Question:
I have a pair of 10 foot wide garage doors that each use their own
Liftmaster 1/3HP Security+ opener. The openers are only 2 years old,
and the garage doors are close to 15 years old.
When it gets cold, the door will STOP when going up, and will reverse
when going down. I've released the safety catch so that the door is
uncoupled from the track and with no door connected and zero load, the
garage door opener behaves the same when it is COLD (i.e. sub 20
degrees Farenheit)... stopping or reversing instead of operating
through it's entire range.
When the weather warms up, the door opener operates flawlessly.
Has anyone seen this behavior and lend any suggestions to correct this
problem? Both doors exhibit the same problem, however I've been able
to get one door to work properly when COLD by increasing the UP and
DOWN force to the extreme position. This has no effect on the other
door.
Answer:
If it is a roll-up type door sometimes the lubricant on the coil spring
can get 'crusty' -- particularly in cold weather.
You might want to consult the manual to see what types of lubricants are
advised.
I recently had a problem with the door stopping on the way up and found
that re-lubricating the coil spring solved the problem nicely.
Please be careful, there is a lot of energy stored in that spring and
you really don't want to get hurt! Read your manual carefully and if
necessary refer to a door installer if you are at all unsure of your
abilities in this regard.
