The company can provide a fix and explanation of why this issue recurs, as have I and others in previous threads here. Bob alluded to them. It's a good idea to carefully crack the lid regularly, manually, and especially if it's gone unused for awhile, like in storage. If it won't easily crack open, go up on the roof and gently pry the lid just barely enough to break the seal. After that, if ever the lid doesn't readily open by motor drive, shut off the switch immediately before the motor strips out the drive - you can also tell because the motor sounds like it's bogging down a bit. Once the gear strips the motor runs unchallenged, but it's too late then.
With time, the metal lid sticks tightly to the unit's roof seal and the motor is so strong it ultimately forces the screw drive to strip threads when the lid won't budge as designed. The motor runs but the drive shaft has nothing left to turn, and it won't turn and raise manually either. Supposedly cleaning the seal and lid edge and treating with Aero 303 lube/protectant helps, and an upgraded seal material is available, but I've still had problems with mine sticking shut. So after repair, be sure to follow advice in my first paragraph above.
If when I first try opening a long-stored lid (manually of course) it balks, I may leave the knob turned to put just a bit of strain on the lid, and come back later to see if the extra time helped crack it loose. It can save a trip upstairs.
If you are heading to Redmond next month, check in with the Fantastic Fan booth, presuming there is one, and they likely will help you at little or no cost.
Joel
