Your Home Repair Solution

1. Inspect the photo eyes. All garage door openers manufactured since 1993 are required to have properly functioning safety photo eyes. These should be located at the bottom of either side of your garage door, no higher than 6″ off the ground. Insure these photo eyes are looking at each other. If a light it blinking, try to realign them. Sometime the photo eye can be bumped by a trash cat, child, cat, etc. and simply needs to be realigned to look straight at the other eye. Also inspect for spiderwebs. If a web is formed over the photo eye, the device safety device is detecting something between the safety beams and will not allow the door to close.
2. Inspect the wall console for “Vacation Lock”. Many different models of garage door openers offer a “Vacation Lock” which is located on the wall console mounted inside your garage. The vacation setting prevents remotes and keypads from opening your garage door. This is an extra measure to keep your home secure while you are away. In most cases, the vacation mode allows you to use the remote one time after it is activated: to shut the garage door upon departure. Depending on the manufacturer, this setting may be known as “lock” or “security” mode. If your remote suddenly stops working, check to see whether this mode has been accidentally activated.
3. Inspect that you have power to the outlet. Sometimes the breaker may be off. This can be a simple fix. Try turning on the operator light to ensure there is power.
4. Inspect that the emergency release is not pulled. Make sure the garage door opener is engaged. If you see the chain or belt moving, but the garage is not closing, the emergency release may be pulled.

If none of the above tips fix your issue, it might be time to call the professionals.

Did you recently discover your garage door opener not functioning properly? We don’t give much thought to the garage door opener we use everyday until it stops working! The garage door opener is one of the more complicated components of the complete garage door system.  The most popular types of openers include:

• Belt Drive Trolley Openers
• Chain Drive Trolley Openers
• Screw Drive Trolley Openers
• Side Mount Jackshaft Openers

Repairs of broken garage door openers can be performed on brands including:

• Overhead Door
• Genie
• LiftMaster
• Chamberlain
• and more…

Some opener repairs require simple adjustments made to the existing components and do not require any additional parts. In other situations, replacing the garage door opener’s motor, circuit boards, limit switches, trolleys, drive trains, drive belts and more may be required.

• Does your garage door close all the way, then bounce off the floor and return to the open position?
  • The limits on your garage door opener may need to be reset. These limits control how far your garage door opens and closes. If the limits are off, when it hits the floor, it believes its hitting an obstruction and reverses for safety. A quick adjustment can prevent your garage door opener from reopening automatically.
• Do you hear a grinding noise when you try to use the garage door opener?
  • The sprocket and gears may need to be replaced on your opener. This is one of the most common issues after years of use. Note, if you hear the opener working, but the garage door is not moving, be sure the emergency release has not been pulled by accident.
• Electrical Issues:
  • There are several possible electrical issues that could cause your garage door opener to stop working. If one of the low voltage wires running from the opener to the photo eyes is damaged, the opener will not close due to the safety feature. Furthermore, if your remotes stopped working and a simple battery replacement doesn’t resolve the issue, you may be dealing with a defective circuit board. This can be cause by an electrical surge, storm, or simply age.

Depending on the age of your opener, replacement parts may or may not be available. Also, consider the advantages of purchasing a completely new opener over piecing together an older model. Most new garage door openers come with excellent warranty programs to protect you in the coming years. With installation and annual maintenance of your complete garage door system, your garage door opener should open the garage door smoothly time and time again.

It is important to always test the safety reversing mechanisms to ensure your openers are safety compliant. Review your owner’s manual for the door opener. If you don’t have the owner’s manual, look for the opener model number on the back of the power unit and request a manual from the manufacturer.

1. Photo Eye Test. Make sure your opener has safety photo beams. If photo eyes are not present, it should be replaced. Garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993 are required by federal law to have advanced safety features which comply with the latest UL 325 Standards.
   1. Near the bottom of each side of your garage door, check to confirm the proper installation of photo eyes (black sensors), mounted no higher than 6 inches off the floor.
   2. Use an object to block the photo eye, and push the transmitter or wall button to close the door. The door door should not close.
   3.  If the door does close, have it repaired or replaced. Have a qualified individual adjust, repair or replace the opener or door.
2. Reversal Test. Make sure your opener has a reversing feature. If a reversing feature is not present, it should be replaced. Garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993 are required by federal law to have advanced safety features which comply with the latest UL 325 Standards.
   1. Test the balance of the door. If the door is properly balanced, proceed.
      1. Start with the door closed.
      2. If you have a garage door opener, use the release mechanism so you can operate the door by hand when doing this test.
      3. You should be able to lift the door smoothly and with little resistance. It should stay open around three or four feet above the floor. If it does not, it is out of adjustment. Have it adjusted by a qualified service person.
   2. With the door fully open, place a 2” x 4” laid flat on the floor in the center of the door opening.
   3. Push the transmitter or wall button to close the door. The door must reverse when it strikes the wood.
   4.  If the door does not reverse, have it repaired or replaced. Have a qualified individual adjust, repair or replace the opener or door.
3. Force Setting Test. Test the force setting of your garage door opener by holding the bottom of the door as it closes. If the door does not reverse readily, the force may be excessive and need adjusting. See your owner’s manual for details on how to make the adjustment. Test the reversing feature after any adjustment.

