2026-03-30 7 min read
If you've lived in Los Altos for more than a year, you know the rhythm: long, dry summers followed by a stretch of wet, gray winters that dump most of the year's rainfall between November and March. It's a beautiful climate overall. but that seasonal swing between dry and wet is harder on your garage door than most homeowners realize.
The damage doesn't happen all at once. It builds up slowly, season after season, until one morning your door is grinding, sticking, or just won't open. Here's what's actually happening and how to get ahead of it.
This is the big one. During Los Altos' rainy months, moisture gets into places you don't think about. the hinges, springs, rollers, and tracks. Once water sits on metal parts, the oxidation process starts almost immediately. Rust weakens key components like cables and rollers, and once corrosion sets in, balance and smooth operation become harder to maintain. Parts that are rusted can also snap without warning, turning what would have been a minor tune-up into an emergency repair.
Pay special attention to the hardware near the bottom of the door. this is where water pools first and where corrosion almost always starts.
A lot of older homes in Los Altos. particularly the ranch-style and mid-century modern homes that are so common throughout the city. were built with wood garage doors that have a lot of character but require real attention during wet weather. Wood absorbs moisture, which causes panels to swell, grow heavier, and sometimes warp to the point where the door no longer closes flush. Once warping sets in, it stresses the opener motor and can throw the door off balance entirely.
If your wood door is sticking at the bottom or one side during the rainy months, swelling is almost always the culprit. Keep the door clean, sealed, and painted. bare wood in a Los Altos winter is asking for trouble.
Here's one that surprises people: moisture can also affect your opener's electronics. The photoelectric safety sensors sit near the floor on either side of your garage door. which puts them right in the path of splashing water and morning condensation. Foggy or dirty sensor lenses will prevent the door from closing properly, and in some cases high humidity can cause condensation inside the motor unit itself, leading to short circuits or erratic behavior.
During the rainy season, make it a habit to wipe down the sensor lenses with a dry cloth every couple of weeks. It takes 30 seconds and can save you a service call.
The rubber seals along the bottom and sides of your door are your first line of defense against water intrusion. But weatherstripping degrades over time. it cracks, hardens, and loses its flexibility, especially after years of wet winters followed by dry summers. Once gaps open up, water gets in and attacks the metal components from the inside. Most hardware stores carry universal replacement weatherstripping for $15,30, and replacing it yourself takes under 30 minutes.
Most people lubricate their garage door in fall and forget about it. But rain and moisture wash away lubricants from hinges, rollers, springs, and tracks. After each major storm, give your metal hardware a light application of a silicone or lithium-based lubricant. not WD-40, which actually attracts dust and can thin out the lubricants you really need. This one habit dramatically reduces wear during the wet months.
For more on which parts to lubricate and how, take a look at our seasonal garage door maintenance guide.
You don't need any tools for this. just your eyes. Walk up to your door and look at the hinges, the bottom of each panel, and the exposed parts of the springs and cables. You're looking for orange or reddish-brown spots. Surface rust caught early can be addressed with sandpaper and a rust-inhibiting primer. Rust that has spread deep into a spring or cable means replacement is coming, and sooner is always safer.
Run your hand along the rubber bottom seal when the door is closed. It should make full contact with the garage floor across the entire width of the door. If you see daylight. or feel a draft. water is getting in. A compromised bottom seal is also an invitation for the kind of pests that are active during the cooler, wetter months.
Spring is an ideal time to have a technician go through the full system. lubrication, spring tension, track alignment, and sensor calibration. After three to four months of wet weather, small issues accumulate. Catching them in spring, before the dry season settles in and you forget about it until next winter, keeps the repair costs manageable. Contact us to schedule a post-winter inspection and we can walk through everything with you.
If you're up in Los Altos Hills. where lots are larger, garages are often detached or set back from the house, and the oak-lined landscape brings heavier debris. you're dealing with an additional issue: leaves, twigs, and organic matter that blow into the tracks and bottom seal gap. This debris traps moisture against your door's hardware longer than normal. A quick track cleaning after every significant storm goes a long way.
Moisture increases friction on metal components, especially if lubrication has worn away. Humidity also causes slight expansion in both metal tracks and wood panels. Try applying a silicone-based lubricant to the hinges, rollers, and tracks after the door has dried. If the problem persists or the door binds at the same spot every time, you may have a misaligned roller or a track issue worth having a professional look at.
Yes, particularly the safety sensors, which sit close to the floor and are exposed to splashing water and ground-level condensation. Wet or dirty sensor lenses will trigger the door's safety mechanism and prevent it from closing. Wipe them down regularly during wet weather. Persistent electrical issues. like the door reversing for no reason or the motor running but the door not moving. may indicate moisture has reached the motor unit.
Most weatherstripping lasts three to five years under normal conditions, but Los Altos' annual wet-dry cycle accelerates deterioration. Check the bottom seal and door perimeter seals at the start and end of every rainy season. If the rubber feels brittle, shows cracks, or no longer makes full contact with the floor or door frame, replace it before the next rain. It's one of the least expensive and most effective things you can do to protect your door's hardware.