Repairing Garage Door Tracks

May 3rd, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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A bent or misaligned garage door track can cause the garage door to become difficult to open and close.  A homeowner may be able to take care of some minor adjustments to their garage door tracks, but if you decide to try to handle it yourself, be very careful and only small adjustments.  Garage doors are very heavy and if the door comes off the track, it could fall and damage your car or cause a serious injury.

If you have any concerns, it’s far better to call a professional garage door service.  They have expert garage door repair technicians who have the training and experience to safely repair garage doors.

Overhead garage doors move using rollers on metal tracks.  When the garage door tracks become misaligned, it can cause binding and sticking that can cause further damage to the door and lead to a prematurely worn out opener.

Garage door tracks are usually assembled in sections held together with nuts and bolts.  Similar hardware is used to hold the tracks in position and attach them to the wall and ceiling.  Over time, the nuts and bolts can loosen allowing the track to shift position.

Start by inspecting to see if any hardware has become loose.  Tightening the loose hardware may fix the problem, but it’s important to make sure the track is in the right position first.   Otherwise, the track would be secured in the misaligned position.  If the door still binds, loosen the hardware slightly and make small adjustments by tapping the track into position with a mallet.

If aligning the tracks does not help with the binding and sticking problem, you may have a broken spring.  When one spring breaks, there is uneven tension on the door which can cause it to bind or jam.  Never try to repair a broken spring yourself.  Spring replacement and repairs are dangerous and should only be done by a trained garage door service technician.

 

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Garage Door Repair? Don’t be fooled!

April 27th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Contractors, Garage Door Repairs
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In today’s tough economy consumers are looking for a bargain and Atlanta garage door repair companies are desperate to gain your business. This could be a great deal for you the customer or as many have experienced a real Rip-Off.

Let’s face it there is no such thing as a free lunch so when you see bogus so called deals claiming 50% off, Buy 1 Get 1 Free, Free Service Call, $200.00 off etc., you can be certain you’ll be paying for this in some hidden way. Generally speaking when you see these kinds of Gimmicks you can rest assured you will almost always pay more than you needed to for your overhead garage door repair.  In most cases these Gimmick garage door repair companies will end up charging you 2-3 times more than a reputable door company.

The purpose of the so called “Free Service Call” is to gain access to your garage door and your home and have you as a captive audience. They bank on your lack of fair garage door repair pricing knowledge, your trust and since they are already at your home you might as well get the work done. I hear stories weekly of people being charged 2-3 times the going garage door repair rate and then calling around after the fact to find out they been Ripped-Off.

In almost 34 years of doing business with most garage door and garage door opener manufactures in North America I’ve never had them offer “buy 1 get 1 free” or “50%” off or free. Now if these huge corporations can’t afford to do it then it’s only logical that a local Atlanta garage door repair company can’t do it either.

Remember an honest  Atlanta garage door repair company will always quote “real” pricing up front and you won’t see these bogus claims.  Ask for a quote up front and an explanation of what their service includes, check for online reviews and if a garage door repair company has been in business for longer than a year they should have at least 75 Favorable reviews. Do your homework before you write that check and you won’t end up being Ripped-Off.

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Making Room For Garage Door Repairs

April 8th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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If you need garage door repairs, before the technician arrives it will be helpful to clear the area so that the garage door technician has room to work safely.  For many homeowners, this just means moving the cars out of the garage.  However, if you have a broken garage door spring, wait for the technician to arrive before attempting to open the door.  The door will be much heavier than normal and can overpower your opener.  The door may also be too heavy for a homeowner to safely lift it by hand.

Your garage door technician will need a clear area in which to work and will need access to all areas of the garage door.  That means if you use your garage for storage, you will need to move some things around to give the garage door technician access to the work area.

This included a wide area around the inside and outside of the door itself and area along each door track and an area under the opener from the door to the opener motor.  There should also be a clear path from the door to the garage door opener button.

By keeping these areas clear, your garage door technician can quickly and safely repair whatever problem you are having with your garage door.  You don’t have to completely clear the garage, you just need to move enough things around so that the garage door technician can easily and safely get to all areas of the door.

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Aligning Your Garage Door Electronic Eye

March 13th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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One common problem that will stop your garage door from closing properly is a misaligned electronic eye.  All residential garage door openers sold in the United States since 1993 are required to be equipped with an external entrapment protection device to prevent injuries due to being crushed by closing garage door.  The vast majority of these safety sensor devices are electronic eyes that can sense an obstruction in the path of the door.  If an obstruction is “seen” by the electronic eye, the door will be stopped and reversed.

