Garage Door Opener Repair Basics

Whether you have a basic chain or belt-driven model or an advanced direct-drive opener with built-in battery backup power and home-automation system integration, a well-maintained garage door opener ensures convenient and safe access to your house. Learn about the different components of your opener and how to troubleshoot basic issues.

1. Broken Cables

Cables, along with springs, are the most important parts of your garage door. They are responsible for distributing the heavy weight of the door and facilitating its lifting movement. These components are always under high tension and attempting to work with them without professional knowledge and experience can result in severe injury.

Typically, garage door cables are made of heavy-duty galvanized wire that’s designed to last for years. However, regular usage and poor maintenance may cause them to wear out prematurely. Corrosion, rust, fraying, or excessive wear are all red flags and indicate that your cables need a replacement.

To replace a garage door cable, first release the emergency cord. This cord has a handle with a red strip appended to it and should be located at the bottom of your garage door. After releasing the cord, locate and loosen the set screws on the drum with a wrench and then pull the cable off the drum.

2. Dirty Sensors

Due to their proximity to the ground, your garage door sensors are susceptible to grime. Dust, spider webs and other debris can fog up the “eyes” of each sensor, interfering with their ability to send a beam of light across one another. When this happens, the sensors will blink in an attempt to warn you of misalignment.

This isn’t just a nuisance; it can be dangerous if the door fails to descend all the way to the floor. Thankfully, fixing this problem is as simple as giving your sensors the attention they deserve. Give them a quick wipedown and a gentle wiggle to make sure they are in a line of sight with one another. If everything checks out, turn the breaker box back on and test your sensors again. If they continue to malfunction, consult a professional for further diagnostics.

3. Damaged Rollers

The door’s rollers support the weight of the panels, keeping them stable on the tracks. If one of these fails, it will cause the other rollers to be unevenly supported and snag on the track when they go over it. This can cause a lot of damage and force the panel to bend or even come off the track.

If this happens, the garage door will become stuck and block access to your house or vehicle. The best way to avoid this is to keep the track and rollers free of obstructions and lubricated with white lithium or silicone lubricant. These types of lubricants won’t cake up or attract dirt like other greasy lubricants.

4. Faulty Motor

A faulty motor can prevent the garage door from opening and closing. It may also cause a clicking noise when it attempts to operate. In most cases, you can correct this by adjusting the sensitivity or force setting on your opener. Consult your opener’s owner manual for instructions on how to make these adjustments. Alternatively, you can replace the motor or try lubricating the rollers. Be sure to use silicone or white lithium lubricants, as other types of lubricant can cake up and attract dirt.

Sometimes the cause of the problem isn’t with the motor itself but with a remote control or keypad. Check to make sure that the batteries in these devices aren’t dead, and that there is nothing blocking the sensor’s line of sight. If you can’t find the problem, contact a professional to inspect your opener and its connections and wires. The Five Whys technique is helpful here to get at the root cause of the problem.



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