Winter
Garage door calls cluster in the first cold week of the year, and most of them are the same handful of problems.
Short answer
Cold thickens the lubricant and stiffens everything, the opener force setting that was fine in September is not enough in January, the bottom seal freezes to the slab, the photo-eye sensors shift and misalign, and springs are less forgiving at low temperature. Almost all of it is prevented by a fall tune-up.
What goes wrong in the cold
The door freezes to the slab, because meltwater under the bottom seal freezes overnight. Forcing it with the opener tears the seal or strains the system.
Lubricant thickens, so everything runs stiffer and the opener has to work harder.
The opener reverses on the way down because the force needed has increased and the setting has not.
The opener reverses on the way up for the same reason.
Photo-eye sensors shift with frost heave or get knocked by a snow shovel, and a misaligned sensor stops the door closing at all.
And springs and cables are less forgiving at low temperature, which is why spring failures cluster in cold snaps.
Frozen to the slab
Do not hold the wall button down and let the opener fight it. That tears the bottom seal, strains the opener and can pull the top section away from the operator arm. Break the ice at the seal first — carefully, with warm water or a plastic tool rather than anything metal — then operate the door.
The fall tune-up
Lubricate the rollers, hinges, springs and the opener rail with a product suited to cold temperatures, not a general penetrating oil.
Check and adjust the opener force and travel limits for the colder season.
Check the photo-eye alignment and the brackets.
Check the bottom seal and replace it if it is cracked, hardened or torn — which is also what keeps the drifting snow out.
Tighten the hardware, which loosens with vibration over a year.
And test the balance by hand with the opener disconnected, which tells you whether the springs are going before the cold finds out for you.
The winter habits
Clear the snow and ice at the threshold before operating the door, every time.
Watch the door close rather than driving away, because a door that reverses and leaves the garage open all day is a London winter classic.
Keep the sensors clear of snow and keep the shovel away from them.
Keep salt and slush off the bottom panel where you can, and rinse the threshold in spring.
Do not use the door as a snow plough by closing it onto a drift.
And listen to it, because a door that has started groaning in the cold is telling you something before it fails.
Common questions
My door is frozen to the ground. What now?
Break the ice at the seal first. Do not let the opener fight it.
Why does the opener reverse in winter?
More force is needed in the cold and the setting has not been adjusted.
What prevents most of it?
A fall tune-up: lubrication, force settings, sensor alignment and the bottom seal.