Any garage door gurus here?

[..]

Leave for work around 5.30am. It's dark and cold (normally) Press clicker in car and garage door closes.

Come home around 8.15am It's light and cold (normally) Press clicker in car and garage door opens

Walk into house and press door switch and door closes.

Leave for work around 1.15pm. It's light and cold (normally) Press clicker in car and garage door WILL NOT CLOSE.

It closes about 2 feet and opens. If I don't release the door clicker it still wont close.

Walk into house and press and hold door switch and door closes.

Come home around 5.15am It's light and cold (normally) Press clicker in car and garage door opens

Press clicker in car and garage door closes.

What can be happening to stop the door closing when I leave in the afternoon???

[The emperor has no clothes]

I'm no guru. But there are a few times a year when the sun hits my sensors just right and won't let it close.

[Moonshot_1]

Are we talking about a single event or one that is continuous like every day?

Maybe you need to change batteries in your car "clicker". Low battery can do strange things.

[..]

Are we talking about a single event or one that is continuous like every day?

Maybe you need to change batteries in your car "clicker". Low battery can do strange things.

80% every day.

New battery in clicker a month ago.

[f6john]

Based on info available, check the door sensors anytime it doesn’t work. They could have been hit and pushed, knocked slightly out of alignment. Or just go ahead and loosen them and get as close to center of alignment range and see if you have any more problems. Torsion springs could also be loosing some tension and causing a problem that will only get worse. Most operators have a lift force adjustment too, which you don’t want to max out but you could see where it is sitting now. Go ahead and disconnect the door from the operator with the pull rope and check the doors operation manually. It shouldn’t want to fall or fly up from any position along its travel. Best I can offer for now.

[Moonshot_1]

Was this occurring prior to the new battery? If not,  change the battery again.
Can you swap clickers from the house to the car?

If everything is as you described, that the garage door otherwise works fine except for your afternoon episodes, I would be leaning towards Meatheads thoughts. It seems odd that the problem occurs at only a particular time of day. The only conceivable common event would be the sun. Either your sensors are being triggered by the sun or from a reflection of it, like off your windshield.

[..]

Was this occurring prior to the new battery? If not,  change the battery again.
Can you swap clickers from the house to the car?

If everything is as you described, that the garage door otherwise works fine except for your afternoon episodes, I would be leaning towards Meatheads thoughts. It seems odd that the problem occurs at only a particular time of day. The only conceivable common event would be the sun. Either your sensors are being triggered by the sun or from a reflection of it, like off your windshield.

No sun on sensors when door is  functioning/not functioning.

Only have one clicker.

I left the house at 2.15pm today. Door wouldn't close. Came back at 3.15pm door wouldn't close. That's with me with car in garage using clicker and then using the wall mounted closer.

Had to force it to close.

Garage door doesn't get sun at this time of the year.

Just checked it at 4.50 pm and it closed.

[cookiedough]

that is odd a few hours earlier and does not work,  then 2 hours later works.

I had similar issue Thursday morning but was BITTER COLD ONLY in the morning.  It has happened before in frigid temps only I had NO light on house remote by inside door to house in garage and light did not come on due to probably sensors on unit blocked and froze solid since was -15 out.  I waited a few seconds thinking darn it,  going to have to manually open door to leave but lights on unit popped on and so did the light on the wall so pushed button and worked.  BUT,  got into my car after OUT and darn car remote did not work to close it and neither did my outside 4 button push code still guessing FROZEN solid.  So, had to go back to wall unit inside garage that was lit up and push button and walk outside OVER the sensors.

Is it COLD OUT NOW where you live??  That could be the issue, but doubt it if 2  p.m. or so during day? 

If not your sensors, then probably your circuitry is going bad in hopefully just the remote and not the head unit of the circuit board in the garage door opener itself.  My old Stanley opener from 1993 gave out finally 2 years ago having to go to Menards and get a belt drive Chamberlain unit is quieter and has a nice APP cell phone download so you can close or open and check if open/close right from your cell phone, pretty neat and unit can be put up yourself in one day or so but 2 people come in handier all under 200 bucks.  Motor/unit has a lifetime warranty as well and so if unit goes bad, I get a new one for free unlike Stanley opener I had which also had a lifetime warranty but went out of business several years ago.  Once a business is no longer in business selling that unit and got bought out or went bankrupt,  a lifetime warranty is useless.    Who knows,  maybe Chamberlain will not be in business 20  years from now either??? 

