Florida gets quite warm, particularly in the summer. While humans are used to the extreme temperatures, household tech components are not. It is extremely easy to overheat something like, for example, the garage door opening system. Simply reflect on how warm a garage is during the summer when the door is closed. While most homeowners consider it rather robust, garage door openers are actually more delicate than we believe. This week we are reviewing what happens when garage doors overheat. Read on to learn how to handle this small annoyance and ways to troubleshooting it.
How Does It Overheat?
There are two distinct possibilities that act as answers to this question.
The Old Way
First, your garage door opener was manufactured pre-1980. This possibility is unlikely, but entirely possible. After 1980, there were certain safety requirements placed on the industry. Those requirements made it much more difficult for homeowners to overheat their systems.
Unfortunately, if you have a garage door opener this old and it is overheating, there aren’t a lot of ways to fix it. You probably need to replace it.
Modern Solutions
On the other hand, modern garage doors have precautions to try and prevent them from overheating. However, they do not always do the trick, especially in climates like Florida’s. In summer temperatures, some systems may only take a few times opening and closing to overheat.
Troubleshooting
In normal overheating, the system will not get too hot. There is a thermal overload monitor in the motor. If the system pushes the temperature too high, the monitor triggers a kill switch. It cuts all power to the motor, preventing the system from running at all.
There is no real way to “troubleshoot” that issue, other than cooling the system to get the monitor back down. As long as the temperature remains hot, the system will not run. However, once everything has cooled down, there is an automatic reset. No effort required on the homeowner’s part.
Big Trouble
If you push the system to overheat multiple times, it can cause serious issues. In fact, homeowners who truly push their system too far might see smoke coming from it. Obviously, this is cause for alarm. However, don’t worry too much. Your system is not about to burst into flame, there is simply serious damage to one of the components.
Specifically, that part is called a capacitor. Even if the system seems to function after smoking, it is best to replace that part. If a homeowner does not replace the part, they are potentially ruining the entire system.
Tips For Prevention
Luckily, there are a few different ways to help your garage door out on a hot day.
- Regular garage door maintenance.
- Reduce usage during the hottest hours. For example, leave the door open if everyone in the household is leaving within a few minutes of one another.
- If the door needs to be open and closed for maintenance, do so in the morning and evening.
