The excellent garage door does not seem too complex. It has two main parts, which are the door itself and the opener. Making the required repairs yourself is not that hard, but sometimes you may need the help of professionals. Maintaining the Metal Tracks First, you need to see if the metal tracks found inside your garage are in place. The brackets made of metal that hold the track in place should never be loose. If they are, tighten the bolts. Additionally, you should examine the tracks for malformations and dents that you may need to flatten out using a mallet made of rubber or a piece of wood along with a hammer. Next, check that the tracks are properly aligned using a level. The tracks should be properly aligned. If they are not, you may need to loosen the bolts. After this, you may want to tap the tracks so that they will become aligned. Use a household cleaner to clean the tracks thoroughly. Make sure that there is no dirt or debris that is keeping your door from working properly. The tracks will require some lubrication after being cleaned. Use a silicone spray lubricant to coat the inside of the tracks. This will enable the rollers to move freely. Beware of Loose Hardware Check the unit for any loose hardware and tighten as needed. However, do not over-tighten or else you will create more issues and possibly damage parts. If you damage hardware it will require replacement. You may also need to replace any hinges and springs that have been damaged. If your roll-up door has just one tension spring, call for professional help instead of repairing it yourself. This is due to the fact that the tension may be so great that you could get injured in the process. Consult the manufacturers website if needed. Don't Ignore the Aesthetics The condition of your home is usually the first thing that a person sees when approaching your house. Thus, maintaining and repairing damaged doors to the garage entrance can be aesthetically pleasing as well as practical for all homeowners. If you have a wood door, a proper sealing regimen will prevent environmental damage and warping. For metal doors, keeping the paint up on a regular maintenance schedule can prevent rust and corrosion. Broken units are hard to work with, limit access to the garage area and may cause you a great deal of trouble, even when you try to repair it yourself. It's time to call a professional if you have done the above steps to repair the door and the unit still does not work properly. Some have complex mechanisms that you shouldn't attempt to repair yourself. If you have completed the above repair methods and find that you still have issues, don't hesitate to ask for help. It could save you trouble and even possible injury. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8285056
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For some people, an electric garage door is a luxury. For others, it's a simple necessity. In general, it is a great convenience. Just the press of a button, you won't even have to get out of your car when entering and exiting the garage with this modern convenience. Here are some tips to keep the whole system working in top shape. 1. Regular Cleaning Regular cleaning, at least three to four times a year, will ensure that your door will be working in its best possible shape. Using an old toothbrush and some mild detergent, brush all of the door's parts at least once a year. This will enable you to detect any signs of damage such as: springs that need replacing, worn hinges or any other problem. Metal doors have a tendency to rust when in contact with corrosive chemicals. Cleaning it regularly will show you the extent of the damage. If your door is wooden, clean using a soft brush and mild detergent. This will remove any chemicals that may threaten to damage the wood over time. 2. Repaint as Necessary If the wood or metal is beginning to look faded or dingy it may be time to add a coat of paint. Every few years, repainting the door will not only give it a new look but will help maintain the longevity of the base material be it wood or metal. Keeping up to date with your doors paint maintenance can prevent environmental damage to wood and metal. By creating a seal over the material, paint can deter warping and sun damage to wood and help prevent metal from rusting. 3. Lubricate all Moving Parts There are many moving parts that need lubrication every six months to one year. Do not use an oil based lubricant as it will attract more dirt and dust, causing your door to gum up. The recommended lubricant is grease based such as: lithium or silicon. Lubricate all moving parts using one of the recommended sprays made specifically for this purpose. You can purchase these at any home improvement center. These sprays will prevent any dirt from building up and will keep your door well-lubricated. 4. Tighten Nuts, Bolts and Screws Inspect your door regularly. Loose hardware is a common contributing factor to noise and other problems. Tighten any loose hardware that you find during your inspection. Don't over-tighten, however, as this will cause more problems. You could strip some of the parts by your efforts resulting in needing to replace the part. 5. Clean and lubricate the tracks The metal tracks that the rollers move along need to be cleaned and lubricated at least once a year. Using a washcloth, gently remove any dirt and debris that you find on your metal tracks. After cleaning it, lubricate the tracks so that they will work smoothly and won't contribute to noise. Cleaning and lubrication are essential. