GARAGE DOOR AUTOMATION, CARE AND REPAIR

Garage Door Repairs: Garage door replacement. Improving your curb appeal.

Heavy rains in the spring and hail in the winter, beating sunshine in the summer and strong winds in the fall, garage doors are taking a weather beating all year round. Over time, the color on your garage door may fade, the panels may become warped, or the weather seals may be letting unwanted critters in. Also, accidents happen and sometimes people run into their garage doors with their vehicles. If this is happening to you, it may be time for a complete garage door replacement.

New garage doors continue to deliver high return on investment

Garage Doors repairs and maintenance can also mean upgrading your garage door can offer many benefits. Insulated garage doors, for example, can cut down your heating/cooling expenses. Also, replacing a dirty-looking old beaten-up door with a newer, fresher looking one can increase the value of your home and its curb appeal. Whether you are selling your home, or just simply looking for an upgrade, talk to one of our garage door sales representatives. today about replacing your garage door!

Damaged garage door sections can cause bigger issues.

Garage Doors repairs and maintenance is important as over time, garage door panels take on normal wear and can begin to warp, crack, bend, or break. Damaged panels can lead to bigger problems with your garage door. If you continue to use a door with faulty sections, the door can become misaligned and that may cause additional damage to all sections and possibly lead to the replacement of the complete door. The next time you notice that a section of your garage door is broken, trust your repair to the industry leader, call Openshut for assistance. Our highly trained technicians will visit your home or business to evaluate the problem and recommend the best course of action.

If replacement panels are required, we’ll work with you to find the best match to your current door. Damaged garage door panels often are more than a cosmetic issue and indicate greater structural problems that are occurring. It’s important to get a trained professional to look at your garage door to assess the damage and offer you the best solution going forward. Openshut garage door Specialist.

Garage Door Repairs and Maintenance: Are the cables broken on your garage door? The cables are an important piece of equipment that ensures smooth and efficient operation of your garage door. Depending on your garage door spring system, there are a few different cable configurations, cable lengths, and cable sizes.

Garage door cable replacement and repair dangers

Garage door cables can be a very dangerous part of the door to replace or repair without the proper training and tools. The cables are typically under incredible amounts of tension, and therefore, must be handled with care by a trained professional. For safety reasons, we highly recommend that when faced with a broken garage door cable, contact your local and professional garage door repair company.

Types of garage door cables

Depending on the spring system present on your garage door, different cables will be required.

Torsion spring systems located horizontally on a bar above the door, most commonly have cables that are looped at one end and have a crimped stop at the other end. The crimped stop end of the cable is secured at drum, while the looped end of the cable is secured to the fixture at the bottom of the door. The cable wraps around the drum as the door moves upward, and unwraps from the drum as the door moves downward.

Extension spring systems which stretch down both sides of the track, require safety cables and lift cables. Safety cables are the most important component of any extension spring door. A broken spring or cable on an extension spring door without safety cables can cause serious harm. Safety cables run through the extension springs to prevent any damage or injury if the spring were to snap. Lift cables are also necessary on extension spring doors. These connect from the bottom fixture, up through a pulley, then to extension spring, and ultimately are secured back to the track.

Regardless of the system, while the spring provides the power to open the door, the cables hold the weight as the garage door moves upward and downward. When a cable breaks, your door becomes inoperable and needs to be repaired in order for it to function properly once again.

What can go wrong with your garage door cables?

While garage door cables are made of metal and designed to be strong, they also remain flexible to wrap around drums or be pulled repeatedly through a pulley system. With that said, garage door cables are not resistant to breaking.

Just like other moving parts, garage door cables take on wear and tear. Over a period of time, the cables can weaken and eventually break. You should inspect your garage door cables several times a year for damage. At the first sign of any fraying, a professional garage door repair company should be called for replacement. Another major cause for broken cables is rust. Rust can corrode the cable, and unless replaced, make your garage door inoperable.