[f6john]

Was this occurring prior to the new battery? If not,  change the battery again.
Can you swap clickers from the house to the car?

If everything is as you described, that the garage door otherwise works fine except for your afternoon episodes, I would be leaning towards Meatheads thoughts. It seems odd that the problem occurs at only a particular time of day. The only conceivable common event would be the sun. Either your sensors are being triggered by the sun or from a reflection of it, like off your windshield.

No sun on sensors when door is  functioning/not functioning.

Only have one clicker.

I left the house at 2.15pm today. Door wouldn't close. Came back at 3.15pm door wouldn't close. That's with me with car in garage using clicker and then using the wall mounted closer.

Had to force it to close.

Garage door doesn't get sun at this time of the year.

Just checked it at 4.50 pm and it closed.

At 2:15 or 3:15 did you check to see if the little led lights at the sensor on both sides were lit? Usually one is green and the other amber. If they were lit it’s not the sensors at fault. Important to eliminate that issue as a possibility first.

[..]

Was this occurring prior to the new battery? If not,  change the battery again.
Can you swap clickers from the house to the car?

If everything is as you described, that the garage door otherwise works fine except for your afternoon episodes, I would be leaning towards Meatheads thoughts. It seems odd that the problem occurs at only a particular time of day. The only conceivable common event would be the sun. Either your sensors are being triggered by the sun or from a reflection of it, like off your windshield.

No sun on sensors when door is  functioning/not functioning.

Only have one clicker.

I left the house at 2.15pm today. Door wouldn't close. Came back at 3.15pm door wouldn't close. That's with me with car in garage using clicker and then using the wall mounted closer.

Had to force it to close.

Garage door doesn't get sun at this time of the year.

Just checked it at 4.50 pm and it closed.

At 2:15 or 3:15 did you check to see if the little led lights at the sensor on both sides were lit? Usually one is green and the other amber. If they were lit it’s not the sensors at fault. Important to eliminate that issue as a possibility first.

I did not today but did Thursday when it happened. Grrrrr. Both lights were shining happily.

[..]

And my stoopid Android phone just decided to remove ALL THE APPS I had installed and put some weird crap on the home screen.

AND I HAVE A STINKING COLD.

It's a wonderful life.

Now to find out how to restore factory settings and then reload all the apps. Oh joy.

[Beardo]

Based on info available, check the door sensors anytime it doesn’t work. They could have been hit and pushed, knocked slightly out of alignment. Or just go ahead and loosen them and get as close to center of alignment range and see if you have any more problems. Torsion springs could also be loosing some tension and causing a problem that will only get worse. Most operators have a lift force adjustment too, which you don’t want to max out but you could see where it is sitting now. Go ahead and disconnect the door from the operator with the pull rope and check the doors operation manually. It shouldn’t want to fall or fly up from any position along its travel. Best I can offer for now.

What he said. 

When you close it manually, is it binding at all?  It could be requiring too much force for the opener, it might be thinking something is obstructing it.

[..]

Based on info available, check the door sensors anytime it doesn’t work. They could have been hit and pushed, knocked slightly out of alignment. Or just go ahead and loosen them and get as close to center of alignment range and see if you have any more problems. Torsion springs could also be loosing some tension and causing a problem that will only get worse. Most operators have a lift force adjustment too, which you don’t want to max out but you could see where it is sitting now. Go ahead and disconnect the door from the operator with the pull rope and check the doors operation manually. It shouldn’t want to fall or fly up from any position along its travel. Best I can offer for now.

What he said. 

When you close it manually, is it binding at all?  It could be requiring too much force for the opener, it might be thinking something is obstructing it.

But how would that happen at one time but not the other 2 times each day.? Conundrum.

[f6john]

There is a small tear in the space time continuum that is sucking all your radio waves into a black hole that only opens wide enough to affect your operator in the evening hours after a full moon, probably best to just move again or take the door down and live with a carport.

