Monday, December 25, 2017

Garage Door Maintenance Program


If you’re a homeowner with a garage door, how are you handling the maintenance of your garage door? In most cases people think this is a strange question because they don’t have a maintenance plan in place to address the needs of their garage door. However, at Smyrna Garage Door Repair in Smyrna, GA we encourage you to have a maintenance plan in place so that you’re garage door will continue to function at optimum efficiency. It is also a good idea to allow qualified technicians from Smyrna Garage door Repair to perform an evaluation of your garage door annually to determine if there are any repairs that need to be made in order to continue to safely continue using your garage. Keeping your garage door in good condition will help you avoid the possibility of needing expense repairs made down the line. If you’re in a home with more than one drive, there is usually more wear and tear on your garage door. This means that your garage door will need more than the usual amount of attention. You can’t continue to ignore the possibility that your garage door may require some maintenance from time to time. We know that not every homeowner with a garage thinks about these things and that is why we are writing this article to let you know how beneficial garage door maintenance is to you. If you don’t want to have to call on us to put in a new garage door, why not simply call on us to handle your garage door maintenance.

Most garage door services in Smyrna, Georgia offer a garage door maintenance plan to keep your garage door in good condition. Since you use your garage door so often and it is such a large part of your home, it will need readjusting from time to time. A qualified service technician will make sure every component of your door is put back in place and that every bolt and nut is reapplied where needed. There is a lot that goes into the maintenance of your garage door and you are the one that stands to benefit the most.

Some of the many benefits of having your garage door serviced annually include:

  • Your door will always function properly
  • No emergency garage door services necessary
  • Won’t disrupt your day or inconvenience you because it won’t open
  • Your door will last longer
  • Keeps your door working at its full capacity

While some homeowners we talk to have their garage door serviced more often than others, it is always suggested that you have your door serviced at least once a year. Those who do this more often are cautious due to the amount of use that their garage door receives. They probably factor in the amount of people living in the house and how often the garage door is opened and closed. Whether it is annually or semi-annually, our expert service technicians are happy to assist you whenever necessary. We would hate to hear of someone being harmed or killed due to a faulty garage door. You can avoid the possibility of this occurring by making sure that receive regular garage door maintenance. In fact, if you want your garage door to continue functioning at all times, make maintenance of your garage door a priority.

You might wonder why you can’t simply take care of this yourself. This is not altogether true. There are some things that you can handle on your own that do not require the services of a garage door service. You can do things, such as change remote control batteries and lubricating rollers, springs, and cables. However, a trained and qualified garage door technician should handle your more in-depth maintenance needs.
Maintenance Performed by a Professional Technician includes:

  • Tightening up of door hinges, couplings, drums, and track brackets
  • Lubricate rollers, hinges, chain hoists, release mechanisms and shaft bearings
  • Evaluate and adjust and align cables, tracks, and rollers
  • Evaluate the doors safety features, transmitter, springs and other door operations to ensure they are working properly

If you don’t have the know-how to handle any of these things or even identify when there is a problem, do yourself a favor and leave it to our qualified and trained professionals. Since there are many moving parts and so many pieces associated with your garage door, it is quite easy to misplace or leave something out when performing maintenance. Since our service technicians are familiar with all of these many parts and pieces, it is in your best interest to allow them to handle your garage door maintenance. It only takes one major piece left out for the door to become inoperable. Don’t risk this occurring by attempting to handle this yourself when we are only a phone call away.

Even though we highly recommend our services, there are some things that you can do on your own to make sure that you’re door is being attended to as frequently as it should. This would require you to keep track of scheduled appointments and anything that you want us to pay particular attention to on our next service call. If there is a pattern of a reoccurring problem, this might need to be addressed sooner than later. It could be a problem that is caused by yourself or others in the household. We don’t want you to keep paying for the same problem to be resolved when it might be something you can avoid. Also, listen out for any unusual noises you might hear when using your garage and bring them to the attention of the service technician on their next scheduled maintenance call. Do your part and we’ll be sure to do ours so that your door is functioning when you need it to.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Smyrna Garage Door Repair in Smyrna, GA: How to Troubleshoot Garage Door Openers



Most homeowners take their garage doors for granted; they expect them to work every day, under any circumstances. Few people know that a garage door is a very complex system made up of dozens of parts, rollers, cables, sensors, transmitters, motors, etc. Any of these parts can break over time, or due to mechanical stress or damage. However, it may not be a simple thing to find out which part of the door is malfunctioning. One needs to have adequate experience working with garage doors to find out which part is at fault quickly. The parts that break most often are the sensors, transmitters, springs and openers. In this post, we will focus on the garage door opener. So, let’s see what the opener is, what it does, and how you can troubleshoot problems with it.

