topic Re: My Back Door is Stuck... in Community Chat

My Back Door is Stuck...

terrier3 — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:00:45 GMT

Due to the freezing temps, the back door won't open properly (just the storm door).

I thought it was due to a broken hinge...it's actually because the ground under the cement walkway has risen due to the cold (like an expanding ice cube)...now we can only open the door just enough to wiggle in and out.

Our maintenance man said it's happening all over. He said he went to Burger King and the same thing had happened. They had to take the exterior door off.

We said we will squeak through until the thaw...I don't want to remove the storm door and the extra layer of weather control it provides.

Has this happened to anyone else out there?

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Suziepeach — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:14:53 GMT

Run your hair dryer on high heat around the edges stuck.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

deepwaterdotter — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:15:27 GMT

Would blowing hot air from a hair dryer on the concrete relieve some of the pressure on the concrete?

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

brii — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:17:35 GMT

I've never had that happen. I've had snowdrifts that block the door. We come in from the garage anyway.

I don't know what the solution would be. Hope it doesn't damage the cement or make it unstable once it thaws.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Suziepeach — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:19:23 GMT

Oh I thought there was weather on the concrete along with it rising.. Hmmm that's a good question, deep.. who knows maybe by heating it up, it would go back down a little.. I mean trying wouldn't hurt anything... sorry terrier, I was thinking again.. duh.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Buck-i-Nana — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:19:51 GMT

My son and dil's driveway and walkway up to their front door has heaved at least an inch the past 2 winters.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Suziepeach — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:21:20 GMT

terrier, would love to send you our weather at the moment- it's a strange 71 but temps are supposed to start going back down.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Buck-i-Nana — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:21:50 GMT

On 3/4/2015 deepwaterdotter said:
Would blowing hot air from a hair dryer on the concrete relieve some of the pressure on the concrete?

I doubt that would have any effect as it's the ground beneath the concrete that has frozen and expanded. The heat of the hairdryer would have to heat up the concrete enough to then penetrate down through probably 2 or more inches of frozen ground.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Suziepeach — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:23:03 GMT

It was just an idea I had about the hair dryer, I am sorry..

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

hennypenny — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:23:47 GMT

We used to have that problem in our last house. It was built on black adobe and the ground would swell when soaked. We called a man to shave part of the door to get it to close and he said no, that as the ground dried it would leave a huge gap and render the door useless. We had to wait it out. I think you will have to do the same. Just be sure that you have another safe way to exit your house in case of emergency.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Buck-i-Nana — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:29:41 GMT

On 3/4/2015 Suziepeach said:
It was just an idea I had about the hair dryer, I am sorry..

I hope I didn't make you feel bad about your suggestion! That wasn't my intent with my answer. It actually would seem to be a good idea, thawing it just like you could thaw a frozen pipe using a hairdryer. It's just having experienced it here locally and it having become a significant problem here, that it was discussed on a local news program.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Marmalade_1 — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:31:16 GMT

Use the front door.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Suziepeach — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:32:22 GMT

On 3/4/2015 Buck-i-Nana said:
On 3/4/2015 Suziepeach said:
It was just an idea I had about the hair dryer, I am sorry..

I hope I didn't make you feel bad about your suggestion! That wasn't my intent with my answer. It actually would seem to be a good idea, thawing it just like you could thaw a frozen pipe using a hairdryer. It's just having experienced it here locally and it having become a significant problem here, that it was discussed on a local news program.

Oh heaven's no, I got to thinking about my suggestion that it probably wouldn't work.. I did use the dryer on our fiberglass deck cover and it really helped break up the ice in the middle... Goodness no, Buck, you sure didn't make me feel bad..

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:33:16 GMT

This happened to our back door last year, it was very badly swollen, if that is the word. This year the same thing is happening but not quite as bad, once we get warmer weather, the problem will be solved. I do not think there is a permanent fix to the problem.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

LucyGoose — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:33:21 GMT

I'm having a problem with condensation.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

terrier3 — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:34:42 GMT

On 3/4/2015 Marmalade said:
Use the front door.

We usually do that...but the back door leads to the garbage totes and the wrought iron gate that protects the side alley is ALSO frozen solid! So we will just squeeze in and out the back as necessary.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

terrier3 — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 21:36:28 GMT

On 3/4/2015 momtodogs said:
This happened to our back door last year, it was very badly swollen, if that is the word. This year the same thing is happening but not quite as bad, once we get warmer weather, the problem will be solved. I do not think there is a permanent fix to the problem.

The maintenance man said the only thing to do was to remove the storm door until everything thaws and the cement pad goes back to normal.

This has NEVER happened, but then again this was the coldest February in Buffalo on record.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

ROMARY — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 22:49:07 GMT

A non-electric heating pad. The kind you warm up in the microwave for a few seconds. Maybe place it on or along side of the frozen door jamb. Also, maybe rubbing the door jamb with a stick of canning wax (I think it's called paraffin?)

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

JustJazzmom — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 23:08:50 GMT

You may have to wait till spring and determine if you need to relay the cement walkway (by removing some of the soil below and then doing the walkway over again. I've had that problem with pavers in front of a metal garden shed- but I do not use it in the winter to get at things.

Re: My Back Door is Stuck...

Buck-i-Nana — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 23:11:46 GMT

On 3/4/2015 terrier3 said:
On 3/4/2015 momtodogs said:
This happened to our back door last year, it was very badly swollen, if that is the word. This year the same thing is happening but not quite as bad, once we get warmer weather, the problem will be solved. I do not think there is a permanent fix to the problem.

The maintenance man said the only thing to do was to remove the storm door until everything thaws and the cement pad goes back to normal.

This has NEVER happened, but then again this was the coldest February in Buffalo on record.

Terrier - did you have any significant melting prior to the last blast of arctic air? When the ground is super saturated with melted snow, and then another deep freeze hits, that's a significant contributor to the heaving pavement.