[..]

There is a small tear in the space time continuum that is sucking all your radio waves into a black hole that only opens wide enough to affect your operator in the evening hours after a full moon, probably best to just move again or take the door down and live with a carport.

 

Too much stuff for critters to play with to have a car port.

[..]

I want to know how long before my head is empty as I have Niagara Falls coming out of my right nostril. And that's with taking cold medication.  

EDIT

https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1246/how-does-my-nose-produce-so-much-snot-so-fast-when-i-have-a-cold/

[f6john]

I’m a big proponent of NyQuil, but I throw away the little cup that comes on the cap and just turn it up and gulp it down. Not a cure but it lets me get some sleep. When my faucet is running, I haven’t found anything to really shut it off.

[Jess from VA]

I'm useless on electronics and electrical.

But if it was me, I might leave my car out and my bike in, in case it decides to never open again... without a repairman (or a front loader).   I mean, while getting it figured out, plan for the worst.

When you do that, the worst rarely happens.  But....   

[cookiedough]

If it continues,  maybe if replacing batteries does not work in remote and the sensor lights are on as should be,  if you can buy another remote for 20-30 bucks tops,  give that a try?    If house remote works in your garage by the door and the car remote does not,  probably your car remote?

[..]

I’m a big proponent of NyQuil, but I throw away the little cup that comes on the cap and just turn it up and gulp it down. Not a cure but it lets me get some sleep. When my faucet is running, I haven’t found anything to really shut it off.

 

[..]

I'm useless on electronics and electrical.

But if it was me, I might leave my car out and my bike in, in case it decides to never open again... without a repairman (or a front loader).   I mean, while getting it figured out, plan for the worst.

When you do that, the worst rarely happens.  But....   

I can open it manually 

[..]

Woo Hoo.

Phone back 100%

Dunno how I did it but it's all back apart from messages.

[DGS65]

This sounds like a sensor issue!
Some units will flash the lights to tell you that something blocked the beam to let you know why it didn't close correctly.

[sandy]

I'm no guru. But there are a few times a year when the sun hits my sensors just right and won't let it close.

Mr. Head has it right. If you can reverse the sensors, you'll fix the problem. The receiver is seeing too much sun.

[f6john]

I'm no guru. But there are a few times a year when the sun hits my sensors just right and won't let it close.

Mr. Head has it right. If you can reverse the sensors, you'll fix the problem. The receiver is seeing too much sun.

According to Britman the sensors aren’t subject to those conditions.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I'm no guru. But there are a few times a year when the sun hits my sensors just right and won't let it close.

Mr. Head has it right. If you can reverse the sensors, you'll fix the problem. The receiver is seeing too much sun.

According to Britman the sensors aren’t subject to those conditions.

But maybe his sensors are going bad, or slightly out of alignment.

[f6john]

I'm no guru. But there are a few times a year when the sun hits my sensors just right and won't let it close.

Mr. Head has it right. If you can reverse the sensors, you'll fix the problem. The receiver is seeing too much sun.

According to Britman the sensors aren’t subject to those conditions.

But maybe his sensors are going bad, or slightly out of alignment.

Could be, as I suggested a realignment before, but if the leds are lit it indicates they are operational. Might be worthwhile to check their mounts to make sure they are tight but would not answer the intermittent operation at a given time.

[baldo]

Based on info available, check the door sensors anytime it doesn’t work. They could have been hit and pushed, knocked slightly out of alignment. Or just go ahead and loosen them and get as close to center of alignment range and see if you have any more problems. Torsion springs could also be loosing some tension and causing a problem that will only get worse. Most operators have a lift force adjustment too, which you don’t want to max out but you could see where it is sitting now. Go ahead and disconnect the door from the operator with the pull rope and check the doors operation manually. It shouldn’t want to fall or fly up from any position along its travel. Best I can offer for now.

What he said. 

When you close it manually, is it binding at all?  It could be requiring too much force for the opener, it might be thinking something is obstructing it.

But how would that happen at one time but not the other 2 times each day.? Conundrum.

I think your new house is electrically haunted.

