperatures, most technicians are not likely to come out under those conditions to fix a garage door. Most businesses will shut down when the weather is foul, and garage door repair technicians are no different. Despite the fact that you may need to get out and go to work or run to the store for necessities, a broken garage door that refuses to open or refuses to close in the middle of foul weather conditions is not likely going to be tended to immediately.
Animals Seeking Shelter From the Bad Weather May Enter Your Garage
Even in the best of times when the weather is not nasty but just cold, animals that seek shelter will still find their way into your garage. When your door is ajar and will not move down or close, you have a higher risk of unwanted wildlife in your garage. However, they might find their way in at other times too. Your best bet is to try to secure a heavy tarp over the opened garage door that will not close and just keep an eye on it.
The Door May Just Be Frozen
When you cannot get a technician to come immediately in the midst of winter weather, consider the fact that it may just be too cold for the door to open and shut. A little ice here and there or a very cold door opener may not be able to move. Check all hinges, springs, winches, and the opener itself to make sure they are not covered in ice or feel exceedingly cold. If you see ice, a hot air dryer aimed at the ice may help remove this barrier and get the door to open or shut again. Repeating this process may be necessary a few hours from now if and when the door has frozen or locked up again from the bad weather brewing outside the garage door.
Contact a local residential garage door repair service if you have any questions.