The Role of a Garage Door Opener
The garage door opener is responsible for opening and closing your garage door. In other words, this is the part that gets the job done when you press the button on the remote or the wall button. However, keep in mind that the garage door opener does not do the heavy lifting; this is reserved for the torsion or extension springs. Nevertheless, the opener is under enough stress every time you open and close the garage door. An opener lasts on average between 7 and 10 years of moderate use. However, there are openers that break after just 3 or 4 years. It all depends on how often you use the garage door and on the quality of the parts that make up the opener.

The garage door opener has two other important roles. First, it must reverse the heavy garage door as soon as the photo eye sensors detect that there is an object or person underneath the door, or if the door encounters any kind of resistance along the way down. Second, it must make sure that nobody from the outside can open your garage door, and break into your garage and then your home. The opener should not open the door by mistake and should withstand attempts to force the door to open from the outside. This is why a fully functional garage door opener is a must for every homeowner.

Types of Garage Door Openers
There are three major types of garage door openers: chain drive, belt drive, and screw drive. The chain drive option is relatively noisy while operating, but it is also the least expensive of the three types of openers. They are resilient as well. The belt drive opener uses a rubber belt instead of the chain, so it is quiet then the latter. They are, however, a bit more expensive. The screw drive opener uses a motor that rotates a rod. This opener type is very loud, but it is also very simple to maintain and has a long lifespan. The garage door opener you choose for your door depends on your needs and tastes. Any one of the three options is dependable if it is manufactured by a reliable company. However, no matter how well the opener and its parts are manufactured, this system will eventually develop some problems. It is normal due to wear and tear. However, it may be difficult to figure out what part of the door is having problems. If you discover that the opener has a problem, you may be able to troubleshoot it yourself.

Troubleshooting the Garage Door Opener
In case the garage door opener does not react to the remote control or the wall switch, you can try a few troubleshooting methods. First, make sure that you are in range and then replace the batteries in your remote. Second, make sure the motor unit is not unplugged from the wall socket. Third, check the circuit breaker or the fuse and make sure it is not tripped or burned out.

The remote control does not open or close the door. In this case, you may be too far away from the opener and the signal from the remote may not reach it. Also, try to replace the batteries in the remote. Check the antenna on the motor unit and make sure it is hanging downward and is not disconnected or damaged.

In case your garage door does not close all the way, you may need to readjust the close-limit switch. This switch tells the opener when to stop running and must be properly configured. If the door reverses when it reaches the floor, it may be caused by an improperly configured close-limit switch. Alternatively, you can try to use the adjustment screw on the opener to change the closing force parameter. Test the door each time after you adjust the close-limit adjustment screw.
If the garage door starts to close and then reverses before closing completely, you may have a problem with the photo eye sensors. These sensors project an invisible beam between them; if anything interrupts the beam (such as a person, animal or object), the door immediately reverses to prevent injuries or property damage. All you have to do is to make sure nothing is hanging in front of the sensors and to clean them with a piece of damp cloth.

You Can’t Troubleshoot All Problems
Unfortunately, there will be times when you will not be able to troubleshoot and fix the problem by yourself. The motor may burn out or some of the electronic components may get damaged. These things happen from time to time. If something is wrong with your garage door opener and you don’t know how to fix the problem, all you have to do is call a garage door repair expert from Smyrna Garage Door Repair in Smyrna, GA. An expert has all the experience, knowledge and tools to deal with any kind of garage door opener problem. If the opener is damaged beyond repair – which can happen when you least expect it – a professional can replace the entire opener assembly. The good news is that you get to choose the type of opener you want (chain drive, belt drive or screw drive) in case the tech needs to replace the unit.

Hopefully now you better understand how to troubleshoot issues with garage door openers!