garage door and cold weather

[brian.maggiore]

I also have a problem in the cold weather with my garage door opener. It will open but not close when it's cold. I have to hit the botton serveral times or hold it down for a long time in order for it to close. Does not matter if I'm useing the remote or the botton in the garage, if it's under 32 degrees, the door just doesn't close. Any advice that could be provided would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Rich]

In a nut shell:

Using your door manually, check for binding. Correct accordingly.

Lubricate moving parts (roller bearings, pulley or shaft bearings, hinge pivot points, sprockets/gears) thoroughly using a low-temperature lubricant;

Adjust your down force, if necessary.

Tips on Garage Door Tuneup:

Rich ==================================== Garage Door Parts, LLC

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm.

32 deg. is cold? It's just freezing point. Here few days we had -30 deg. Business as usual. LOL.

[John S]

Holding the button down may override the doorway beam sensor, whose input is only important when the door is going down. Is it possible the cold weather is affecting the beam sensor in any way?

[hallerb]

door may need lubrication whens the last time you oiled it?

[mm]

You don't say what happens if you only hit it ionce. It doesn't move at all. It moves a little bit. It moves almost all the way. ????

We're not there.

Try to give a complete picture of the problem.

You don't say what happens if you only push it twice. etc.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Joseph Meehan]

I suspect John is right. The cold could be causing some misalignment of the sensors.

[brian.maggiore]

It doesn't move at all. The light goes on but the door does not move. Sometimes when I hit the botton multiple times, I will get lucky and the door will eventually go down. But most of the time I end up pulling the cord. Not sure if it is the sensors or not.

[brian.maggiore]

If it is affecting the beam sensor, should I just replace them or is there a way to fix them?

[jerry_maple]

When my house was new, in the summertime, the garage door (on the north side of the house) would not close in the evening, when the sun was shining on the receiving safety sensor. Had to get out of the car with the clicker, stand with my shadow falling on the sensor, and stay there until the door closed. Other times of the year, no problem, since the evening sun did not hit the sensor. After a couple of years, the olive tree grew enough to shade the sensor when the sun was low in the west. Which may or may not be related to your problem. See if the lenses on the sensors are dirty, clean if necessary. Check for sensor alignment issues.

The tech support area of the Chamberlain website has this to say about safety sensor issues:

If the door will not close unless constant pressure is applied to the wall button, the symptoms are indicative of a safety sensor issue. There are a few different things that can cause this type of problem, so listed below are the issues with their corresponding solutions.

1. Check each sensor for a steady glowing indicator light. If both indicator lights are on, or if one indicator light is flickering, the sensors may be slightly misaligned. To check for misalignment; obstruct the beam of the sensors so that they cannot see each other. When the beam is blocked, the indicator light on one of the two sensors will temporarily go out. This is the receiving sensor. Remove the obstruction and loosen the wingnut on the back of the receiving sensor. Adjust the receiving sensor until the green indicator light is bright and steady, then retighten the wingnut. This usually takes a couple of attempts before it is back in alignment.

1. If an indicator light is out on only one of the sensors, check for a possible loose wire. Sensor wires are attached to the white and black terminals on the back or side panel of the overhead motor unit. If wires are securely connected, check the wires running from the sensor to the motor unit for any breaks. Check anywhere the wires are spliced together. Try moving the wire around where it is connected at the back of the sensor. If the indicator light does not come on, you will need to replace the sensors.

2. If the problem exists only during the daytime, check to make sure the receiving eye is not in direct sunlight. If this is the case, it may be necessary to remount or adjust the sensor back toward the side wall of the garage.

Hope this helps, Jerry

[mm]

Thank you for the more complete information. Now however you didn't quote the original information, even though I had quoted it.. Doesn't your newsreader do that automatically if you set it right? Anyhow, it's been 42 hours since I read your first post, and I can't keep all those details in my head that I read back then, so I can't reply.

Good luck to you.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Sev]

Just as a note- I think it's correct- if possible - to set up so receiving sensor does not get sun, as others have noted. If on north side, this ought to be possible. Their positions can be switched, if required.

[doordoc]

If the remote will close the door by holding the button it's not the sensors. If the sensors were causing the problem the remotes won't close the door at all but the wall button will by holding it constantly. They're designed this way so you will fix the sensor problem instead of living w/ it.

When it acts up, disconnect the door & see if the motor will run without the door connected & without having to hold the button. If it runs fine it's probably a door problem, if it still won't run it's probably an opener problem.

The solutuion to the problem may depend on whether you have a screw drive, chain drive, or belt drive opener.

Doordoc

[brian.maggiore]

Jerry, thanks for the help. I will try some of this today and see if it works. I'll keep you posted.