DIY Health Check

A failed garage door is always inconvenient, compromises security and can be extremely dangerous. Regular maintenance and servicing of your Garage Door will help to prolong its functionality. Here are some simple DIY checks that may highlight any potential issues.

CHECK THE DOOR IS BALANCED

From the close position disengage the motor from the door using the manual release. Lift the door to the halfway point, this should take very little effort. Release the door and it should remain at the halfway point. If the door feels heavy, stiff and wants to drop to the floor this indicates the springs need calibration.

CABLES

Check the condition. Should be clean, clear of rust with no evidence of fraying or bird caging.

SLACK CABLES

A slack cable is potentially dangerous. If a cable flicks off the drum wheel during operation the door can become very unstable. Raise the door to the fully open position. The cables should be tight similar to a guitar string. If just one side is slack it indicates the door is not level. If both cables are slack this indicates the springs need calibration or the door is running tight in the tracks.

IS THE DOOR RUNNING FREELY

Whilst the door is in the fully open position check the door is parallel to the horizontal tracks. If the tracks are skewed to the door it will cause the door to run tight putting additional stress on the running gear and motor.

HINGES

Check hinge conditions. Look for cracks, splits or snapped and loose fixings (tex screws)

AUTO REVERSE

A safety feature on all openers is the ability to auto reverse if the door comes in to contact with an object i.e. vehicle, pet, child. Clearly very important but very easy to test. Place a piece of timber on the floor min 50 mm thick. Allow the door to close onto the timber and it should touch and auto reverse. Some openers will fully retract others will retract 300 mm but either is a pass! However, the amount of force required to initiate Auto Reverse will vary and may need to be adjusted.

PHOTO EYE BEAMS

Simply test by breaking the invisible beam during the close cycle.

If you require any more help or information please do not hesitate to contact Mike at Specialized Garage Doors.

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Please be aware the information above is to help highlight any potential issues with your door and is NOT an instruction on how to rectify. Always instruct a qualified AGDA registered technician to carry out any works.