[semo97]

My sisters neighbor had the same door opener code as hers. And both doors would do strange things. Until they observed each others and asked about there code, changed code and all was good.
I would rather have a runny nose then a plugged drain  and sinus headache.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I'm no guru. But there are a few times a year when the sun hits my sensors just right and won't let it close.

Mr. Head has it right. If you can reverse the sensors, you'll fix the problem. The receiver is seeing too much sun.

According to Britman the sensors aren’t subject to those conditions.

But maybe his sensors are going bad, or slightly out of alignment.

Could be, as I suggested a realignment before, but if the leds are lit it indicates they are operational. Might be worthwhile to check their mounts to make sure they are tight but would not answer the intermittent operation at a given time.

Gravitational pull is stronger at 4:15 pm  

[da prez]

Go back to basics. Service , lubes and adjust the door properly.
In the closer , there are bearings that operate the chain or cable or belt. If they are worn , it binds the drive. Properly adjusted , pull the release and see if the door will lift with very little effort. If so , the problem may be in the opener.

   Please send billing info for tech support.

            da prez
 

[..]

Go back to basics. Service , lubes and adjust the door properly.
In the closer , there are bearings that operate the chain or cable or belt. If they are worn , it binds the drive. Properly adjusted , pull the release and see if the door will lift with very little effort. If so , the problem may be in the opener.

   Please send billing info for tech support.

            da prez
 

Done that and the door lifts as easily as a garage door should.

[..]

Confined to home today and of course the garage door is going up and down like an elevator in the Empire State Building.

I took the clicker outside and the door closed.

[Jess from VA]

It goes up and down all on it's own?

Unplug it.

Perhaps you need to look into an exorcism (for the house).      

[indybobm]

Had this happen to me years ago. Problem was caused by a lack of lubrication on the rollers. Garage door mechanism sensed that two much current was required to close the door. There is a current adjustment (small screwdriver) on the unit mounted to the ceiling. I turned the current limit adjustment up and lubed the rollers, problem solved.

[Oss]

I had to check the sides of the doors and found the doggone culprit a few months ago. It could be as simple as a piece of a leaf or (the technical term) schmutz on the side of one of the 2 sensors. In my case it was a tiny stem from a weed caught in the side of the door about 10" off the ground

Can you go online and get a clicker for that setup for a few bucks if the problem continues.  There should be a part # for it in the operating manual (assuming you can find it)

[bassman]

I want to know how long before my head is empty as I have Niagara Falls coming out of my right nostril. And that's with taking cold medication.  

EDIT

https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1246/how-does-my-nose-produce-so-much-snot-so-fast-when-i-have-a-cold/

Ever try a Nettie pot or NeilsMed to clean out the ole snot locker.   Won’t necessarily stop the drainage but I’ve found some satisfying relief using them in the past. 

[..]

Had this happen to me years ago. Problem was caused by a lack of lubrication on the rollers. Garage door mechanism sensed that two much current was required to close the door. There is a current adjustment (small screwdriver) on the unit mounted to the ceiling. I turned the current limit adjustment up and lubed the rollers, problem solved.

I'll check the adjuster.

Lubed door/rollers etc only a month ago with garage door lube.

[Robert]

Release the door safety emergency at the top and run the door up and down a couple of times. It should be easy with no binding.

With the door disconnected run the door opener up and down at the times there would normally be a problem.

Bypass the safety eyes at the connection to the door opener or move them to within about a foot of each other.

Check or replace the batteries on the remote or check with another remote.

Change the frequency if you can on the door and the remote. Good to do once in awhile for security also.

Check all the anchoring points of the opener and the opener slide itself for loose bolts or misalignment.

Check the wiring to the garage door opener from the switch or door button and sometimes the switches have a setting or switch on them to turn off the ability to open and close the garage door, check that also.  

Check the wiring on the opener sometimes I have seen something as simple as one strand of wire touching another terminal.


 

[..]

I increased the "close" power by about a quarter turn when I got back from the morning school bus run.

It also closed at 9 at about 27F.

I'll report back if this makes any difference.

Door closed correctly at 5.30 this morning at 25F leaving for work.