Garage door keypad not working in cold weather

When a garage door keypad stops working in cold weather, the battery is the cause most of the time. Cold reduces the power a battery can deliver, so a battery that is already partly used still runs the keypad on a mild afternoon and falls short on a cold morning. Put in a fresh battery first. If the keypad lights up and the door still does nothing, the next things to check are the lock button on the wall control, a code the opener no longer recognizes, and keys that are stiff or damp inside.

This is an October question here. A fall day in Colorado Springs can start near freezing and end in the 60s, which is why the keypad that ignored your code at 6 a.m. works again by the time you get home. Below is how to tell a keypad problem from a door problem, what to do in order, and when the keypad itself is finished.

First: is it the keypad, or is it the door?

Thirty seconds of testing saves you from changing the wrong part.

• The remote and the wall button work, the keypad does not. The door and opener are fine. It is the keypad, its battery or its code. Keep reading.
• The wall button works, but no remote and no keypad does. Check the lock button on the wall control. The lock feature shuts out every remote and keypad while the wall button keeps working, and it is easy to switch on by accident.
• The keypad makes the opener click, hum or start, but the door does not move or stops right away. The keypad did its job. The door is the problem: a bottom seal frozen to the slab, or a spring or cable issue. See why a garage door is loud in cold weather and our diagnosis guide for a door that will not open.
• The opener is new and the old keypad has never worked with it. That is not the cold. Newer LiftMaster and Chamberlain openers do not pair with older accessories. Our article on why an old remote or keypad will not pair with a new LiftMaster opener explains what does.

Why cold weather stops a garage door keypad

• A battery that is partly used. A wireless keypad sits outside on the door frame with no heat, running on a small battery. Alkaline batteries deliver less power as the temperature drops. A battery that has been in there for a couple of years has enough left for a warm day and not enough for a cold one.
• Moisture inside the housing. Melting snow, wind-driven rain or damp air gets in behind the cover. Overnight it freezes on the contacts or under the keys, and a key press never registers.
• Stiff or worn keys. The rubber key pad hardens in the cold. The digits in your code get pressed thousands of times, so they wear first, and a worn key that needs a firm press in summer may not register at all in winter.
• Corroded battery contacts. A white or green crust on the battery terminals adds resistance. Like a weak battery, it shows up on cold mornings first.
• A weaker signal. A low battery also shortens the keypad's range, so the code is sent but the opener does not receive it.

What to do, in order

1. Check the lock button on the wall control. If the lock light is on or blinking, turn the lock off and try the keypad again.
2. Replace the battery. Slide or flip the cover off the bottom of the keypad and look at what is in there. Many keypads take a 9-volt battery, and some take AAA or AA. Use a new battery with a current date, not one from the kitchen drawer.
3. Look at the contacts while it is open. Wipe them with a dry cloth. A light crust usually comes off with a cotton swab. If the metal is eaten away or broken, the keypad needs replacing.
4. Dry it out if it is damp. Leave the battery cover open for a while, or warm the keypad gently with a hair dryer on low. Do not pour hot water on it and do not use a heat gun.
5. Enter the code slowly and press each key firmly. Take your gloves off. Then press Enter.
6. Reprogram it if it lights up and nothing happens. Most keypads keep their code through a battery change, but not all. On most openers, reprogramming means pressing the Learn button on the motor unit, then entering your code on the keypad and pressing Enter within about half a minute. The exact steps vary by brand and model, so follow the manual for your opener.

If your keypad's manual allows lithium batteries, they hold up better in the cold than alkaline ones. If it names a specific battery type, use that type.

When the keypad itself needs replacing

• One or two digits do not respond even with a new battery. The key pad is worn out.
• The cover is cracked or missing, and water keeps getting in.
• The battery contacts are corroded through.
• The keypad lights up, the remotes work, and it still will not program to the opener.

A replacement keypad has to match the opener's brand and generation. The color of the Learn button on the motor unit tells you which accessories will pair with it. Matching, mounting and programming a keypad is part of our garage door opener repair in Colorado Springs.

The Colorado Springs part

• Big swings in one day. A cold start and a mild afternoon is a normal fall day here. That is why this problem shows up in the morning and seems to fix itself by evening. It has not fixed itself. The battery is near the end.
• Shade and wind. A keypad on a north-facing or shaded door frame stays cold all day, and wind packs snow around it.
• Sun at altitude. At around 6,000 feet, UV makes plastic brittle. A keypad cover that has cracked in the sun is how moisture gets in before winter.
• Higher up, colder sooner. Homes in Monument, Black Forest, Woodland Park and Palmer Lake usually see freezing mornings earlier and more often than central Colorado Springs, so keypads there act up first.

Do not let a dead keypad lock you out

• Change the keypad battery every fall. Do it when you check the rest of the door before the first freeze, not on the morning it fails.
• Keep a second way in. A remote in the car, the opener's phone app if it has one, or a house key that is not locked inside the garage.
• If the garage door is the only entrance, ask about an outside emergency release lock. It lets you disconnect the opener with a key from outside and lift the door by hand.

When it is worth a visit instead

• A new battery and reprogramming did not bring the keypad back.
• The remotes have also become unreliable, or you have to stand right at the door for them to work.
• The opener runs when you enter the code, but the door does not move, stops, or reverses.
• You want a keypad added or replaced and matched to the opener you have.

If the door itself is stuck, noisy or heavy, that is garage door repair rather than an accessory problem.

The short version

A garage door keypad that is not working in cold weather almost always has a battery that is partly used, because cold reduces what a battery can deliver. Check the lock button on the wall control, put in a fresh battery, clean and dry the inside, and reprogram the code if the keypad lights up but the door does not respond. If single digits are dead or the housing is cracked, replace the keypad with one that matches your opener.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my garage door keypad work in the afternoon but not in the morning?

The battery is partly used. It has enough power when it is mild and not enough when it is cold. Replace it now, because it will fail for good on a colder morning.

Do I need to reprogram the keypad after changing the battery?

Usually not. Most keypads keep the code. If yours lights up after a battery change and the door does not respond, reprogram it using the Learn button on the opener and the steps in the manual.

Why is my keypad not working when the remote works?

The opener and door are fine, so the fault is in the keypad: its battery, its contacts, worn keys, or a code the opener no longer recognizes. Work through the steps above in order.

Are lithium batteries better for a garage door keypad in the cold?

Lithium batteries handle cold better than alkaline ones. Use them if your keypad's manual allows it.

Can a garage door keypad freeze?

The electronics do not freeze, but moisture inside the housing can, and that blocks the keys or the contacts. Drying the keypad out and replacing a cracked cover solves it.