Whether you’re a do-it-yourself junkie or just want to take care of some maintenance on your own, there are a few things you can do to make sure that your garage door stays in proper operating order. It takes only a few minutes and is simple as can be. There are four quick checks that can be done each season to ensure the whole system is in excellent order, especially when you need it the very most.
First things first, do a visual inspection of the door system as a whole.
The first thing you want to do is consider how the entire door system works. You can do this by starting in the garage with the door in a closed position.
- Look at the rollers. Are any of them worn? Do they slide rather than roll?
- Check the lifting cables, determine if any of these are starting to look a bit frayed.
- For those with a torsion spring (found above the head of the door), check to see if it is broken.
- Those with extension springs above horizontal tracks, notice if they are hanging or appear to be distended.
- Have your horizontal tracks tilted away from each other or are they properly aligned?
- Finally, are there any bolts or screws that look like they could do with tightening?
The next step is to determine if your garage door is properly balanced
This is one of the most important things for you to determine. What you want to do is pull down on the emergency release cord, which will stop the electric door opener from engaging. Now, if you have a lift handle located in the bottom or second section, try lifting the door without using a lot of force. Is that something you can do with one hand?
If everything is still going well at this point, stop the door when it’s around four feet (120 cm) from the garage floor. You want to see if it stays in this position, rather than descending toward the floor on its own.
If the door is difficult to lift or if you find that it doesn’t stay where you placed it about halfway open, it means that there is a problem with the spring system, which acts as a counterweight for the door weight. If this is the case, the garage door needs to be inspected by a professional and possibly changed out.
Next, you should check if your Mechanical Reversal system is working as expected.
There are two reversal systems that garage doors come equipped with. These offer safety for you and your family members. The first reversal system we’ll check is the mechanical one. For this check, you’re going to need a piece of lumber; a 2×4 that is about a foot long will work fine. What you want to do is open the garage door and then place the lumber board on the threshold where it is flat. You will then want to press the control button that closes the door. If this system is working correctly, the door will make contact with the wood but then immediately reverse to go back up.
If you find this doesn’t occur, you will need to adjust the sensitivity of the opener. In most cases, you’ll find the limit adjusting screws on the side of the housing of the opener. You will take a flathead screwdriver to move the downward-pointing arrow screw counterclockwise by about a quarter turn. Then you can retest the door and see if it reverses. If not, you can make a second quarter turn with the screw. Do this until you determine the setting that works best.
Test if your Photo‑Eye reversal system is working correctly.
The second safety system is based on what is called photo eye sensors. Beginning in 1993, every electric garage door built in North America has had a requirement to be equipped with this type of automatic reversal system. This system uses a light beam that crosses the opening of the full garage door, but it is not visible to the human eye. With this system, there are two units. One is on each side of the door, around five to six inches (13 to 15 cm) from the floor. To test the photo-eye, you’ll want to close the door by using your remote. While the door is in the process of closing, move one of your limbs in front of these units, which breaks the light beam between them. The door should reverse its path immediately and re‑open.
If your door doesn’t do this, it means that either one of the units is aligned improperly or that there is a worn or broken wire between the opener and the unit.
What do I do if I need a tune‑up or for my garage door to be changed out?
This one is simple. All you have to do is contact us at 705-322-0136! We offer a comprehensive “Tune-up” that will ensure your garage door is back in the best working order possible. For those who realize a new garage door is in order, we would also be happy to send you out a quotation by email, or we can drop by your home to go over your options and the different doors on the modern market.
For those who want to get a peek at what an all-new garage door might look like on your home, try our Design Centre or take a look at our image gallery.
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