Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Make winter adjustments to your garage-door opener
QUESTION: I am having a problem with the operation of my garage door during cold weather. This seems to only occur when it is -30 C or colder, without the windchill.
Mine is your average 16-foot-wide door with a Liftmaster Model 3800PC wall-mounted garage-door opener. The garage door always opens properly. But on very cold days it begins to close with the first panel coming down about one foot, then stops and reverses to the fully open position.
In order to get the door to close I have to pull on the emergency-release rope, pull the door closed manually and engage the emergency-release cable again. The door will then open properly but not close properly if it's fully opened.
The door and opener were installed in mid-2012 in a newly built house. The installation company has adjusted the door twice this winter to try and solve the problem. It works for awhile and then malfunctions.
The garage door is insulated, but the exterior walls and ceiling of the garage are not. There is some frost buildup on the inside of the garage door. Once the weather warms up, the door works properly. I'm unsure of what to do next to try to solve this problem.
Thanks, Doug Witt
ANSWER: While I suspect that the recent extreme cold has something to do with your problem, maladjustment of the opener or door is the overriding cause.
I think the reason your door-opener problem only occurs in sub-30C weather is due to contraction of the steel door, track or chain/belt of the opener. Many mechanical devices start to act funny when the weather reaches such extremes, usually because lubricants thicken and components shrink.
Many things expand and contract with changes in temperature, and certain metallic and plastic parts are the worst offenders. If tolerances are not built into the components to compensate for this cold-weather shrinkage, problems can occur.
First, the problem could be with the chain or belt drive that the opener uses to operate the "traveller" and move the door up and down. This type has considerable flexibility since the chain will normally have some sag that may only lessen in cold weather.
Other openers use a steel cable in place of the chain, which may have less resistance to contraction but still causes little problems in the cold.
Some higher-end or ultra-quiet openers have synthetic belts, which provide smoother and less-noisy operation. Unfortunately, these can have less tolerance to thermal expansion and contraction, affecting performance. If the composite belt becomes too short or too stiff in cold weather, it may jam and cause the opener to automatically stop.
The other two issues, which may be connected, involve components that may be out of adjustment. The door rollers, track and springs should be checked to ensure that the door is operating properly. This can be done by disengaging the opener and manually rolling the door up and down to ensure proper tension and smoothness of operation.
The other adjustment may be on the door closer itself. Most openers have a sensitivity adjustment to set the desired amount of resistance required to engage the safety back-up feature. If this is set at the minimum, which is ideal if there are small children in the home, the door may provide more resistance to the opener in cold weather, setting off the safety back-up prematurely. This can be changed by using the adjustment dials or knobs, often visible on the outside of the housing.
I'd start by adjusting the sensitivity yourself during cold weather, checking to make sure the door still reverses when you provide moderate resistance at the bottom third of the closing cycle.
If that doesn't fix the problem, and the door works well when the opener is disengaged, it may be the opener itself. If it has a belt that is not well suited to our sub-arctic winters, replacement with a chain-drive model may be your only option.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Reusing bag depends on tea and the strength you desire
QUESTION: Can you please tell me how many times I can reuse a tea bag? Lacey, Winnipeg
ANSWER: It depends on the tea and the strength you desire. Green tea bags, for example white and green tea bags, can be used three to four times. Most people agree a tea bag may be reused all day, but should be tossed at the end of the day so bacteria does not grow on the bag. Others argue the bag can be used the next day as well, as long as the bag sits in water in the fridge overnight.
Extra tip: To reduce puffy, swollen eyes, freeze wet tea bags for five minutes, then place cold tea bags on closed eyes.
QUESTION: How do we sanitize and clean our photographs? Hope you can help. (Ritchot, Man.)
ANSWER: Dampen a quality microfibre cloth with full-strength rubbing alcohol. Wipe the front and back of the photo with long strokes. Use a dry cloth to dab photograph. Lay flat to dry.
QUESTION: We brought silk quilts and bedding back from a visit to a silk factory on our China trip. I would like to refresh the bedding but it does not recommend dry cleaning or washing. For the quilts and mattress covers it recommends only laying them outside on a bright, sunny day. Any recommendations, please? Thank you, Ann
ANSWER: Since the products are silk and you are not sure if the silk is washable, your safest bet is to bring the items to a dry cleaner.
QUESTION: Spring is just around the corner and I am planning to give my windows a good cleaning. What technique do you recommend as the best? Elda (Teulon, Man.)
ANSWER: Purchase a quality squeegee, a wet mop and a window scraper. Amazing window cleaner recipe: In a gallon-size container mix one cup rubbing alcohol and one tablespoon cheap shampoo. Fill to the top with water. Spray windows and scrub with a wet window mop. Use a scraper to remove any dried-on bugs and leaves. Avoid cleaning windows when the sun shines directly on them. The sun will dry the windows too fast, which will result in streaks. Clean the water off of the glass with a squeegee. Wipe the edges of the squeegee after removing water. Dry windows with either a quality microfibre cloth or crumble up newspaper and rub the windows until they're dry. For extra shine, put cornstarch in a bucket with water. Wipe windows and dry with a microfibre cloth or newspaper.
Innovative Manitoban shares
Dear Reena,
I am not the world's most creative person, but I was proud of myself when I came up with a plan for an old tire that was lying in my yard. I began by purchasing a piece of wood, which was the size of the tire. I drilled four holes through the wood and the tire and hung it with heavy-duty chain. I hung the chains over a thick branch and bolted the chain together. Next, I cut little holes to make cupholders. My wife sealed and painted the wood. When the weather is nice, we sit under the tree because this has become our favourite outside table. Submitted by: Henry (Selkirk, Man.)
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Missed a column? Can't remember a solution? Need a motivational speaker for an upcoming event? Check out my website Reena.ca.
