Garage Door Repair-Always Check Your Cables

June 14th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Companies, Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Repairs, Garage Door Spring Replacement, Garage Door Springs, Garage Door Torsion Springs
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When you hire a garage door repair company to fix your overhead door or automatic garage door opener you want to make sure that the repair company you contract with checks out your entire garage door especially the garage door cables.

An overhead garage door is simply put a counterbalance system which allows you the homeowner or your automatic garage door opener to effortlessly lift the garage door.

The power or torque from the garage door springs acts to counterbalance the weight of your garage door and this transfer of power is accomplished through the use of your garage door cables. Whether your garage door has extension springs or torsion type springs the weight of your overhead door is lifted via the garage door cables.

Depending on the size of your garage door and construction this weight can vary from as little as 50 pounds to 600 pounds which makes the condition of your garage door cables extremely important. That’s why whenever your garage door is repaired you want to make sure your garage door repair company checks your cables for wear and tear.

Garage door cables are usually constructed of stranded galvanized wire and are constantly rolling under-load from the garage door weight over metal surfaces that create friction and wear. This kind of load and wear will over time cause you garage door cable to fray and eventually break in two. When you garage door cable frays it will cause the door to become crooked when operating and prematurely wear other components and damage your garage door or opener.

Garage door cables also corrode and will create the need for a garage door repair.

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Garage Door Seasonal Maintenance

April 23rd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Now that spring is in the air, this is a great time for a little seasonal maintenance on your garage door to keep it working great all summer.  For such a large moving object, garage doors just need a little maintenance for reliable operation.

Before you begin remember to never attempt to disassemble the springs or cables and pulleys that are part of the garage door lift assistance system.  These components are under tremendous pressure and can cause a serious injury or even death if they come loose.  Any garage door repairs or adjustments to the springs or pulley systems should be handled by a qualified garage door service technician.

Start by inspecting the door, hinges, rails, and rollers and tightening any loose hardware.  Lubricate the rollers and hinges with a light oil or dry lubricant.  If you have a chain drive or screw drive garage door opener, lubricate the chain and rail or screw according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you don’t have the instructions, the screw drive and railing on a chain drive unit can be lubricated with white lithium grease.  The chain can be lubed with light oil or motorcycle or bicycle chain lubricant.  Be sure to wipe off the excess oil before parking your car back in the garage.

This is also a great time to check the safety reverse system on your garage door to make sure it is working properly.  The garage door should have an electronic ‘eye’ near the floor that will stop the door from closing if anything is detected in the path of the door.

If you notice any problems with the door, call your local garage door service technician.  Garage doors are large, heavy moving objects and having repairs completed by a qualified garage door technician is important for safety reasons and to maximize the service life of the door.

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Garage Door Track Repairs

March 13th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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If your garage door is not opening and closing smoothly, there can be many different causes but the garage door tracks are one common cause of garage door problems.  Whether you have a one piece or sectional garage door, your overhead garage door is equipped with rollers that move along metal tracks on either side of the door as the door opens and closes.

These rollers can sometimes become jammed or damaged, but a track misalignment is a more common source of door opening and closing problems.  The door tracks have to be properly aligned for the door to open and close smoothly.  Over time, the tracks can shift out of alignment if the hardware holding the track sections together loosens or if the track mounting brackets separate from the wall.  Also, a track can be bent or damaged by an impact with a car.

To check for track problems, inspect the tracks with the door closed.  Look for loose hardware that connect the track sections together, connect the track sections to the mounting brackets, and hold the mounting brackets to the wall.   If you find loose hardware, you can tighten everything back up, but the tracks may be out of alignment so try to align the tracks with each other and vertically along the wall as you tighten the hardware.

If everything seems tight, the tracks themselves may have been bent or twisted, usually due to being hit by a vehicle.  Sight along the tracks to see if they are straight and bend smoothly throughout the curved section.  You may be able to straighten a slightly bent or twisted track section, but in most cases you will be better off installing a new section of track.

Properly aligning garage door tracks is more complicated than it looks so don’t be disappointed if you have trouble getting the tracks properly aligned.  Your local garage door service company will be happy to send a trained garage door technician to your home to handle any garage door repair issues.

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