The Garage Door and the Broken Spring

If you think you have a garage door broken spring you should know for certain because generally when a garage door broken spring happens you may have to open you garage door manually.

Hopefully you know where the manual override is located so you can open you garage door manually.

If your garage door broken spring happens you may also have other problems with your garage door. This is a good time to call your garage door service company and schedule an inspection of your garage doors and also have them repair the broken spring. They may have to replace both springs. Just because one garage door spring breaks it doesn’t necessarily mean the other one is bad but since they have both been on there for the same length of time it is probable that the other spring has fatigue and may break soon. You don’t need to take that chance. Just have both garage door springs replaced or however many garage doors you have and then only pay for one service call.

A garage door itself can last for a long time. If it is metal it can be repainted if it begins to look tired. A wood garage door may have problems sooner because the weather will make a wood door swell and shrink unlike a metal garage door. But a metal garage door can also encounter problems. A metal garage door has working metal parts. When metal works and is used and has strain on it and has to carry weight thousands of times then the garage door parts may start to wear out. So having your garage doors inspected once in a while by a garage door service company is a good idea.

When a garage door service company checks out your garage door they may look at the hinges that make the garage door roll up. They will check out the light sensors to make sure they are working properly. They will also check how easily your garage door rolls up or operates. If it is uneven they will make the necessary repairs. This may be as simple as oiling the bearings or adjusting the chain pulley if the door has one. They will also check out your garage door openers and may even replace the batteries in them if they can.

At some point you may decide to freshen up the outside of your home. You can do this by calling your local garage door company and looking at replacing your garage door. Since you have a lot of choices for styles and looks of garage doors you can really change how the outside of your home looks for very little money as compared to remodeling your entire home.

A properly operating garage door is a safe operating garage door. If a garage door spring or tension bar breaks it only takes a second or two for it to come crashing to the ground. So an annual or bi-annual inspection is a good idea.

Garage Door. Garage Door Springs.

That Annoying Garage Door Noise!

Why is my garage door so noisy? It’s so annoying!

Your garage door is made up of an intricate system of pulleys, cables, gears, and springs, so there are many parts that can cause the door to make noise. Some of these are easily fixed, and some require the services of a trained garage door technician.

First, you need to identify the type of opener you own: screw drive, chain drive, or belt drive. Chain drive doors are noisy. Period. This doesn’t make them a bad choice. Chain drive doors are relatively inexpensive, long-lasting, and reliable in extreme climates. Regular lubrication will lessen the noise, but it’s not going to go away. Screw drive doors are less noisy early but become as noisy as chain drive doors over time. A belt drive door is quiet when it’s working properly.

If the door is not balanced, it can become noisy, or it can even stop operating. You can check the balance of the door by pulling the red emergency release cord and operating the door manually. Raise the door manually about halfway, and then release it. If it is properly balanced, it will have little movement. If it is unbalanced, it will begin to fall. Typically, worn springs are the problem. Extension springs, which run along the sides of the door, can easily be replaced by the homeowner. Torsion springs, which run along the top of the door, need to be handled with care. You probably need to call a professional garage door repair service.

A simple problem to fix is a hinge. If the noise you hear is a squeak, oiling the hinges may be the solution. Do you hear a grinding noise? This could mean a bent gear and sprocket and they would need to be replaced. The gear and sprocket are located inside the main console. Unless you know a lot about machinery, you will probably need to call a professional garage door repair service. If you opt to do the job yourself, make sure you unplug the unit!

If you hear a ticking sound, a loud ticking sound, the problem is probably worn bearings, either in the pulley or the rollers. You need to replace the bearings. Make sure you know how to do this as you could become seriously injured.

Possibly, the coils of the springs have become bent and are rubbing against each other. If this is the problem, you will hear a grating noise. The spring must be replaced. Refer to the third paragraph regarding torsion springs and extension springs.

If you decide to do the work on the door yourself, be extremely careful. A garage door is a heavy piece of equipment that can cause damage to people and property if it is not handled with knowledge and caution.

Spring Into Action

If your garage door opener isn’t in operating properly, you could be setting yourself up for an expensive repair down the road.

Examine your spring for a break in the coiled metal. Another sign of a broken spring is if the steel cables that run along the wall near the door jambs are loose.

Is your garage door operating at full capacity, or is it poised to malfunction? It’s recommended that you regularly check the real muscle of your automatic garage door system: the spring.

