Garage Door Maintance

The single most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your garage door is to disconnect it from the opener and run it by hand twice a year.  In the name of safety disconnect it while it is closed (if you happen to have a broken spring and disconnect it while open it may fall causing damage or worse injury).  Then run the door by hand.  Does it open and close nice and easy/smooth?  If not it may be a simple as lubricating it or it may need service.  Either way you have saved yourself a much larger expense later on by catching it now.  If you do notice loose screws or missing screws be very careful if you attemp to replace them.  Do not under any circumstances remove or try to adjust the bottom brackets on your door.  These are located at the bottom on each edge of the door and are under extreme tension as the lift cables are attached to them.  Also avoid the bearing plate the the springs are attached to, again under extreme tension and are very dangerous.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me at rob@championgaragedoorsmn.com or call me at 651-321-DOOR.

Have a great Spring!!

Garage Door Openers runs but doesn't move the door

Most garage door openers have a internal gear in them that can wear out over time.  If you press your garage door opener remote or wall control and you hear the motor running but the trolley on the rail doesn't move it is most likely the gear that needs to be replaced and not the enitre opener.  A big thing to keep in mind when purchasing a new opener is that same gear as well...on average we replace over 100 gears a year in openers and 99% of them are on chain drive units.  The belt drive unit gears hardly ever fail due to the fact that the belt itself acts as a shock absorber extending the life of the gear.  Just one thing to keep in mind when purchasing a new opener, it may be worth the little extra cost for the belt drive opener in the long run.  If you have any garage door questions at all please give me a shout at Champion Garage Doors.  651-321-DOOR.  Thanks and have a great day!

Rob