General Garage Door FAQ

 

Q: How do I know what size garage door I have or need?

A: To find the size of your garage door, measure the width of the actual finished opening width and height. Garage door sizes are always shown and listed as the width first and then the height. In addition, many Denver garage door companies provide free in house estimates and will measure the opening for you while they are at your home or project site to determine the proper size.

Q: How can I tell if the garage door spring is balanced properly?

A: Open the door halfway by hand (release operator first) and let go of the door. The door should pretty much stay in the same position, although some slight drifting may occur. If the door wants to drop or if it opens on its own the garage door springs should be adjusted by trained and experienced garage door service technicians. To avoid possible severe injuries do not attempt to adjust the springs yourself without having the proper training and tools.

Q: What are Safety Cables?

A: Safety cables keep a broken garage door spring from sailing around the garage! They are similar to the garage door cables, though usually lighter weight. They are attached to the garage door track or wall near the stationary pulleys, lace through the garage door springs, and connect to the same support that the spring does.

Safety cables are easy to install (less than an hour for a pair) and come in a kit form with all necessary fasteners. To be sure, look at your garage door track setup before you shop, you can make a list of what parts you may need... eyebolts, s-hooks, etc. Then, see what the kit offers, and buy separately what the kit doesn't have. As with most kits, the manufacturer can't take every possible circumstance into account... that's your job!!

Q: Why do I need them?

A: Do you have any idea how much it costs to replace an auto windshield... $400 dollars and up! If a garage door spring breaks it can fly across the garage with such force that it can penetrate a double layer of 5/8" wallboard! Or put a serious hurt on you if you're unlucky enough to be nearby! About the only difficult thing about this installation, next to being steady on a ladder, is placing them through the garage door spring.

Be sure to check the free movement of all door parts and proper function on one side before installing the second side. And don't pull the cable too tight... that in and of itself may cause problems... just slightly slack is fine.

Q: How do I release the door from the operator so that I can open the garage door by hand?

A: With the garage door fully closed, simply pull the red release cord down toward the floor. Always take special caution whenever you release the garage door opener if the door is not in the fully closed position, since the door may want to slam closed when released. If at all possible do not release the garage door when open, except for emergency or security purposes and close the door with caution. Some older openers may not have a red release cord and may need to be released by pulling down a handle, a spring loaded clip, or even possibly unbolting the arm from the door and opener. If you do have an older door that is difficult to disconnect you may want to replace the opener with a new garage door opener that has an easy pull red release cord.

Q: We heard a loud noise in the garage and have not been able to open the garage door since we heard the noise? What could possibly be wrong with the door?

A: It is very likely that you have a broken spring that should be replaced by an experienced and qualified garage door service technician. If your springs are on a shaft across the top of the door, you will see an approx 2" separation in the spring. If your springs (extension springs) stretch along the track on the sides you will find that they are very obviously in two separate pieces.

Garage Door Repairs FAQ

 

Q: I have two springs on a shaft across the top of the door and one of the springs is broken. How do I know if I should change both springs or just the one spring that is broken?

A: We highly recommend that you change both springs at the same time, since both springs have been under the same amount of stress each time the door has been opened and closed. Unfortunately a visual inspection of the spring cannot determine the further life expectancy of the spring. However, in many cases it will cost less to have both springs changed at the same time than if you only had one spring changed at a time.

In addition, if you have extension springs on your door, the door may not balance properly with one new spring and one fatigued spring. Place a service order today to have both springs replaced and get your door back in proper working order!

Q: My spring broke very close to the end of the spring. Can I just throw away the part that broke off and reuse the rest of the old spring without having any problems?

A: The remaining unbroken part of the spring should never be reused. Not only is the old spring fatigued for the full length of the spring and could easily break again at any moment, changing the length of the spring will also distort the lifting power of the spring and will not balance the weight of the garage door properly. Do not attempt to replace the spring yourself and have it changed by a qualified service technician.