If your garage door has suddenly stopped closing, there may be a problem with the electronic eye.  Removing an obstruction or adjusting the electronic eye is a fairly simple procedure, but electronic eye replacement is a garage door repair that should be left to the professionals.

The electronic eye system consists of two sensors mounted near floor level at the bottom of the garage door opening.  One sensor transmits a beam to the receiving eye and when this beam is broken by a pet, child, or other obstruction the operation of the garage door is stopped and door is operated to the fully open position.

Before you call the garage door service company, check to see if something is blocking the beam.  If so, remove the obstruction and check the door opener for proper operation.  If not, it is possible that the sensors have been knocked out of alignment.  Some sensors have lights that indicate that they are aligned properly.  Look for a yellow or orange light on the sending unit that indicates that a beam is being sent and a green light on the receiving unit that indicates that the beam is being received.

If the green light is not on, try adjusting the sensors so that they point directly toward each other.  Once the sensors are aligned, check for proper door operation.  If the door is still not closing or opening properly, have it checked out by a professional garage door repair technician.

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Why Buying From A Garage Door Contractor Makes Sense

January 29th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Installation
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If you have finally decided to replace that old worn out garage door, you may have been tempted to buy one from your local home improvement center.  While you may be able to save a few bucks this way, you are much better off buying a garage door from a reputable garage door dealer with experience in garage door installation and repairs.

When you buy a garage door at a local home improvement center, you either have to install it yourself or hire a handyman to install the door.  However, installing a garage door is much more difficult than it looks and improper installation will make the door unsafe and cause it to perform poorly.  In addition, garage doors use heavy springs under a lot of pressure.  These springs can be very dangerous.  Many people have been severely injured or killed by garage door springs.

A garage door is the largest moving surface in your home and proper installation is critical for it to provide years of great service.  A properly installed and adjusted door opens and closes smoothly and evenly, minimizing wear on your garage door opener. 

A properly installed garage door also maximizes your family’s safety and security.  Modern garage doors are equipped with safety features such as electronic eyes to detect obstructions and reversing mechanisms to reverse the door’s direction if it encounters an obstacle.  Unless the door is properly installed and these features are working correctly, children and other family members are at risk.

Finally, when you have a reputable contractor install the door, you can be confident that if any problems arise with the door that the contractor will be able to provide warranty repairs and support.  If you buy from the home improvement center, you’re on your own for any warranty work.

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Straining Garage Door Opener

December 21st, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Openers
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If your notice that your garage door opener seems to be straining to open the door, you need to investigate a little further to find the source of the problem. It could be the opener wearing out or a problem with the door, but whatever it is you should have it fixed.  Otherwise, at a minimum your opener could wear out prematurely but more importantly, you may have a broken spring and the door could potentially come crashing down on someone or on your car.

The first think to check is whether the door operates properly when opened manually.  With the door in the down position, disconnect the door from the opener by pulling on the red handle.  Don’t do it with the door open – if the springs are broken the door could come crashing down.

Garage doors are much heavier than most people realize – typically 200 to 400 pounds.  That’s why they use springs to help lift the load so the door can be opened manually and to take the strain off of your opener.  If the springs are properly adjusted, the door should open easily by hand and should stay in any position.

If the door seems very heavy, you probably have a broken spring and you need to call a professional garage door technician with experience in garage door repairs.  Never try to remove or adjust the springs or disconnect the cable that attaches the spring to the door.  The springs are under a lot of pressure and can cause serious injury or death.

If the door doesn’t seem too heavy, but sticks or is difficult to open and close, the tracks should be adjusted and the rollers lubricated until the door opens easily.  You may be able to make some simple adjustments yourself or call in the pros.

Finally, if the door operates easily by hand, it’s probably time for a new opener.  If in doubt, have the door check out by a good garage door technician.

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Signs That You May Need Garage Door Repairs

November 1st, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Your garage door protects your home from the elements and plays an important role in keeping your home, family, vehicle and property secure.  We usually take our garage door for granted because it works well day after day, but a garage door is a heavy piece of equipment with a lot of moving parts.

These parts wear out over time and as they do, your door can go out of alignment and become harder to operate, placing stress on your opener and causing it to work harder and wear out sooner.  Also, garage doors use springs, torsion bars, or counterbalance systems that help lift the door.  When these systems wear or fail, the door will get much harder to open.  Stresses on the door also cause it to deteriorate faster and lead to needing a new garage door.

