Cold Weather Garage Door Failure

There is never a good time to experience garage door failure, but I think we can all agree that winter time is the worst! Here in Newnan, GA we get some pretty brisk winter weather so it’s best to know what to do if your garage door acts up during this time. Imagine bundling up and trying to get to work only to find that your garage door won’t open or shut! Cold weather is often to blame for a variety of garage door problems. By following our advice, you’ll be able to head-off many of them and be able to come and go at will, even if your teeth are chattering!

Keep your “cool” and find the problem!

Ok – we know that colder weather can lead to poor or no garage door function; but what do we do first? Let’s start from the beginning and see just what the problem is. Doing this methodically can save you lots on repair bills and time wasting research.

Check the remote!

Let’s start with your remote. Check to see if your batteries are working, or not. Weak or drained batteries can send out poor signals. Our Newnan, GA colder weather can affect your batteries so this is always a smart place to start. Why pay for a garage door repair service call when you can just change a battery, right?

Now, on to your safety eyes!

Now let’s move onto your sensors. Your photoelectric garage door sensors transmit signals between the two lights or eyes. If this signal is broken your garage door won’t close or open. Anything blocking the signal will stop it from transmitting. This could be lawn equipment, boxes, trash cans, dog food bags, bicycles, or any items that may have fallen in its way. Take a minute and check to make sure that your safety eyes are directly pointing to each other, with no blockage of the signal occurring.

So far so good; now let’s check the sensors themselves. Look more closely and check for fogging. Many times in colder weather these safety eyes develop a bit of condensation. Something as small as this can keep your sensors from transmitting their signal and you know what happens then! Your garage door won’t work! All you need is to wipe your sensors with a soft cloth. Be sure to be gentle as you don’t want to upset their calibration!

Next; your garage door tracks...

Now we’ll check your tracks. Frigid weather can cause the oil that lubricates your motor and allows the garage door to move smoothly within the track to thicken. You may have to remove the old grease/oil by using a solvent. Use a small brush; an old toothbrush will do. Work into the cracks and clean out the old hardened oil. Wipe away the solvent and apply some lubricant to the moving parts and you should be good to go.

Should you need to disconnect the garage door opener make sure that your garage door is in the down position. Disconnect the opener and raise the door manually; while doing this, check for places where the door possibly sticks. You may notice a grease buildup from your tracks or springs. Now is a good time to inspect your springs and look for damage. If your garage door is resisting while you are lifting it manually, you may have a broken spring.

If it’s very easy to raise and lower your garage door, you may need to adjust the opener’s force settings. This is how you do it - once your door is in the down position, press and release the adjustment button. The garage door opener lights will flash once, then again. When the UP button begins to flash, press and release it. Now press and release the down button and you are finished with the programming/adjustment.

Cold Weather and metal

Cold weather can make metal contract and since your tracks and your springs are metallic, they can seize up at times. The solution is simply to apply lubricant. Grease or oil your springs, rollers, hinges, and other moving parts. Make sure you use a silicone based lubricant for better results.

Rollers are next

Next will we’ll check your rollers. Rollers can become worn out or misaligned - often the cold weather forces them to become warped and damaged. Unfortunately, there’s no quick, do-it- yourself solution for this, so it’s best to call a local garage door repair expert to fix this problem.

Is it your springs?

Your garage door springs may be damaged. As you know, garage doors use torsion or extension springs to do the heavy lifting of your metal or wood door. They also help balance the weight of the heavy door which often weighs several hundred pounds. Eventually these springs will reach the end of their life cycle and snap.

This often occurs during the colder winter months. Again, we do not recommend do-it-yourself repair. When it comes to your garage door springs, rely only on trained and experienced spring professionals like ours here at Newnan Garage Repair.

Further help…

It’s important to remember that you should always consult your owner’s manual before you make any adjustments to your garage door system. If you don’t find the help you need be sure to call a professional garage door repair shop like Newnan Garage Repair and get quality service on your time frame.

There are also dozens of helpful books available on do-it-yourself garage door repair and maintenance. Don’t forget to make use of the internet for further advice and check YouTube for additional helpful videos. It’s always smart to check the comments to see what others have written about their experiences with dealing with cold garage door problems.

Feel free to check with Newnan Garage Repair at any time! We offer 24-hour emergency service, fast response times, affordable rates and free price quotes. In addition, our helpful technicians offer free consultations and fast same day service. Using the right garage door repair shop can save you money and lots of time. Don’t be late for work or miss important appointments because of a cold, inoperable garage door! Keep your door maintained and functioning all year long by following the above tips and if needed, using the professional services of Newnan Garage Repair.