Q: Both of our transmitters quit working at the same time. Should we try changing the batteries in the remote controls?

A: Very seldom will the batteries in both transmitters go dead at the same time. Most likely the problem is in the radio receiver that is in the garage. It is also possible that the problem could be inside the operator itself and that it is no longer sending power to the receiver unit. (On some openers the receiver and logic board are combined together on one solid state circuit board). It may be to your advantage to have a professional service call to determine the true problem.

Q: Our garage door opener will not do anything at all when we push the button. What should we look for first?

A: The first thing that you should check is that the opener is still plugged into the electric outlet. Secondly you should confirm that there is power coming out of the electric outlet or plug the opener into another outlet with a temporary extension cord. If there is power to the operating motor then there is some type of mechanical or electrical problem within the garage door opener itself and may need to be diagnosed by a qualified service technician .

Q: The light comes on but the garage door opener will not open or close the door. What should we look at first?

A: If the light on the garage door opener comes on, obviously the opener is getting power and the problem would be in the electrical or mechanical workings of the opener. Be sure to unplug the operator before making any attempt to remove the motor head cover. To avoid the possibility of electrical shock, why not have your garage door opener repair made by a knowledgeable service tech. If your garage door opener is more than ten years old you may want to consider replacing the garage door opener to one with the latest safety features.

Q: Our garage door opener was working fine but all of a sudden we have to hold the wall button down to get the door to close. How can we get the door opener to start working properly again?

A:  It sounds like the photo-cell safety beams are blocked, misaligned, or malfunctioning. Move any objects that may be interfering with the signal and verify that the photo-cell LED lights are illuminated as per the manufacturer's instructions. (The photo-cells cannot be permanently removed from garage door openers that were built since 1973).If the infrared beams are not blocked and the photo-cells appear that they are aligned, then contact your Denver garage door opener repairman to diagnose and repair the problem. You will not be able to close the door with the remote control transmitter until the photo-cells are in proper working order.

Q: The two bottom sections of our garage door were damaged by a car bumping into the door. Can the two sections be replaced?

A: Yes the two bottom sections can be replaced as long as the sections are still available (many older garage doors have sections that are no longer made and it may be very difficult to find an exact match). However, in many cases the cost of the two sections and the labor to replace them may be very close to the cost of a brand new replacement garage door that will have all new track, springs, and hardware included along with the door sections.

Q: The cable on the garage door appears to be fraying. Should we be very concerned about this problem?

A: Your amount of concern should depend upon how much the cable is frayed, although the problem will only continue to get worst. If the cable is severely frayed to where there is only a few strands left that could break at any moment, the cable should be replaced by a qualified garage door service technician as soon as possible.

Q: The chain on my garage door opener seems to be sagging and rubbing on the track. How do I adjust it?

A: There are only a few ways that the chain can be tightened. There may be an adjustment linked to the chain, or an adjustment to the length of the door opener track. Both adjustment types should be done with the door closed and disconnected from the opener using the emergency release.

Adjustments on the chain are located at or near the master link where the chain engages with the cable. These usually consist of a bolt with two or three nuts, one or two for locking and one for adjusting. You loosen the locking nut(s), and turn the center nut clockwise to adjust the excess slack from the chain. Do not over tighten the chain. This will cause premature wear on the chain rollers. Adjust it tight enough so that the center of the chain sags about 1/2" down from parallel with the track.

The second adjustment is located on the top of the opener body. This is common on the Stanley chain drives that utilize the tubular-style track. There is a bolt that is turned clockwise to actually extend the length of the track, thus removing the slack from the chain. Same rule applies concerning recommended chain slack. One thing about this second adjustment is that if the body of the opener is mounted in a very rigid fashion and has no "give", the tubular track will bend when you try to make this adjustment. So, you might have to loosen the mounting bolts or make other adjustments to the mounting assembly to allow the adjustment.

(Source: Natural HandyMan & Doors & Openers)