The automatic garage door opener has been around since the late 1940s. It was not a popular household feature until the early 1990s, when it became a standard item in most new homes. A garage door opener is powered by household electricity and usually has a one-half or one horsepower motor housed in a box mounted on the ceiling shaft of the garage door when it is overhead in a fully-open position. It is activated by a portable transmitter. In most newer units, it also has a coded key pad mounted on the exterior of the house that can open the door as well. Garage door opener repair is seldom needed.
Automatic garage door openers are durable, dependable machines that are known to last for decades or more. BBB Garage Doors can install a dependable opener on your new garage door or on almost any existing garage door in any home. Openers typically do not break down if the garage door is properly maintained and is not misused. If an opener breaks down, it is usually due to a mechanical problem with the door itself. If the door is bent from accidental impact, misaligned due to wear and tear, or jammed due to worn pulley wheels or broken rollers, garage door opener repair may be needed.
To avoid having a broken garage door opener, have a qualified technician perform regular maintenance. The door should be inspected, aligned, lubricated and tested by a BBB technician according to the door manufacturer’s recommended maintenance intervals. The technician can perform any necessary garage door opener repairs. The unit should be inspected by the technician whenever the door itself is inspected.
Uneven tension springs are the key trigger of needed garage door opener repair. Tension springs carry the entire weight of your garage door. The garage door opener does nothing but move the door from closed to open position and back again. It is essential that both springs be replaced by a qualified BBB Garage Door technician whenever one spring breaks. If you choose to replace only one spring, be prepared to replace your garage door opener soon.
Having uneven springs means uneven tension on the door. Two new springs distribute the weight of the garage door evenly on either side. If you only replace the one spring when it breaks, the new spring will pull the door out of alignment and send most of the weight to one side. This will pull the garage door opener out of alignment as well. The chain or screw drive will twist and the excess tension that either situation creates will transfer to the opener’s motor and the motor will burn out. At this point, garage door opener repair will be virtually impossible due to the bending of all the moving parts.
Routine maintenance will keep your opener safe for decades. A regular maintenance inspection for your garage door by a BBB Garage Door Technician will insure safe operation of your door and garage door opener for many years to come.
