A Few Garage Door Repair Tips

If you own a car, it is of utmost importance that you build a very secure garage that has its doors and openers working perfectly well. Also, it’s very important too that you have a little experience on garage door repairs just in case the system gets faulty along the line. Most over-head door openers do work on springs and it is a bit easy to repair these types of garage doors.  Below are some detailed steps you can follow to door garage door repairs by yourself:

Whenever you notice that the metal tracks of your door openers become loose, endeavor to make the screws and bolts at the brackets very tight. In the course of the repair, if you eventually notice that the tracks have been severely damaged, make sure they are replaced.

Ensure that you properly align the tracks of the door openers. The tracks should be leveled i.e. they should be of the same height on the garage wall. When doing your repairs, if you discover that the tracks are not in the proper alignment, loosen all the bolts and carefully get the tracks back in position. Ensure that the bolts are tightened after you have finished your job.

In the process of performing your Fallbrook garage door repairs, ensure that the tracks are cleaned with concentrated-house-hold-cleaners in order to wipe off the hardened grease and dirt too. Make sure you thoroughly clean the rollers, wiping the rollers and tracks dry.

Apply lubricants on the rollers and the tracks. You can make use of lubricant spray, powdered graphite, and silicone spray or house-hold oils.

When repairing the garage doors, examine to see if there is loose hardware and make sure they are tightened. For the garage door openers that possess a swing-up mechanism, make sure the screws are tightened at the position the spring is mounted. If the hinges are damaged, try to replace them. When the openers show a sagging sign on one end, make sure it is corrected by servicing and lubricating the hinges. Ensure that the wood where the hinge is placed has not been chipped or cracked in order to avoid disaster.

Also, examine the springs of the door openers and ensure they’re hooked in the right notches or holes on both sides of the door. In the course of the repairs, if you encounter any challenge whilst repairing the garage door, try to adjust the tension in the doors by taking out the spring hook to another notch close to it. Where the garage gate openers have a spring cable on a pulley mechanism, try to adjust the tension by stretching the cable through the plate above and knot the end again in order to sustain the tension.

It is very important to be very conscious of your safety. You have to work with extreme care I you garage door openers (the ones with a kind of roll-up system) have just one tension spring at the door’s center. If this is the kind of garage door you have, do not try to do the repairs yourself because the tension in these types of spring is really massive and you could get yourself injured if you try out the repairs yourself. Seek the help o a professional in these kinds of cases.

A normal garage door opener comprises of a reversible motor that moves a carriage on a rail just above the door. This carriage is attached to the drawbar which operates to reduce the path the door travels. Today, there are many kinds of garage doors, therefore whenever you want to carry out your garage door repairs, endeavor to first find out its mechanism.

Garage Door Maintenance: The Basics

Garage door maintenance is something that should be added to our weekend’s list of things to be attended to. Our garage doors are “severely” used more than we can ever imagine and this leads to wear and tear. In an average home of say about six (6) to ten (10) people, the garage door will be opened and closed about fifteen (15) to twenty (20) times a day. In a whole year, you can imagine the number of openings and closings! If the garage doors are not maintained, it will become faulty and begin to cause you inconvenience, not only that, it could eventually cause damage to your home, your vehicles and to you yourself. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to do some maintenance on the garage door for at least three times in a year.

The Torsion Springs and Rollers

There are several mechanical facets of Temecula garage doors that should always be examined. You have to check out the metal brackets that hinge the garage door with the house, the torsion springs and the rollers too. Always ensure that they’re all firmly attached and that the rollers run smoothly in their tracks. When you notice that the rollers aren't running smoothly in the tracks, check to see whether they have been broken or simply need some lubrication. If you notice that they are damaged, endeavor to find replacements. They’re easy to remove. If they only stick a little, then you have to use silicon-based lubricants.

The Tracks

As a major aspect of the maintenance process, it is very much appropriate to check the tracks and ensure that the bolted sections are in line with each other. Sometimes, one bolt that binds the track together may loosen up. When this happens, you see that the tracks will slightly slant from each other, or the loosened bolt will project in the portion of the track, resulting to the rollers sometimes catching on them. This might result to a twisted force acting on the opener, and this might trigger it to change direction. All you need do is to tighten the loosened track bolts and ensure that the track sections flow freely. It is a very nice idea to always lubricate the door tracks with engine oil. You can make use of a rag, wiping them down. Make sure you use a level when you’re examining the tracks to ensure levelness. Ensure that they’re parallel and if they’re not, try to make adjustments.

