The Garage Door Does Not Close in Cold Weather

Door Sensors

• Cold weather sometimes causes the sensors on the bottom of a garage door to go off track. The cold temperatures cause the brackets holding the sensors to contract, and as a result the sensors move out of position. The sensors can be pushed back into their correct position, and afterward the door should close.

Pulley Tension

• If the pulley provides tension that is not equal on each side of the garage door, the door will have difficulty closing. One side of the door will go down farther than the other side, causing the door to stick temporarily. After that problem continues for a while, the door will become stuck altogether and not go down. This problem is more likely to happen in cold weather than warm weather because the pulley is made of metal and, therefore, may contract in cold temperatures and no longer provide equal tension on both sides of the door.

Tracks

• If the garage door gets off its tracks, it won't close properly. Cold weather can cause the tracks to shrink. So changing the position and adjusting the tracks as needed allows the garage door to get back on the tracks and close properly. If the garage door is on the tracks but getting stuck, you can use synthetic oil on the inside of the rollers to keep it moving.

Warning

• The tracks should never be lubricated to keep the garage door moving. The lubricant can freeze or gum during cold weather and stop the garage door from moving properly. You may have to clean the tracks with mild detergent to get rid of gummed lubricant if you spray lubricant on the tracks.