[Nealtw]

So, my friend's garage door has a weird problem. This only happens when it's COLD outside.

When it's cold outside her garage door doesn't always close. If she HOLDS the inside wall mounted button down it will close but if she just pushes it quick like normal when it's warm out it won't go down.

Her garage door remote does not work all the time in the cold, when it doesn't close the garage door she has to go inside the house and hold the wall mounted button down and it will close.

She said sometimes it starts going down, stops, and goes back up.

Opening is not a problem, only closing.

She thinks it could be a sensor issue but I don't know. I did put a brand new battery in her garage remote but it didn't work.


Anyone know what this issue could be?


Thanks in advance.

It could be that it needs to be adjusted so it pushes down harder or the light and eye at the floor is moving and it reads like something was in the way.
How To Realign Garage Door Sensors in 5 Minutes or Less! - #Garage Doors #Houston - YouTube

 

[MTN REMODEL LLC]

AS NEAL......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The opener will have a downward force adjustment.....each model is different...look up the manual on internet.....When downward force exceeds it's setting....the door will stop and /or reverse....safety feature.

Sounds like when it's cold for some reason it's encountering some excess resistance.....check it's rollers, alignment of channels/ lubricate it.....try it by hand and see if you can spot a sticky/resistance point.

 

[tcgarage]

AS NEAL......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The opener will have a downward force adjustment.....each model is different...look up the manual on internet.....When downward force exceeds it's setting....the door will stop and /or reverse....safety feature.

Sounds like when it's cold for some reason it's encountering some excess resistance.....check it's rollers, alignment of channels/ lubricate it.....try it by hand and see if you can spot a sticky/resistance point.

So, increase the downward pressure or decrease it?


Besides checking for any sticky points and lubricating the rail.

 

[MTN REMODEL LLC]

So, increase the downward pressure or decrease it?


Besides checking for any sticky points and lubricating the rail.

Increase

 

[tcgarage]

Increase

Thanks!

 

[snic]

So, increase the downward pressure or decrease it?


Besides checking for any sticky points and lubricating the rail.

That's the first thing I'd do. Metal expands/contracts/distorts with temperature. These shape differences might not make a difference when everything is properly lubed.

 

[WYoJim]

How cold is cold? The lubrication on all the wheels might be thickening, causing more resistance. I would try operating it by hand to see if it is as freewheeling as it is in warm weather.

 

[pumpkin11]

the first thing you should do is disconnect the door from the opener, and see how it functions manually,

can you open the door and close the door easily?

if a garage door is adjusted perfectly, you should be able to open it, and close it, with one hand, using very little effort,

i just had brand new doors installed, i can open and close mine with one FINGER!

 

[tcgarage]

What's the best rail lubricant?


WD40?


Or something special I should buy at a store like Menards?

 

[Missouri Bound]

What's the best rail lubricant?

Before you buy anything, check and see if the door rails or rollers have been greased.
You need a specific type of garage door lubricant that doesn't coagulate when cold.
WD 40 can be sprayed on the tracks to loosen whatever is there now but by itself it is not a lubricant.
Grab a rag or wad of paper towels and see if it sticks in the track.
Pumpkin11's advice is great. Disconnect the opener from the door and see how it functions.
If you get the door to work properly without the opener then you should be fine.

 

[Fix'n it]

i use engine oil in a squirt can.

 

[Nealtw]

My friend had trouble after her door was open for a while when it was sunny, the light would go out of adjustment.
I added another bracket to the side that was in the sun so it couldn't move.

 

[tcgarage]

What if I disconnect it and the garage door moves up and down easily and smoothly?

What could get problem be?

 

[Nealtw]

What if I disconnect it and the garage door moves up and down easily and smoothly?

What could get problem be?

The eye is out of alignment.
The eye checks for people or things in a the doorway and will stop the door.
When it is not lined up, it is reading that something is in the way so it stops the door.
When that happens you can over ride it by holding the button in the garage.

 

[pumpkin11]

What's the best rail lubricant?


WD40?

WD40 is not a lubricant

i use spray grease....

emzone White Lithium Grease, 14 Ounces : Amazon.ca: Automotive

emzone White Lithium Grease, 14 Ounces : Amazon.ca: Automotive

www.amazon.ca

 

[huesmann]

I'm with Neal. The eye is out of alignment. Maybe the cold made something shrink and changed its targeting or something, but the same thing happens with my GDO from time to time, and a tiny adjustment of the eye on the track gets everything working properly again.

 

[tcgarage]

The eye is out of alignment.
The eye checks for people or things in a the doorway and will stop the door.
When it is not lined up, it is reading that something is in the way so it stops the door.
When that happens you can over ride it by holding the button in the garage.

I think it might be the eye.


Now that you said the garage door can be over-ridden by holding down the garage door button.


I'll check it today.

 

[iamrfixit]

Don't use oil or grease on the tracks, it will only attract dirt and grime and will cause you further problems, and it's very messy. All I use is a spray type silicone lube, Sil-Glyde spray from napa works pretty well. Most doors today use nylon rollers and don't really need a lot of lube anyway. The older chain drive openers from chamberlain, sears and others used a T-rail that was lubed with lithium grease but the last several years they've changed to a tube rail that does not need much lube. The trolley slides on high density plastic slides, a little silicone spray is plenty.

I would be looking at the sensor eyes. Holding the wall button will override the sensor eyes but not if it's reversing due to the door catching or closing too hard. You may have an eye slightly out of adjustment and the cold shrinks the plastic enough to move it out of range. Could also be something simple like cobwebs or leaves getting stuck on the door that trips the eye. Even the low angle of the sun can give trouble with the sensors when the sun gets just right certain times a year or at the right time of day.

A bit more down force adjustment should fix it if the door is just getting stiff in the cold. Everything shrinks and can cause it to get tighter and push a little harder. In some cases the door makes it all the way down but hits bottom and goes back up. This is due to the concrete floor heaving up a little in the cold. That requires a limit switch adjustment, usually just needs a small adjustment to stop the opener a bit sooner so it's not closing the door so tight against the floor.

 

[Fix'n it]

Don't use oil or grease on the tracks, it will only attract dirt and grime and will cause you further problems, and it's very messy. All I use is a spray type silicone lube, Sil-Glyde spray from napa works pretty well. Most doors today use nylon rollers and don't really need a lot of lube anyway. The older chain drive openers from chamberlain, sears and others used a T-rail that was lubed with lithium grease but the last several years they've changed to a tube rail that does not need much lube. The trolley slides on high density plastic slides, a little silicone spray is plenty.

yes, not on the tracks. on the wheel bearings and their axle shaft. then some oil on the spring/s. then oil on a rag and wipe the chain.