Wintry Mix, Freezing Rain and the Threshold
Snow mostly sits where it lands. Freezing rain runs to the lowest point, pools, and then locks everything together.
Three loads at once
Ice adds real weight to the upper sections, builds inside the section joints so the panels cannot articulate as the door folds, and bonds the bottom seal to the slab. Individually each is manageable. Together the opener is asked to lift a heavier, stiffer door that is also glued down.
What actually breaks
Usually a lift cable, because it takes the shock when the door finally releases unevenly. Sometimes the bottom section, bending where the seal is still stuck. Occasionally the opener drive gear. All three are consequences of forcing it rather than of the ice.
The apron is the underrated part
Salt plus repeated freeze-thaw spalls and pits the concrete immediately outside the door. Once that threshold is no longer flat, no bottom seal can seal against it, and owners replace the rubber twice before anyone looks down. If a new seal did not fix the draught, look at the concrete.
The right sequence in an ice event
Clear ice along the bottom seal with warm water and a plastic scraper before touching the opener. Check the section joints are not iced solid. Then operate the door once, slowly, and watch it.
Why a tired seal makes it worse
A supple seal deforms and releases from ice. A hardened one grips and tears. Replacing a tired seal in October is the cheapest single thing a central Ohio owner can do for the door.
Free estimate — no charge for the visit
Tell us what the door is doing and we will tell you what it normally means in Columbus. Every job is quoted in person and in writing before any work starts.