Replace a hardened bottom seal
The bottom seal is the single most important winter component. Once the rubber has hardened it stops conforming to the slab, water gets underneath, and the door freezes down. Replacing it in October is far cheaper than an emergency call in January.
Deal with the water before it freezes
If your driveway slopes toward the garage, meltwater will sit at the door. A threshold seal bonded to the slab gives the water somewhere to stop and keeps the door from freezing to the concrete.
Lubricate with the right product
Cold thickens the wrong lubricants. Use a garage-door silicone or lithium spray on hinges, roller bearings, springs and the opener rail. Grease that stiffens at minus 20 makes the opener work harder than it should.
Check the balance before the cold
A door that is already slightly heavy in October will trip the opener's force setting in February. The balance test takes a minute: release the opener, lift the door halfway by hand, and see if it holds.
Do not just crank up the force
When a door starts sticking in the cold, the tempting fix is to increase the opener's force setting. That defeats the obstruction protection that keeps people and vehicles safe. Fix the cause — the seal, the balance or the ice — instead.
Keep the bottom clear
Shovel and, where necessary, chip the ice line at the door before operating it. Most winter panel and cable damage we see comes from an opener pulling against a door that is frozen to the slab.