If your garage door suddenly seems heavier than it used to, you may have a problem with the springs or counterbalance system.  Loud popping noises as the door is raised and lowered or a door that does not open and close evenly are signs that the door is not properly aligned.

You can extend the life of your garage door and opening system by having your garage door repairs completed by a professional garage door contractor whenever you notice a problem.  Other than lubricating your system in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, it is best to leave garage door repairs to a professional.  The springs and torsion bars are under a lot of pressure and can be dangerous to tinker with unless you know what you are doing.

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Troubleshooting Your Garage Door

January 16th, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Many garage door problems have a simple fix.  If your garage door is giving you fits, try a few simple garage door troubleshooting tips before calling the repairman.  If these don’t do the trick, then it’s time to let a professional garage door service handle the repair. 

Be very careful when working around a garage door.  Although a properly adjusted garage door is easy to open by hand, many garage doors weigh several hundred pounds and can easily cause serious injuries.  Also, never try to remove or adjust the garage door springs.  These springs are under very high tension and can cause severe injuries or death.

One of the first things to check if your garage door is acting up is the safety sensors.  These are usually mounted near the bottom edges of the door frame and are designed to stop the door from closing if there is anything in the doorway.  If these are obstructed or knocked out of alignment, the door will not close. 

If your car remote is not working, but the inside remote button works fine, try changing the batteries in the car remote.  You may need to reprogram the remote after installing new batteries.

If the automatic opener seems to run but the door is not moving, you may need to re-engage the safety release.  This is usually a pull handle hanging on a short length of rope and if it has been activated, the door will be disconnected from the automatic opener.  You can usually reconnect the door by activating the automatic opener to the open position, then manually opening the door until the carriage engages.  Be careful when opening the door manually.  If the door seems heavy, it may be out of adjustment or have a broken spring and you should have a garage door service take a look at it.

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Garage Door Repair Tips

January 13th, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Garage doors seem simple, but garage door repairs can be dangerous, especially if the repair involves the spring mechanisms.  Most garage doors are much heavier than people realize because they use springs to help lift the door.  A garage door with properly adjusted springs, tracks, and rollers opens smoothly and easily by hand, but if the springs are broken or out of adjustment or if the rollers or track are misaligned or jammed, a garage door can be difficult to open and can be very heavy.

If the garage door doesn’t seem to be opening or closing properly, disconnect it from the automatic opener and see if it opens easily by hand.  You should disconnect the door when it is closed.  If the problem is a broken spring and you disconnect it while it is open, the door could come crashing down causing injuries or damage.

If the door opens easily by hand, the problem is most likely with the opener.  Have an experienced garage door service technician check out the opener.  If the door is difficult to open by hand, it is probably either a broken or misadjusted spring or binding rollers and tracks.

Spring repairs and adjustments are best left to garage door professionals.  Springs are under a lot of tension and can easily injure someone.  If the problem appears to be mis-aligned rollers or tracks, try loosening the roller and track bolts and see if an alignment change helps.  If re-aligning the rollers and tracks doesn’t help, it’s worth calling a professional garage door company to have them take a look at it.

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Garage Door Springs

January 13th, 2011 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Most garage door problems occur slowly.  The door gets harder to open, it makes more noise than usual, or the opener seems to be straining more than it used to.  These kinds of problems are often caused by the door rollers and tracks wearing out, binding, or going out of adjustment.  Other times, these issues are a sign that the garage door opener is about due for a replacement.  Some careful lubrication and adjustment or replacing the opener will often get your garage door back on track. 

Either of these problems you can choose to take care of yourself or let a professional garage door service handle it.  However, there is one garage door repair that you never want to tackle on own – a broken or misadjusted spring.

Garage doors are much heavier than they seem.  That’s because large springs are used to assist with opening the door.  There are two types of garage door springs.  Torsion springs are coiled up over the head of the door, and tension springs extend along the top side rails of the door track. 

Both types of springs can break, making the door much more difficult to open.  If you think your garage door springs are broken or out of adjustment, do not attempt to fix it yourself.  Garage door springs are under very high tension and one wrong move can cause severe injuries or even death. 

Adjusting or replacing garage door springs one of those jobs you should leave to a professional garage door service.  The risk of injury or death is just too high.  If your garage door springs need to be repaired or replaced, do yourself a favor and call a garage door service professional.

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