Failure to regularly perform these safety tests may put the garage door users and those nearby in danger.

Did you hear a loud bang? Will your garage door only open a few inches? You might be dealing with a broken spring! A broken garage door spring can be very inconvenient and frustrating. Unfortunately, at some point, your garage door spring will reach its life expectancy and will wear-out and snap.

If you experience a broken spring, do not attempt to lifting the door manually or with the assistance of the electric opener. Without the aid of a proper spring, the door will become extremely heavy and difficult to lift manually. Attempting to lift the door by hand with a broken spring could cause you personal harm. Furthermore, attempting to open the broken door with the electric opener will likely cause further damage. Garage door openers are manufactured to lift doors only with the assistance of the garage door spring. If the spring is broken, continuing to use the opener will likely burn out the motor.

Replacing broken garage door springs is not a DIY project! Springs should never be adjusted or replaced by individuals who are not properly trained and possess the proper tools. Spring replacements are dangerous because when installing the new springs, they are places under extreme tension. Without the proper tools and training, the wrong size replacement spring or springs can cause damage to the garage door and opener. More importantly, without the proper tools and training, serious personal injury can occur.

There are several types of garage door spring systems including the most commonly used, extension springs and torsion springs.

Extension springs are mounted on both sides of the garage door alongside the track. Typically there is a safety cable that runs through the center of the spring to help prevent the extension spring from sailing around the garage when breaking. The extension springs attach to the track and through a series of pulleys and cables to the bottom bracket on the garage door located on the bottom section. The extension springs provide the energy needed to open the garage door while the cable and pulley system does the actual lifting. If any one of these components are damaged or not installed properly, the system will not function safely or properly.

Torsion springs are mounted horizontally on a bar just above the garage door opening. These spring(s) are mounted on a shaft which spans the entire width of the door. On either end of the shaft, there are drums. These drums are used to help wrap cables which are attach from the drum to the bottom section of the garage door. As the door moves to the open position, the cable wraps around the drum. As the door moves to the closed position, the cable unwraps to safely lower the door. Typically, when a torsion spring breaks, these cables will loose tension and pop off of the drums. Again, the spring provides the energy needed to open the door, while the cables, which are attached to the drums, do the actual lifting of the door. If any of these components are damaged or not installed properly, the system will not function safely or properly.

Less popular setups include the Wayne Dalton Torquemaster Spring System and the EZ-Set Torsion Spring System.

Garage door springs have a limited lifespan. This lifespan is measured in cycles, with the door going up and coming back down counting as one cycle. While there are various lifespan options, most common garage door springs come with a 10,000 cycle life expectancy. Your spring replacement frequency will be determined by your garage door usage. Below you can see the life expectancy of a 10,000 cycle spring determined by daily use:

• 2 times daily = about 14 years
• 4 times daily = about 7 years
• 6 times daily = about 5 years
• 8 times daily = about 3 years

Once the springs reached its life-cycle, it may break, effectively releasing all the tension and no longer assisting to balance the door. The spring has the most tension when the garage door is in the down position, and as a result this is the most likely position for the spring to break. That is not to say the spring could not fail while the door is in a raised position, which would result in door crashing down. This is why it is important to never walk under a garage door in motion. Replacing a garage door spring can be very dangerous, and we highly encourage you to contact your local garage door repair expert to handle this repair today. If you have a high cycle application, ask if extended use high cycle springs are available for your application.

A spring replacement is one of the most common repairs required on a garage door. With so many different spring setups, wire sizes, lengths and more, its important a broken spring is repaired with the correct replacement. A trained professional will ensure your replacement spring balances the garage door weight properly, allowing the door to easily open and close manually or with the assistance of an electric opener.

Looking for garage door parts for a DIY garage door repair? Keep in mind the dangers of making repairs without the proper training and tools.

• Torsion and Extension Springs
• Garage Door Operator
  • Operator Remote
  • Keypad
  • Operator Wall Console
• Photo-Eyes/ Safe-T-Beams
• Tracks & Brackets
• Cables
• Rollers
• Hinges
• Weatherstripping
• Panels
• Drums
• Pulleys
• Bearing Plates
• Winding Cones
• Locks / Handles
• Rail
• Drawbar