The largest moving object in the home, a garage door has to respond without faltering and a regular tune-up will reduce chances of opener repair. A garage door opener maintained and tested regularly is a real asset to your Janesville WI area home.
The garage door has become the primary point of entry for most families these days and it has to be ready to open and close on demand. That means the electronic opener has to come to life in heat, cold, snow, ice and high wind. A garage door opener?s electronic components all respond differently to humidity and temperature changes. Elements that work well in January may balk in hot, humid July ? and vice versa. Little things can have important consequences so regular maintenance inspections are vital to avoid opener repair costs.
Because the garage door is the most often way to get in and out every day, the door and opener are easily taken for granted.
Avoid Opener Repairs ? Be Observant
Leaving home in the morning and returning in the evening, you have plenty on your mind, but watching and listening as the big door opens and closes can save aggravation and money. Note obvious changes:
- Unusual sounds
- Vibrations
- Jerky movements
- Uneven speed up or down
- Delays in responding to keypad or remote commands
An easy spot-check of your garage door?s performance is to pull the release cord on the garage door opener while the door is closed.
- Check to see if the space at the bottom of the door is even all across its length. If not, you have a door problem.
- Open the door by hand and listen for unusual sounds and feel for vibrations. If you recognize them, you have a door problem. If you don?t hear the same sounds or feel the vibrations you saw, it?s a garage door opener concern.
Homeowner?s Garage Door Opener Checklist
After releasing the opener and giving the door a quick check, here are additional routine operations to review before ordering a door or opener repair:
- Electronic Safety Measures ? All modern door openers have to be equipped with an electronic eyes and auto reverse safety measures. Federal law dictates electronic beams must be place 6 inches from the bottom of the garage door when it?s flat on the floor. Check these light sources at least once a month ? it?s easy, just us a broom or some other object to block the beam and the door should stop moving down and go back up within a second. If they aren?t working, check:
- Be sure the two elements are aimed directly at each other ? they can get bumped or bent fairly easily ? many show a green light when they?re aligned and a red if not.
- Power to the units can be lost if a wire gets broken
- Source of Power ? Many door opener problems are power related. The main unit must be plugged into an outlet, usually installed in the ceiling. Gravity and repeated vibrations can cause the plug to come loose, eventually breaking the connection. Secure the plug before thinking opener repair.
- Wiring ? There?s wiring running from the main opener to the wall-mounted controls. If the unit isn?t working properly and is plugged in, trace the wires.
- Check the Batteries ? the most common cause of garage door opener failure doesn?t require an opener repair, just new batteries. The remote units in vehicles and wireless keypads all use simple batteries. Because batteries are the most susceptible to changes in temperature, they should be replaced regularly, using the best available.
PERFORMANCE TIP ? Just like smoke detectors, it makes sense to do change the batteries in your hand-held remotes and keypads on a regular basis. Fresh batteries mean reliable results and peace of mind.
- Lubricate Regularly ? well-oiled machines work best and the garage door system is a simple machine. Regularly lubricate all the moving parts on the door and the opener system ? tracks and chains collect dirt and grime with every open/close sequence. Garage door springs are touchy ? treat them with care and use specially formulated lubricants.
PERFORMANCE TIP ? Don?t ever put grease of any kind on a garage door or opener. Grease dries and hinders smooth operation. NEVER USE WD-40! WD-40 is not a lubricant, it penetrates metal parts. Basic 30-weight motor oil is an excellent choice.
Control Force to Avoid Opener Repair
Each garage door opener has a prescribed sensitivity setting that controls the force of the door on its downward path. It?s another safety feature that controls the amount of pressure a door can assert. The system reacts to objects interrupting its downward movement and stops the door. Each opener comes with appropriate sensitivity settings and adjustment advice in its operator?s manual. The pressure adjustments should be monitored and adjusted several times a year. Variations in temperature are the main cause of sensitivity changes, consider:
- During a Southern Wisconsin winter the entire garage door system gets stiffer because of the repeated cold temperature ? stiffer doors require more force to operate efficiently.
- Winter force is likely to be about 35 pounds
- In summer, as the door material and moving parts heat up they move more easily and require less downward pressure.
- Summertime pressure may be closer to 24 pounds
PERFORMANCE TIP ? If you?re not sure what your door setting should be or how to make the adjustment, call a trained technician for the appropriate opener repair and adjustments. New or replacement garage doors will be set for the appropriate time of year by the technician completing the installation but will need to be adjusted for seasonal changes.
Professional Installation Makes Difference
Not only is a garage door the largest moving part in a home, it?s likely to be the heaviest and most unwieldy single piece. Installed correctly, a garage door and related door opener is safer, works better and lasts longer than a DIY project.
If garage door openers are installed wrong, they can result in a variety of situations that lead to door or opener repair. Consider the potential of a poor installation:
- An expensive door can be damaged
- The garage door frame can be damaged ? vibrations cause supports to loosen and pull from the wall or ceiling, etc.
- Under too much load or vibration the opener can fail
- Various components and connections fail
- Family and possessions are put at risk
- Poor installation results in excessive wear ? wear that compromises and reduces the effectiveness of all the special safety features
The type of door opener has less to do with failures and maintenance requirements than the way it is installed and cared for. There are two common mechanisms for door openers: Chain-drive and Belt-drive. Each has its strengths:
- Chain-drive ? the most popular for residential installations because units come in various sizes to accommodate heavy doors, over-sized doors, one-piece wooden doors, insulated doors and wind-rated doors. The biggest drawback ? they are noisiest of the two choices.
- Belt-drive ? Moving doors with a notched steel and rubber belt rather than a metal chain. Quieter and reported to last longer, requiring fewer adjustments and calls for opener repair.
Call Upon the Pros
Reliable electric door openers are vital, and when you need a replacement or repair, give Country Door Systems a call. A team of professionals is ready to provide expert installation and maintenance for all door openers and related accessories.
Call Country Door Systems at 608-752-9537 for garage door opener options and professionals to respond to all opener repair needs in Janesville WI and surrounding areas.