Garage Doors for Every Taste

October 25, 2013

My door opens very slowly. How can I adjust the opener?

My door opens very slowly. How can I adjust the opener?
Your opener has a “force adjustment” that controls the power used to open and close the door. New garage door openers are preset at the factory to the lowest possible force. If your door is properly balanced, the force required should be minimal. The greater the force setting, the harder the opener will push or pull the door. Never adjust your opener to a higher force if your door is unbalanced or sticking and always test the safety reverse system after adjusting the opener. If the door is hard to lift, the door must be serviced and adjusted by a professional authorized dealer.

The Precision Garage Door Guy: Noisy Garage Door?

The Precision Garage Door Guy: Noisy Garage Door?

October 17, 2013

Noisy Garage Door?

Is your garage door louder than a room full of monkeys with pots and pans?? Does the entire neighborhood know when you are coming or going? Noisy garage doors can be irritating for sure, especially if your bedroom is above the garage.

Here are some quick tips to quiet your garage door.

FIRST
The most important thing you can do is have a licensed, well-trained, garage door professional perform an annual inspection and tune-up. Regular maintenance of your garage door is inexpensive and can insure the safety and reliability of your garage door for years to come. Remember... an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Your garage door is a complex system with multiple moving parts; all of which can contribute to making your garage door noisy. Some of them have simple solutions that can be easily fixed, while the more complex ones will require a professional.

GARAGE DOOR OPENER
Determine which type of garage door opener you have. It could be a screw, chain, or belt drive. The noisiest of these is typically the chain drive opener. Lubricating the chain occasionally will really reduce the noise that your garage door opener is making. Screw drive openers are usually quieter than the chain drives, but after a few years of use, they can become just as noisy. Belt drives are the quietest and require the least amount of maintenance.
 
SPRINGS HINGES and BEARINGS
Hinges can wear out over time... try a little silicone spray and see if it helps...  If the hinge is making a grinding noise, it may be time to replace the hinge(s). Bearings in the pulley or the rollers might be worn, causing a loud ticking noise. The only solution is replacing the bearings, which again should be done by a trained professional. A grating noise may be due to the coils in the springs becoming bent. The coils will then rub against one another causing the noise. The solution would be replacing the springs.

REPLACE YOUR GARAGE DOOR ROLLERS
A lot of garage doors have metal rollers. This is metal rubbing against a metal track, which can obviously create a loud noise. Replacing metal rollers with nylon ball bearing equipped rollers. These are a much quieter, require less maintenance, and often quite that loud garage door.

Following these suggestions along with regular maintenance of your garage door and opener will make it more durable, longer-lasting, quieter, and operating smoothly. As always - if these quick tips don't help... call a licensed professional.

Seattle, Salt Lake, Spokane, San Diego

October 10, 2013

We don't have the needed amount of headroom for a Garage Door.

This happens a lot... many older homes were built with carports that got converted to garages etc. The result - for whatever reason is not having the standard/needed amount of headroom. Yes, there something you can do?
Low headroom kits are available for most doors. If your door has extension springs, headroom can be reduced to 4-1/2”. Those with torsion spring systems can also be reduced to 4-1/2”. For more information and a free estimate - contact us today.

October 4, 2013

We're getting a new door, can we keep the old track?

We're getting a new door, can we keep the old track?
We recommend replacing the track when you replace the door. Every brand of garage door has been designed to work with a specific type of track. Additionally, replacing your track is an inexpensive way to ensure that your entire garage door system is as a safe as possible. By replacing your track you also ensure that your door warranty will apply, in the event that you have a problem.