The Springs

The springs should also be properly examined ensuring that they’re firmly fastened to the door and frame too. You can open the garage door manually to know whether the door is heavy when lifting; or when closing, if you need additional effort to do so. If you notice this, then you need to adjust the springs. They should be adjusted in such a way that when the door is raised halfway open, it remains so and not falling down. It is abnormal for the garage door to move either upwards or downwards on its own accord without any external applied pressure. It should be noted that springs under tension are quite dangerous; therefore the adjustments o garage doors should be strictly done by professionals. You can also apply a little engine oil to the springs to ensure that they don’t catch when the garage door is being opened or closed.

Examine the basal parts to ensure they are rust free and not decaying. All these listed tips should get your garage door functioning smoothly all year round.

Tips for Basic Garage Door Care

The garage door is one of the objects present in the home that needs proper maintenance and care, now and then. Only when they are properly maintained, they do their task perfectly with little manual efforts. Since they help in securing your vehicles, it is your responsibility to keep them in good condition. There are certain tips and techniques that you need to follow in maintaining and repairing your garage doors yourself. The most important safety precaution while you are working on the garage door is that you need to mention all your family members about the work, so that they do not open or close the door without your consent. As the garage door is the largest moving object, it may cause you serious injury when mishandled. Hence, make sure that you are aware of what you’re doing. It is important for you to visually inspect the door at least once a month to check for any flaws in the system. Go inside the garage and close the door to look at the springs, rollers and pulleys for any damage. If you find anything look abnormal, call for a technician immediately. You must also perform door balance test every month to check if the door is out of balance. This test should be performed only if the door has an automatic opening system. In that case, disconnect the door opener and try to lift the door manually. If the door opens easily without any tension, the door is in proper working condition. Else, it is out of balance and needs repair right away.

As a safety precaution, all garage doors need to install reverse mechanism system, which reverses the closing of the door when there is any object in between the door and the basement. Photo eye or an edge sensor is the technology used in the reverse mechanism system. The system will ensure that no person is trapped in between the door and the basement. You need to check the working of the reverse mechanism system at least once a month. Simply place a piece of brick in the center of the entrance where the door makes contact with the ground. Switch on the automatic door and see if the door reverses back when it comes in contact with the brick. If it does not, then the garage needs to be repaired by a technician. Similarly, to check the photo eye system in place, open the door completely and close the door by pressing the wall button. When the door is about to close, wave any object before the photo eyes. If the door reverses, the system is working fine. Else, try the same by wiping the eye using a soft cloth. If the problem persists, contact a technician.

There is one more manual test that is to be performed every month along with all the above tests. It is the force setting test, in which you need to open the door completely before closing it automatically. When the door is closing down, use your hand to lift the door manually. If the door immediately reverses, then it is working fine. Else, the force of the door is excess and needs repair immediately. All the above tests should be done every month as it ensures the proper working of the door, which is needed for the safety of people living in the house. Apply lubricant at least twice a year to the hinges and tracks of the doors. Also, wipe the door with water and soap to avoid dirt and moisture settling on the door surface. Even though there are many do-it-yourself guides on the internet on servicing garage doors in Fallbrook, it is better to give the job to experts. As you need to deal with a heavy object, it is wise to repair the door only if you’re confident that you can do the job with perfection. When the door is maintained properly, they will last longer, preventing you from replacing them often which is more costly. If there are children in the house, make them aware of the working conditions of garage door and its safety precautions.

When Should You Hire a Professional Garage Door Technician?

Garage doors require maintenance and care for its proper functioning. They need to be inspected every month to identify any defects that need to be fixed immediately. The inspection can be done by your own, but the repair works need the help of professionals to ensure your safety and the functioning of the garage door. There are a couple of repair tasks that you could perform but you must exercise caution in all your works with such doors. There are certain problems when encountered in the doors, need immediate attention. Following is the list of problems that needs service and repair from professionals. If you hear a loud noise while the door closes or opens, there may be a problem with the door. The door should go all the way down when it closes and if it doesn't, then there is a problem with the balance of the door. There might also be problems in the electrical equipments attached to the door system, in case the door is an automatic one. You would encounter all these problems visibly and hence call the professional to repair.

