How Extreme Weather Affects the Garage Door’s Safety Laser System

While you may already be aware of the risks of extreme weather on your landscaping, exterior paint and other attributes of your home, you might be surprised to learn how it can affect the housing and lens of your garage door’s safety laser system. If you notice any problems with your garage door or its opener, it is important to make prompt contact with the local Los Angeles garage door repair professionals.

Cracked Housing

Extreme heat is known to make plastic more brittle. If your garage is not insulated or if the door and track are exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, the plastic housing of the laser safety eye may crack. Cracked housing makes the laser unstable, which could cause problems for its operation.

Metal Expansion

Extreme heat may also cause unexpected metal expansion of the door’s tracks. The housing of the safety laser eye sits on an extension of that metal framework. If the framework expands rapidly, it could crack the housing. The slot that the housing fits into on the metal garage door track is designed with a tight fit, and it will not be able to accommodate the expansion of the metal.

Lens Clouding

Extreme weather may also hasten clouding of the safety laser eye’s lens. In periods of windy and dry weather, more sand and dust particles may be in the air. Some of those will settle out onto the garage door’s tracks and on the housing of the safety laser eye. Those particles could cloud the lens, causing the safety system to stop the garage door from opening and closing. Some weather stripping can reduce the amount of dust and dirt that is able to get inside your garage during dry and windy weather.