Your garage door opener is electrical and mechanical, with moving parts that need lubrication or can break. In addition, its electrical and safety features can add to the potential problems you might experience with a garage door opener.
Without springs, your garage door opener cannot lift the garage door. The garage door spring is a separate problem if it is broken. Many of the things that may be causing your garage door opener to not operate properly are not difficult to fix. A few simple tools, a little patience and they can be fixed. WARNING: Use the following advice and tips at your own risk. Garage doors may be dangerous if broken and may cause serious injury.
What is the cost?
For a simple issue, it will probably cost you a service call, approximately $50 to $75. A new garage door opener costs between $250 to $400 installed. If you call a service person to come to your home, they will tell you if you need a new one. If the problem is something you can fix, you can possibly save between $50 to $400. This is great if it is something you can fix yourself in ten minutes!
How difficult is it?
Many repairs are easy to perform. If a part or entire unit needs to be replaced, it is more difficult. Fixing garage door openers vary in difficulty dependent on the specific issue, and it is recommended to have a professional such as Affordable Overhead Door perform such tasks.
Check simple problems you can easily fix!
First, check that the unit has power. Check the circuit breaker, the GFCI, and the safety sensor. Nothing should be in front of it, and the safety sensors needs to be aligned with each other. The indicator lights should also be working. If they are blinking, it usually indicates a problem. Make sure the batteries on your remote control are not dead.
What Can Go Wrong?
If nothing else is broken, and the door is working, you may have to lift and lower the door yourself. However, the worst thing that could happen is that you injure yourself as the door may be heavy and if you are mistaken that it is functional when it is not, an accident can occur. So be careful!
Troubleshooting Garage Door Openers
Be sure that what you may think is a garage door opener problem is not really a garage door safety sensor or a garage door remote, i.e., dead battery, problem.
A garage door opener uses limit switches to control the travel of the door. Switches that are out of adjustment may not allow the door to close properly.
Find or obtain a copy of your owner’s manual for instructions on adjusting the limit switches if it is not obvious how to set them. The manufacturer’s website may have an online manual you can download.
If the door is closing and reversing instead of staying closed, you need to set the limit switch to stop the door sooner. Or, if the garage door does not close all the way, adjust the limit switch so that the garage door goes all the way to the floor.
If you still cannot fix the garage door, you may need to replace the garage door opener which is a good idea if the one you have is an older door opener without the newer safety features.
Calling Affordable Overhead Door is an affordable, quick, convenient and safe way to have your garage door opener checked after you have checked the basics listed above.