Few homeowners realize that it’s the spring (or springs) that do 90 percent of the lifting when an automatic opener lifts a garage door. The garage door opener’s motor is only designed to handle 10 percent of the lifting.” Over time, the metal coil that makes up the spring becomes weak and loses some tension, causing the motor to work harder than it should. If the motor becomes overtaxed, the plastic gears inside may break and you’ll be facing an expensive repair.

How to Test a Garage Door Spring

To check to see if your spring is no longer doing its fair share, conduct the following test.

First, disengage the J-arm (the J-shaped lever) from the carriage by pulling on the release cord. Then manually raise the door 1 foot and let it go. The door should stay at the release height. Repeat this test at shoulder height and with the door almost fully raised. If the door slams to the floor when you let go, the spring is probably weak.

If the door slowly drifts to the floor, a slight adjustment of the motor’s lift force may solve the problem. Be careful, though: The garage door can be quite heavy, especially if the springs are weak. When raising one manually, lift with your knees to avoid hurting your back. Call a friend to help with the lifting if necessary.

If you suspect that the spring is weak, get a quote from a qualified technician to replace it. Don’t wait until it breaks, otherwise you’ll probably end up paying even more for the repair. In some cases, the spring can be tightened in order to increase tension. In others, it will need to be replaced.

A new spring is not an expensive part and only takes a pro 20 minutes or so to install. Fees, however, can range from under $200 to more than $400. In addition, homeowners should opt for at least a 5-year warranty and to choose a lifetime warranty if they’re not planning on moving anytime soon.

Safety tip: Do not attempt to adjust or replace springs yourself. This is one repair that can cause serious injury or worse if you bungle it.

My Garage Door is So Heavy!

Garage doors are generally the largest moving piece of machinery in your home, with an average size of 8′ wide and 7′ high for a single car door and 16″ by 7′ high for a double car door. Regardless of the type of material used, they will be heavy. That’s why there are springs and a counter balance system to take all that weight, and make it easy for you or your Garage Door Openers to handle easily.

Over time, springs do break and/or relax, making the doors feel heavier. Stripped openers gears are often caused by this type of problem. To check this – occasionally disconnect your door from the opener. Pull down on the Red cord to accomplish this… If the door is “heavy” and/or will not stay half open on its own… it’s a good idea to have some maintenance done. Note: Annual Maintenance is recommended.

Springs are dangerous – have a professional licensed garage door dealer check for proper spring tension, and adjust them if needed.

Maintaining the Garage Door

Whether you have a traditional garage door, or a sectional garage door, you will need to do regular maintenance to keep it working at its best.

Below are some of the ways you can keep your garage door working in great condition.

Check the Operation of the Door

One of the first things you will want to check each time you do maintenance on your garage door, is the actual operation of the garage door itself. Of course, each day you pull in and out of your garage, using your garage door opener, you know that it is working. It goes up and down, as it is supposed to, so it may never occur to you that there still may be a problem or a coming problem at that.

To check the operation properly, you actually want to disable your garage door opener, and check the door manually to see if it is operating appropriately.

Clean Everything

If you need to straighten anything, you want to do that first, but at the same time, you can clean anything that may look like it needs cleaning. Even if you don’t see any visible debris or dirt, it is a good habit to clean the tracks.

Try using an automotive degreaser to get all the dust, grime, and grease that will most likely be present on the tracks themselves. The thing you do want to watch out for is using too much degreaser which in turn will rid of the lubrication the door needs.

After you’ve done a good job cleaning the tracks, you will want to clean the bearings as well. After you have completely cleaned the bearings, using some lubrication to lubricate the wheel bearings. Use a good amount of lubrication while doing this, because this is what lets the door work properly.

Test The Safety Extras

The safety extras are something that should also be checked on a regular basis. One of the most common safety extras on garage doors is the reverse safety. See if any adjustments need to be made to anything in regards to the reverse safety. Simply open the door and set a fairly sizable object, such as a 2×4 in the center of the opening. Push the button to lower the door. If the door stops, and starts going back up at a certain point, your reverse safety should be in good shape, with no adjusting needed. However, if the door continues to shut on, or even close to the object, then that means you will need to do some adjusting to the reverse safety mechanism in your garage door opener.

