Getting a Garage Door Through Inversion Season

An inversion is not a cold snap. It is a stagnant lid of cold damp air over the valley floor, and it lasts days rather than hours, which is what makes it hard on a door.

What it does to sensors

Condensation forms on photo-eye lenses and inside cheaper sensor housings, breaking the beam intermittently. The door refuses to close in the evening and works fine at midday. Owners conclude the opener is dying. Wiping both lenses is usually the entire fix.

What it does to the slab

A slab that is already damp from the irrigation season or from snowmelt does not dry during an inversion, so the seal can freeze to it and stay frozen for days. Forcing it is how cables snap.

What it does to steel

Persistent condensation on cold hardware overnight, day after day, is exactly the condition that starts corrosion on cable terminations and on the inside face of the bottom section.

The preparation that works

Replace a hardened seal in November rather than in January. Dry and clear the bottom track before the season. Lubricate before the cold rather than during it. And keep boxes and stored items away from the bottom of the tracks so air can move there.

During the season

Wipe both lenses weekly. If the door will not close in the evening, check the lenses before you check anything else. If it is frozen down, break the bond at the seal before touching the opener.

Free estimate — no charge for the visit

Tell us what the door is doing and we will tell you what it normally means in Grand Junction. Every job is quoted in person and in writing before any work starts.

Call (970) 238-2833 Request a callback