Garage Door Buyer's Guide & FAQ

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One of the most important attachments to your home or business is a garage. This addition allows you to protect your automobile and other stored possessions. Therefore, it makes sense to keep your garage doors in good condition.

Problems with a garage door may be in the mechanism or in the door itself. Mechanical parts can rust or simply wear out. Doors made of metal can become dented while wooden ones can become cracked or broken. Below are some suggestions regarding garage door problems that may occur.

Care & Maintenance

Door Does Not Open

An electrical garage door opener is built with a power unit and an electric motor. The distance a door opens and closes occurs when the motor receives a command from a wall push button or remote control. Always check the battery in your remote control first. If this is not the problem you may have a bad switch. Check this by unscrewing the switch from the wall and touching the two wires together. If the door does not open, you usually need to buy a new switch.

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Garage Door Mechanism

Keeping your garage door parts in good repair is the key to having your door work efficiently.

Centre track operated by the garage door opener

Do you hear a squeak or grinding noise when the door is moving? That is a sign that the door mechanism requires attention.

Greasing the chain and screw with a special grease and spraying the overhead springs with a lubricant spray will usually take care of the problem. These are available at most home improvement stores.

Garage doors are heavy. As a safety precaution, always work with the door down to avoid being injured by a door suddenly being released.

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Garage Door Springs

The springs on a garage door recoil when the door is raised and extend when it is down. These need to be greased periodically if they are to work correctly. The two springs on a garage door, extension and torsion, must be replaced when they are broken. If a door is difficult to lift it is the sign of a broken spring.

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Garage Door Rollers

Metal garage door rollers are located inside a sleeve attached to the door and have a tendency to corrode or rust. They are easily lubricated and inexpensive if a replacement is needed. A door that is difficult to lift indicates rollers that are stuck or broken.

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Garage Door Tracks

Garage door tracks are what keep the door aligned properly. Loose tracks are dangerous as they can allow a door to fall without warning.
They are held in place by brackets that have to be parallel to each other to work properly and make sure the door is guided into its weather-stripping. Fortunately, these are not difficult to fix.

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Other Parts Problems

Garage doors can also develop problems because of things like broken or worn hinges, cables, sensors, faulty garage door opener sensor remotes or seals. Sometimes they may just need an adjustment, other times a complete replacement.

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Garage Door Maintenance

Keeping a garage door in good condition cannot be over-emphasized. This means keeping the parts properly oiled as well checking for rust and worn parts. Engaging a company to check your garage periodically will help avoid the problems a garage lockout can cause. This could include interrupted plans such as going to work, keeping appointments, taking the children to school or other things.

FAQ

Why Won’t My Garage Door Close?

If your garage door opener does not start moving, or it starts to close but then quickly goes up again, there may be an issue with the sensors on your garage door opener (you will likely hear a beeping sound from the motor). The sensors are designed to prevent the garage door from closing if there is an object obstructing the garage door (this is for safety reasons).

The first step is to clean the sensors to ensure there is no dust or dirt on them (like the sensors in the images below). If this does not solve the issue, you can gently try to move the sensors to face each other (sometimes they are moved out of place if they are accidentally knocked). The sensors must face each other in order to close.

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You can also check the wires from the sensors to the motor as naturally over the years they may break or become loose. If none of these solutions solves the issue, it is recommended to replace your garage door opener sensors. Call our technicians and we can install brand new sensors safely and test that your garage door is functioning as it should.

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Why Should I Replace My Garage Door Opener?

Whilst a garage door opener repair will be cheaper than a replacement, there are some circumstances where we recommend a replacement. Firstly, there will be instances where the opener is beyond repair. Secondly, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) law states that garage door openers manufactured before 1993 should be replaced as they do not contain the required safety features (including infrared sensors, external protection elements and more). All new garage door openers installed by New York Garage Doors meet the CPSC requirements.

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When it Comes to Garage Door Safety- What Should I Look Out For?

There are a number of garage door parts or features that can increase the safety of your garage door, including:

• Safety cables for your garage door extension springs: safety cables are designed to contain a broken extension spring if it is under high tension when your garage door is closed.

• Safety sensors: safety sensors help to minimize accidents as they cut off the closing circuit to the garage door opener system if they detect an object is obstructing the door. For example, a family member may get caught under a closing door or a storage items that fell off a shelf gets jammed under the garage door. In these scenarios the door can be forced open because the sensors have cut off the closing circuit.

Our technicians are fully qualified to recommend and install the highest quality safety features for your garage door.

Garage Door Safety

The garage door is arguably the largest moving object in your home. It allows locomotion of you, your family and vehicles in and out of your home. It also provides security and also protects against the elements of nature. It should, therefore, be properly maintained and operated since it can pose a safety and security threat if neglected. If no caution is taken, the hazard of a moving garage door could lead to serious injury. There are some simple garage door maintenance tasks that you can do yourself and should perform on a regular basis. But the more complicated tasks such as garage door installation and garage door spring replacement should be left to the professionals.

It is recommended to educate your children to know that the garage door and its operating system are not items to play with. You should always consult the manufacturer’s installation and instruction manual for safety information about your garage door. Outlined below are some of the garage door safety and security tips for both young and old. It won’t cause any harm to review these tips with your entire household in order to keep everyone and everything safe and secure.

 

Garage Door Safety and Security Tips

• A garage door and the garage door opener are not toys. Ensure that the garage door opener control button or remote control are out of reach of small children. You should not allow children to play with the garage door or its opener button. They should also never stand or play near a moving garage door.

• Exiting or entering while the garage door is moving only looks good in the movies. You should not stand near or under a moving garage door as it can lead to injuries.

• While opening or closing the garage door, keep a close eye on the door until it is fully opened or closed. Make sure that no adult, child or animal tries to enter or exit while the door is moving.

• Watch your fingers while opening or closing the garage door. Never place your fingers between door sections as it may result in nasty injuries. If you are operating the garage doors manually, use the handles or the safe gripping joints. Consider installing garage door panels that do not pinch for your family’s safety.

• Proper maintenance is of utmost importance for the efficient operation of your garage door. Annual checks and maintenance by a trained professional are recommended.

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Do Not Install a Garage Door By Yourself

Installing a garage door can turn dangerous and is highly discouraged if you are an amateur. The wrong installation can also lead to accidents. Call the trained technicians at New York Garage Doors for safe and secure garage door installation.

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Replace Squeaky and Old Springs

The garage door’s springs are arguably the most important as well as dangerous part of the garage door system. If the springs wear out, they can break and result in accidents. If your garage door is a bit old, it is important to inspect and where necessary, replace the springs. Professional help is necessary as it might be dangerous to replace them yourself. Continued use of the garage door can result in squeaky springs, which doesn’t necessarily imply the springs are worn out. Use of a spray-on lubricant can solve the problem. If the squeaks persist, call a professional to check the springs.

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Electric Malfunctions

The garage door uses electricity that can cause injury if mishandled. If the garage door malfunctions, contact a trained professional to come and perform a service.
A regular service and maintenance are required so that you and your family members can always be safe and secure. It is thus advisable to have a trusted garage door repair and  installation company near you that can be readily available and offers quality services. Companies that care for the safety of you and your family are hard to come by. New York Garage Doors is one of your caring partners when it come to ensuring the safety and security of your home and more importantly, your family.