Effect of weather on garage doors

03/29/2014 Back To Blog

It does not matter which part of the county you live in, weather change is a constant phenomenon. Not many homeowners realize how this can affect their garage doors. Harsh sun, rain, snow, sleet, hurricane and humidity during summer can certainly make garage doors and openers behave in a certain way. Let's see how.

Photo eyes

Do you sometimes wonder why the garage door opener does not close the door at different times in a day? It all depends on the position of the house. Does the garage door face the morning or evening sun? At times, direct sunlight can affect the photo eyes, this acts like an obstruction and the door opener does not allow the door to close. The solution to this is to put up a small obstruction that prevents sunlight from directly hitting the door.

Heat

Both heat and humidity can affect the way a door functions. On a hot summer day, depending on your location, the temperature inside a garage may reach even 100⁰F. This can alter the sensitivity adjustments in a door opener or even the travel limit. Slight adjustments to the door or opener will enable the door to open and close properly.

Power surges

During an electrical surge at summer or spring time caused due to storms, garage door openers are particularly prone to being affected. The circuit board can easily be damaged by a single strike of lighting that causes a surge in power. Investing in a good surge protector is advisable. Plug this in at the outlet where the opener is plugged. Single outlet protectors are easily available in the market.

Weather related garage door problems are unavoidable but they can be prevented to a large extent by following some simple measures.