Residential garage doors are huge conveniences especially in the wintertime for homeowners. Your car is parked inside a cozy garage while extreme weather like cold temperatures, ice and snow could impact you the most. The winter season can be the worst time of the year for garage door failure. Trouble closing your garage door could be several issues, however if it’s only occurring in winter conditions most likely its winter related. Here are some steps you can take to help diagnose the problem.
Cold Weather and Safety Sensors
Garage door safety sensors can be affected in several ways in cold weather. Garage door sensors have infrared sensors called a photo-eye on both sides of your garage door about six inches off the ground. An invisible line is created by these two sensors across your garage door and detects if anything is in the way. This will prevent the garage door from shutting all the way and reverse its direction if there is something in the way.
Some of the most common cold weather safety sensors issues are:
Condensation on Safety Sensors:
Condensation is a common garage door sensor problem during the winter. Cold temperatures can create a layer or film of condensation on the lens of the safety sensor that can break the connection between the sensors. Check to see if lenses are fogged or clouded up, if so, a quick wipe with a dry cloth across the sensors should solve the problem.
Expanding and Contraction Metal on Garage Door:
Fluctuations in temperatures can cause the garage door’s metal parts to expand or contract. As the metal expands or contracts, it may cause the safety sensors to shift. Misaligned sensors won’t be able to detect whether there is an obstruction blocking their path. There are a few ways you can tell if your sensors are aligned. One way is to loosen screws or move other components for a sensor to move freely. If you correctly direct one sensor light to the other a small light will come on. This will indicate the two sensors are in alignment.
Frozen Lubricant on Garage Door
Frozen Lubricant could be the result of old lubricant, or a lubricant was used not suitable for winter weather. Whatever the case, you can buy lubricants that are specifically made for garage door systems.
Call us today at A1 Affordable Garage Door Repair Services for any garage door issues you may be experiencing. We service Plano, Frisco, Allen, Mckinney and surrounding areas with thier garage door needs.
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