We've been doing this for quite a while. Nearly five decades! So we've had time to develop plenty of tips and tricks for keeping your garage door running smoothly—and we want to share them with you.
When working on your garage door, it's important to do so cautiously and to closely follow all of the directions provided. If, after following the directions, the repair was unsuccessful or if you need a more in-depth assessment, please contact us directly and we'll be happy to help.
Disclaimer: The safest and easiest solution to any garage door problem is to call us and book a service call with our trained professional technicians. The tips and procedures shown below should only be completed by a trained and certified garage and commercial door professional.
Service Tips
Check Your Door's Balance
You should be able to lift your garage door manually with little effort. If you have to force it to open, your door is likely unbalanced.
Other telltale signs include unusual noises, buckling or bending and your door appearing loose or lopsided when opening and closing.
If you suspect your garage door is unbalanced, test it out:
- Disconnect your garage door opener by pulling the red-handled release rope hanging near the top of your garage door. This will allow you to open and close it manually.
- Carefully lift your door to a half open position.
- After making sure that there's nothing in its path, slowly let go of your door.
- A properly balanced garage door will stay in the half open position.
- If your door closes, the garage door springs need more tension.
- If your door opens, the springs have too much tension.
Note: To avoid injury, don't attempt to adjust the tension of the springs unless you're a trained professional. An unbalanced garage door poses a safety risk and may require an expensive repair if left to worsen over time. Contact us to set up a service call today.
Lubricate Your Door
Is your garage door squeaking or grinding? Is it struggling to open and close? It may need lubricant. To keep your garage door working at its best, we recommend lubricating all metal moving parts at least once a year.
Follow these steps for lubricating your garage door:
- Select a lubricant that's specifically formulated for use on garage doors, such as a silicone lubricant. Avoid using grease as it tends to attract dust and dirt.
- Place a few drops of lubricant on each hinge and spring shaft bearing, as well as a bead of lubricant along the top of each spring.
- Using a rag, gently wipe away any excess lubricant.
Test Your Reversing Mechanism and Sensor
Learn how to test your operators safety reverse system on our Maintenance page.
Common Issues and Solutions
Issue: My garage door will open 6" to 8" and then close. What's wrong?
Solution: The springs at the top of your garage door may be broken and will need to be replaced. If the springs haven't been replaced in the last three years, we recommend doing so to keep your door operating at its best. If your commercial door has tubes, not springs, or if you're unsure, give our team a call.
Issue: My garage door starts to close, but when it’s about 6” to 8” down from the top, it opens again. Why is this happening?
Solution: This is likely due to a photo-eye alignment issue. To find out, hold down the control button on the keypad inside of your garage. If your door closes, your photo eyes are misaligned.
Photo eyes are small, plastic devices located about 10" from the floor on both sides of your garage door. These devices are equipped with lenses that emit an invisible beam across the opening of your door. If a person or object disrupts the path of the beam, it prevents your garage door from closing.
To fix the problem, first make sure that there aren't any objects blocking your photo eyes. If the area is clear, follow these steps to realign them:
- Using a measuring tape, measure from the ground up to the centre of one of the photo eyes.
- Next, measure out from the wall to the centre of the photo eye. Write these measurements down.
- Take the same measurements for the other photo eye.
- Carefully adjust them to the exact same measurements.
- Press the button on your garage door opener remote or keypad.
- If your door closes, your photo eyes are now aligned. If not, our team is ready and waiting to help.
Issue: When my garage door is closing, it groans, grinds and automatically reverses. It does this a few times before it closes and seals properly. What can I do?
Solution: First, check to see if your door is unbalanced (above). If that doesn't seem to be the problem, you may need to improve the seal. Using pipe insulation (this can be purchased at most hardware stores), stuff the strip of sealant on the bottom of your door.
Still not working? Contact us and one of our trained technicians will give you a hand.
Issue: The remote control for my garage door isn't working. What’s wrong?
Solution: Replace the batteries in your remote with new, fully charged ones. If the batteries don't seem to be the problem, your remote may need to be reprogrammed. You should also double check to ensure that you're not using LED lights in your garage as these types of lights can often interfere with the signal sent from your remote to your operator.
To reprogram your remote, follow these steps:
- Securely position a ladder underneath your ceiling-mounted garage door operator and carefully climb up until you can reach the back of the operator.
- On the back of the operator, you should see a button. Press and hold down the button for one second, then release.
- Carefully climb back down the ladder.
- Once on the ground, point your remote at the operator. Press and hold down the button for one second, then release.
- Your garage door should then open or close. If this doesn't solve the problem, give our team a call.
Issue: My garage door operator doesn’t respond to my keypad, remote control or keyless entry. How can I fix this?
Solution: First, check to see if your garage door operator is connected to a power source. If your operator's power cord is unplugged, plug it into an outlet in your garage.
If it's already plugged in, test the outlet with a separate electrical device, like a hand lamp, to see if the outlet is working. If you suspect there's a problem with the outlet, you may need to contact an electrician to fix the issue.
Issue: My garage door is jamming and grinding. What should I do?
Solution: Your garage door tracks may need to be realigned. This can be a tricky task that may be better left to a professional technician. Contact us to schedule a service call with one of our experts.