Above are just some of the routine maintenance that should be done on your garage door. Whether you own a traditional or secitonal garage door, these rules and techniques should be followed to ensure that you have a garage door that opens and shuts appropriately, as well as lasts for a long time.

Stop the Noise!

Your garage door is made up of an intricate system of pulleys, cables, gears, and springs, so there are various components that may trigger the door to make noise. A few of these are simply fixed, and a few require the service of a skilled garage door technician.

First, it is advisable to establish the type of garage door opener you own: screw drive, chain drive, or belt drive. Chain drive doors are noisy. This doesn’t make them a foul choice. Chain drive doorways are comparatively inexpensive, long-lasting, and reliable in extreme climates. Common lubrication will lessen the noise, but it surely is not going to go away. Screw drive doorways are much less noisy early on; however they become just as noisy as chain drive doors over time. A belt drive door is quiet when it’s working properly.

If the garage door is just not balanced, it may become noisy, or it can even stop operating. You may examine the stability of the door by pulling the red emergency launch cord and working the door manually. Raise the door manually about halfway, and then release it. If it is correctly balanced, it will have little movement. Whether it is unbalanced, it will begin to fall. Sometimes, worn springs are the problem. Extension springs, which run alongside the sides of the door. Can easily be replaced by the homeowner. Torsion springs, which run along the highest of the door, need to be dealt with care. You most likely need to name an expert garage door repair service.

A simple drawback to fix is a hinge. If the noise you hear is a squeak, oiling the hinges could be the solution.

Do you hear a grinding noise? This might imply a bent gear and sprocket and they should be replaced. The gear and sprocket are situated inside the primary console. Except you know quite a bit about equipment, you will most likely have to name a professional garage door repair service. If you opt to do the job yourself, be sure you unplug the unit!

When you hear a ticking sound, the issue might be worn bearings, either in the pulley or the rollers. You want to change the bearings. Be sure you understand how to do that as you could be severely injured.

Another common problem is that the springs have become bent and are rubbing in opposition to each other. If that is the problem, you will hear a grating noise. The spring should be replaced. Refer to the third paragraph regarding torsion springs and extension springs.

If you decide to do the work on the garage door yourself, be extraordinarily careful. A garage door is a heavy piece of apparatus that can cause damage to folks and property if it is not handled with knowledge and caution.

Avoid Garage Door Disasters!

The usual garage doors weigh around a hundred pounds and typically use an extension spring to counterbalance the heaviness of the garage door. This becomes dangerous if the springs break, causing the door to malfunction. Indeed, the garage door is a great potential of harm and accident at home. To help you avoid garage door accidents, try following these advices.

If you are still planning to have your door installed, choose a reputable and qualified service installer to do it. Be meticulous about safety, they must have the necessary skill in this kind of job, especially in the setting of the spring, which is the very important yet crucial part of the work. An improperly installed door will give you a headache and dissatisfaction no matter how many repairs you make. However, if you are installing it by yourself, make sure to read the instructions and follow it carefully. There must be no room for errors. After the installation, you must familiarize and take care of the remote control, if ever there is a garage door opener. Don’t leave it lying around.

Ask any garage door installer and they will give you one golden rule: Keep your children safe. And by this, it means that you should orient your children (and any other family members) about garage door safety. Tell them that playing near it is prohibited, no playing with the remote and explain to them the consequence of being trapped under and behind the doors.

Monthly check-ups and inspections should be done. Look for imbalanced doors, hidden things, loose bolts, broken wires, rollers, cables and the push button wall should be out of reach of the children. Contact local technicians if problems are observed.

Your garage door is hugely supported by the spring under high tension. Make sure to replace old springs. Broken or loose spring may hit on your car or worse, on a person. Usually, doors have two springs, if the other is broken, be sure and change the two.

Door openers should have a reversing feature, or else, replace it. The absence of the said feature will cause damage, the fact that it might caught something while it is closing, because it will make contact to the door before closing. All garage doors are required by the authority to install reversing feature.

For additional knowledge, garage door openers are motorized device used to open and close garage doors. The most common style of operator is the trolley operator (usually at home). The motor hangs near the center of the ceiling with rail guides and a trolley across the ceiling to the top of the doorway. The trolley is attached to the door arm that is then attached to the top of the door. When the trolley traverses the rail the door opens and closes Additional features that have been added over the years, including and automatic lights that turn on if the door opens and automatically turn off with a preset time, wireless keypads and keychain remotes, which are widely used today.