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8112433 A typical garage door repair can cost from as low as $100 to almost $500, but it usually falls in the $250 range. You might be surveying a broken garage door, scratching your head, and thinking, "Why not just save the money and fix it myself?" Well, let's look at a few common issues and determine if this is a wise course of action. A crooked garage door is rather easily fixed. It is usually a result of one of the door cables coming off the drum. To fix this, however, you need a cable puller. You attach this device to the cable on the good side of the door and crank it until there is a little slack on the bottom. Then, reset the other cable in the drum and go back to release the cable puller and come along from the other side. The issue with this type of garage door repair is that unless you do this for a living, the odds of you having these specific tools in your toolbox are slim. A cable puller costs around $100 and, unfortunately, has no other practical household uses like a wrench or screw gun. My advice: call a professional. A noisy garage door is indicative of steel rollers moving inside metal brackets. This is also an easy fix, for the most part. These steel rollers can be replaced with quieter nylon rollers that offer similar durability. The middle garage door hinges can be taken off one at a time, being held by four screws. Once off, the steel roller slides right out of one hole - but be aware that the other hole is for pivoting. Slide the nylon roller in and replace the hinge. The roller on the top of a garage door is usually held with a quarter-inch nut and comes off just as easily. The tricky part is the bottom roller. After detaching the garage door opener for safety, you need to raise the door about halfway to where the upper and lower brackets meet, bend the bracket to free the bottom of the door, detach the rope from the roller, and then pry it out. This can be rather cumbersome for your average DIY-er. If you're up to the challenge, it can be done, or you can live with just one noisy roller on either side. Alternatively, you can call a pro. The simplest and most common problem is with the garage door opener. The first thing to check, as obvious as it may be, is to see if it's plugged in. If it is, you might try unplugging it and replugging it, as this may reset the sensors. Also, the sensors on the sides of the doors may have dusty lenses that can be wiped with a damp rag. Another overlooked solution is to check the batteries in the remote. You may need to reprogram the remote, which may mean tracking down the owner's manual. Beyond that, pick up the phone and contact a professional. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9040984 It's inevitable. One day, you press the door opener to get your car into or out of your garage, and it won't open. You press the button more than once and each time nothing happens. You need that door to open so you can park your car inside at the end of each day. You rely on being able to get out so you can leave home and get to work in a timely manner. Inoperable Door One of several reasons could be making your door inoperable. Every one of them can be fixed, but until you figure out what has happened, you're stuck with your car inside or outside. All you want is for the door to open so you can leave to go run errands or get your car in, especially if you're expecting a storm. Door Repair-Why it Could be Broken Look at this list of possible causes so you can start narrowing them down: - Photo eye connection can't function - motor has been unplugged accidentally - Broken torsion spring - Wall button works, but remote or key-less remote doesn't work - Cable is broken The photo eye has to have a clear line to "see" the door opening to ensure it is clear when the door is closing. If the eye is dirty or something is blocking its line of view, that must be corrected. Check the operator and make sure the motor hasn't been accidentally unplugged. Torsion springs will only work for a certain time period. When the spring has lifted and lowered the garage door for a specific number of cycles, it will stop working. It may even break. If this happens, the only person completing the repairs should be a professional repair person. If the wall button still works, the batteries on your car's remote or the key-less remote may have died. If this is the case, the batteries simply need replacement. If they still don't raise the door when you press the "open" button, the remotes may need to be reprogrammed. The cable is different from the torsion spring. When the spring breaks, the cable breaks as well. Again, a professional should be the only one to fix this. Broken Overhead Cable You and a professional repair person have decided that the needed repair involves a broken door cable. The cable connects to the drum that you find next to the top of the garage door. Why is it so important that only a professional repair person make the repair? The door is extremely heavy and hard to control. Because the cable is attached to the bottom of the door as well as to the drum, it is under a high degree of pressure and tension. The only person who knows just what to do to make the needed repair is a qualified repair technician. Until you get a technician to your home to make the needed repair, you're not going to be able to use your garage door. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8490759 |