Don't get left out in the cold!
Imagine you're just getting off work, finishing up the errands, or coming home from DIA. You're tired, it's snowing out, and it's not supposed to end until the wee hours of the morning. Then after sitting in weather-induced traffic, you finally make it home only to find out that your garage door isn't working right. Now you're forced to lug your suitcases, your groceries, or whatever else you might be hauling through the snow. Cleaning your car the next morning turns out to be an equally frigid chore, and you're wondering what happened with the garage door.
Well, like many electrical/mechanical apparatuses, it can be a variety of things. But the truth is, it may be something very simple -- you'll just have to do a little DIY diagnostics!
So where to start? We'd try pulling the emergency release and raising the door by hand. If the garage door lifts but is getting stuck, note exactly
where it's getting stuck and start looking for built-up grease or ice. Believe it or not, grease can actually solidify at low temperatures, and if your door's moving parts aren't adequately lubed, moisture can get in and freeze. If this is the case, warm the area with a heat gun or hair dryer and use some WD-40 to cut through the grease. Then clean the area and re-lube it with a silicone-based lubricant. Be sure your vehicles are not under your work area, as WD-40 can damage your car's exterior finish. As for the lubricant, your local hardware store can help you choose the right stuff!
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But let's say that your garage door won't lift at all, and you haven't found any outright problems. Well, then it could be your spring. Garage spring repair is extremely dangerous and should only be handled by a professional garage repair company.
Another reason you could be having issues is that your springs and other metal parts may have contracted or warped from the cold. In this case, try cleaning and re-lubing (with silicon-based lube, of course) and see if that smooths things out.
Lastly, make sure all of your sensors are lined up properly and that there are no obvious issues with your motor or the alignment of the tracks. Poor alignment can also result in poor operation.
Try these things first, and if they still don't work for you, be sure to call a garage door professional, and not your neighbor -- even if they are an aviation mechanic. Garage repair is highly dangerous, and it always pays to leave it to the pros.