Should your garage door become unlevel, inspect the cables. In case of a torsion spring setup, its common to see that the cable has wrapped around the drum incorrectly and become jammed. This will cause one side of the door to catch while being lowered. In other cases, cables may become completely unwound from the drum and need to be reconnected. Keep in mind, reattaching the cables is a dangerous task given the extreme tension the spring is under. In the case of an extension spring setup, inspect the pulleys. When these become warn out, the cables will not slide smoothly and the door may become stuck or uneven. In this instance, the pulleys may need replaced.

Leave this repair to the professionals

If you find yourself with a broken garage door cable, it is suggested not to use the door. Opening and closing your garage door with a broken cable could cause more damage to the door, resulting in a more costly repair. Call Homedoor for professional garage door cable repair services.

Garage Door Repairs and Maintenance: Spring Replacement

Did you hear a loud bang? Will your garage door only open a few inches? You might be dealing with a broken spring! A broken garage door spring can be very inconvenient and frustrating. Unfortunately, at some point, your garage door spring will reach its life expectancy and will wear-out and snap.

What not to do

If you experience a broken spring, do not attempt to lifting the door manually or with the assistance of the electric opener. Without the aid of a proper spring, the door will become extremely heavy and difficult to lift manually. Attempting to lift the door by hand with a broken spring could cause you personal harm. Furthermore, attempting to open the broken door with the electric opener will likely cause further damage. Garage door openers are manufactured to lift doors only with the assistance of the garage door spring. If the spring is broken, continuing to use the opener will likely burn out the motor.

Garage door spring dangers

Replacing broken garage door springs is not a DIY project! Springs should never be adjusted or replaced by individuals who are not properly trained and possess the proper tools. Spring replacements are dangerous because when installing the new springs, they are places under extreme tension. Without the proper tools and training, the wrong size replacement spring or springs can cause damage to the garage door and opener. More importantly, without the proper tools and training, serious personal injury can occur.

Type of springs

There are several types of garage door spring systems including the most commonly used, extension springs and torsion springs.

Extension springs are mounted on both sides of the garage door alongside the track. Typically there is a safety cable that runs through the center of the spring to help prevent the extension spring from sailing around the garage when breaking. The extension springs attach to the track and through a series of pulleys and cables to the bottom bracket on the garage door located on the bottom section. The extension springs provide the energy needed to open the garage door while the cable and pulley system does the actual lifting. If any one of these components are damaged or not installed properly, the system will not function safely or properly.

Torsion springs are mounted horizontally on a bar just above the garage door opening. These spring(s) are mounted on a shaft which spans the entire width of the door. On either end of the shaft, there are drums. These drums are used to help wrap cables which are attach from the drum to the bottom section of the garage door. As the door moves to the open position, the cable wraps around the drum. As the door moves to the closed position, the cable unwraps to safely lower the door. Typically, when a torsion spring breaks, these cables will loose tension and pop off of the drums. Again, the spring provides the energy needed to open the door, while the cables, which are attached to the drums, do the actual lifting of the door. If any of these components are damaged or not installed properly, the system will not function safely or properly.

Expected lifespan of a garage door spring

Garage door springs have a limited lifespan. This lifespan is measured in cycles, with the door going up and coming back down counting as one cycle. While there are various lifespan options, most common garage door springs come with a 10,000 cycle life expectancy. Your spring replacement frequency will be determined by your garage door usage. Below you can see the life expectancy of a 10,000 cycle spring determined by daily use:

2 times daily = about 14 years
4 times daily = about 7 years
6 times daily = about 5 years
8 times daily = about 3 years

Once the springs reached its life-cycle, it may break, effectively releasing all the tension and no longer assisting to balance the door. The spring has the most tension when the garage door is in the down position, and as a result this is the most likely position for the spring to break. That is not to say the spring could not fail while the door is in a raised position, which would result in door crashing down. This is why it is important to never walk under a garage door in motion. Replacing a garage door spring can be very dangerous, and we highly encourage you to contact your Homedoor repair expert to handle this repair today. If you have a high cycle application, ask if extended use high cycle springs are available for your application.

Trust this repair to the experts

A spring replacement is one of the most common repairs required on a garage door. With so many different spring setups, wire sizes, lengths and more, its important a broken spring is repaired with the correct replacement. A trained professional will ensure your replacement spring balances the garage door weight properly, allowing the door to easily open and close manually or with the assistance of an electric opener.