There are certain other problems that are often not visible, but they compromise the safety of the people living in the house. Such problems can be identified when the door is inspected every month. When you feel that the balance of the door is not proper, call the professional immediately as the problem may be with the spring attached to the door that is responsible for opening and closing. Since the operation of the door is in question, the problem needs to be solved immediately as it may prove fatal. Inspect the door by keeping an object in between the door and the ground so that when the door comes in contact with the object, it must reverse its movement. This prevents any mishap and when this mechanism doesn't work properly, it is wise to call for a professional help. Sometimes, when the door hits any object on its way down, it may fall unbalanced, thereby leading to tension of springs resulting in cable detachment from the drum. In such cases, the door does not close or open properly. This problem again needs professional support as the door may weigh more than hundred pounds. Moreover, the door has many complicated mechanisms that need technical support for proper repair. The above-said issues are some of the common problems faced that needs professional help.

There are certain reasons why these tasks cannot be performed yourself. First and foremost is the security concern. As you may know, the doors are huge and weighty. So if you get trapped in-between the door and the ground, you may hurt yourself so badly that may sometime prove fatal. You may suffer from serious injuries otherwise. You may have noted that when a Murrieta garage door company sends in professionals to carry out a repair task, they don’t come as groups of two or three instead of individuals. This ensures safety of the workers. The second reason for opting professional help is the lack of knowledge of door mechanism for common people. The door garage involves some serious mechanism for its working and the parts such as torsion spring, drum, cables are hard to handle and repair. They may come with different troubles every time and as a naïve user, you may not know the exact reason of the defect along with its consequences. Professionals are the right persons to work with the door as they are trained in the field. And more importantly, the garage doors are costly for re-installing. If you repair it yourself and end up with serious trouble with the door, it needs to be re-installed which will cost you more amount than what you would spend for a professional help. It is for all these reasons that you should call for a professional’s help as and when needed. Lubricating the doors, wiping them for removing dust and moisture and inspecting the doors for malfunction are the tasks that only you can perform yourself. Even then, caution is needed while managing the doors. Make sure that nobody is around the door when the repair work is going on.

When Your Garage Door Breaks Down

Nothing is more ominous than getting ready to leave your home, only to hear the rumbling of your garage door motor working in vain as the door refuses to budge. Or even worse, the motor may not even work at all, leaving you stranded in your garage. While some homeowners who use their garages as an extra room may not have this issue, not all of us have this luxury. For those of us with our cars still parked inside, we rely on our garage doors to be functioning properly day in and day out, but when they fail, here are some basic steps you can take to try and take care of the simpler causes before calling a professional technician out.

First and foremost, check the trolley on the track. This is the little mechanism that connects the door to the drive that actually does the lifting. Sometimes, this device can become disconnected for whatever reason, and in these cases it's a simple matter of clicking it back into place. This can also be used in an emergency, such as when the power goes out: most garage doors have an emergency release cord that you can pull on to manually disconnect the trolley, allowing you to pull the door up on your own. Be sure to reconnect the trolley once the power is restored. If it keeps getting disconnected, though, this may be a sign of a deeper underlying issue that may require professional assistance.

Next, take a look at the opener itself to see if the light is coming on, or if it responds to the remote. Be sure to try any remote garage door openers you may have as well as the opener in the garage itself. If there seems to be no sign of power, check to make sure the opener is still plugged in, and that the power source is working. Replace any dead batteries or faulty cables if you manage to isolate the issue. If none of this helps, this again may be an indicator of a bigger problem that would require a garage door technician to solve.

There are many other possibilities as to why the door is not functioning. Even though a garage door installation doesn't have as many moving parts as other devices in a home, the complexity and potential danger of troubleshooting a garage door quickly ramps up past the basic steps, making it dangerous for the average homeowner. Never attempt to tamper with the spring or the track without a clear idea of what to do, or you may end up damaging the installation or even get injured, as these parts are under a lot of tension.

For the best Temecula garage door service, call Afficient Garage Doors at 951-541-0460. We service the Fallbrook, Murrieta and Temecula areas and are family owned and operated, with over 15 years in the garage door business. We handle all aspects from maintenance and repairs to complete reinstallation and remodeling. If your door doesn't work and you can't figure out why, we've got you covered!

Basic Overview of Garage Door Openers

The opener is a crucial component to your garage door installation that does all of the grunt work, so to speak: it's the single part that provides the power to actually lift and close your door. Depending on the age of your home and the budget involved when the garage door was installed, your opener may be something old and worn or something completely new and cutting edge. Today we'll be going over some of the basic garage door opener types, along with the various benefits and drawbacks of each.

Chain-Driven Openers

This is one of the most common garage door opener types, though it tends to be spotted mostly in older homes. With this opener, a chain pulls a trolley with an arm that lifts and lowers the garage door. Chain openers are one of the cheaper options due to the cost of parts and common usage. However, due to the nature of the design, chain openers have a few problems that can prove to be dealbreakers for some homeowners. Since the moving parts are all metal grinding on each other, chain openers are the noisiest of them all, and can cause rattling, screeching and vibrating whenever the door is opened. Also, in some parts of the country which are more humid, the metal chain may be subject to rusting if it's not made out of specific materials. On the upside, newer models are substantially quieter, but these are definitely things to keep in mind.

Belt-Driven Openers

Belt openers operate on the same principle as chain models, where a chain is pulling a trolley that lifts the door. The key difference here is that instead of a metal chain, belt openers use a belt made out of various non-metallic material, such as fiberglass, polyurethane, or reinforced rubber. The biggest upside to this is all but eliminating the noise generated by chain units, since the softer texture of the belt doesn't cause vibrating and rattling like metal-on-metal would. However, as a result of this belt-driven openers are a good deal more expensive than chain-driven ones.

Screw-Driven Openers

These openers use a threaded rod that carries the trolley, and a motor rotates the rod to move it back and forth on a track. Due to the least amount of moving parts, this design is one of the quietest; however, its design can leave the rod bent or broken quicker than a chain or belt would wear out. In parts of the country with extreme weather conditions, the rod will expand and contract with the heat and cold, shifting its performance seasonally. Screw-driven openers are still used in some parts of the country but are generally not as common as the first two types.

If your garage door opener is running into problems, the first thing to consider is whether it's appropriate for your household needs. A detached garage would be fine with a chain opener, while a belt opener may be more appropriate for an attached garage close to a bedroom or home office. If you suspect your opener may be losing steam due to years of usage, be sure to call your local technician to have it checked out before it's too late.

Afficient Garage Door is a Murrieta garage door company servicing the entire North San Diego County. Family-owned and operated, Afficient handles all facets of the industry from basic maintenance and parts replacement to reinstallations and emergency service calls. Contact Afficient at 951-541-0460 for a free consultation anytime.

Is Your Garage Door Balanced?

Here's a quick maintenance tip for today on checking your garage door's balance. This is important because an improperly balanced garage door will cause your opener to work harder than it should, potentially leading to premature failure and necessitating a costly replacement along with any other emergency measures you would need to take. If this sounds complicated, don't worry! A balance test is one of the quickest, easiest and safest ways to perform self-maintenance and decide if any further action is needed.

To start, locate the spot on the track where your opener is clamped to the door, and make sure the door is closed, then detach the opener from the door. Lift the door carefully up from the middle so as to not cause wobbling, until it's about halfway up. Once lifted, make sure you have someone standing next to the door in case anything happens, and release the door to see what happens.

If the door is properly balanced, there should be very little if any movement. Anything else indicates that the door is in need of either some maintenance or even spring replacement, depending on how severe the symptoms are. A door sliding downwards means that the springs are too loose and are no longer exerting sufficient pressure, and if the door slides upwards, there's too much pressure from the springs. Both can cause the opener to work harder pulling or pushing, which can lead to it breaking down faster.

In the event that your door climbs up on the track, you may be able to add a bit of weight to counteract this. Most hardware stores sell a garage door brace, which is not only used to strengthen the integrity of the door, but also serve as a grip as well as adding a small bit of weight to it. This extra weight may be enough to bring the door into balance if the springs are only slightly miscalibrated. Anything more severe than this would most likely require professional attention, as garage door springs are extremely dangerous to work with unless you know exactly what you're doing.

For more information on garage door maintenance in Temecula, call Afficient Garage Doors at 951-541-0460. We are a professionally licensed, bonded and insured company with over 10 years of experience ready to serve you!