How To Test Your Garage Door Opener For Safety

Garage doors are the largest and probably the heaviest moving part of every home. On one side where it is designed to protect the homeowners and their belongings, on the other side, they can cause accidents and injuries if not handled carefully. In order to avoid accidents, a garage door and its opener are equipped with various safety features. These safety features are meant to reduce the chances of any accident or injury.

Ever homeowner must check the safety features of the garage door and its residential opener once every month. It is vital to ensure that the opener is in proper working order. Add this 5 minute task in your 'to-do' list and ensure the safety and security of your home and valuables.

Test the balance of your garage door:

Step 1. Pull on the red release cord to disconnect your garage door from the opener.
Step 2. Manually close the garage door, and stop it at waist height.
Step 3. Now release the door. If the door goes down itself, it needs to be adjusted. And if it reverses back, that means springs are too tight, making the garage door go back automatically. Both of these scenarios put a lot of pressure on the door opener. It is due to that it has to work against the door wanting to reverse back, or against gravity wanting to pull the door down without enough spring tension.
Step 4. Make sure the door stays at waist height. If it doesn’t, there is some fault in your garage door opener, and your door and springs that must be adjusted by a professional.

Test your garage door opener:

Step 1. Open your garage door and place a wooden plant on the floor near the door center.
Step 2. Now, close the door with the help of the opener. When the door closes on the wooden plank, it should reverse back automatically.
Step 3. If the door reverses, it means it is in a proper working order. If it does not reverse, this is a serious safety hazard. Immediately adjust the opener settings or maybe it is time to replace the opener with a new and advance model.

Remember, your garage door opener must have the automatic reversing system. If your opener is manufactured before 1992, make sure you replace it as soon as possible. You can ask your manufacturer if you are not sure about the 4 digit date of manufacture.

At Promaster Garage Doors & Windows, our professionals are always ready to walk you through the garage door and opener selection and installation process. You can rely on our adroit technicians for all sorts of garage door repair, installation and replacement needs. We offer a wide range of branded garage doors and openers to our residential and commercial customers across Canada.

Winter-proof Your Overhead Door – Tips From Garage Door Repair Professionals

It is that time of the year in the city when after you pull into your driveway, you cannot wait to get out of the cold and into your warm home as soon as possible. This plan fails, though, when you suddenly find your garage door won’t open. It is frustrating, yes, but it’s a quite common occurrence during the chilly months. During the winter months, overhead doors tend to get stuck for a wide range of reasons, which can cause homeowners to call garage door repair professionals. And when temperatures drop very low, the door may even shut down, leaving you standing out in the cold.

Your garage is one of the most important components of your home. You use it every day, and it keeps your vehicle safe from harsh weather. When your return home from a long day at work, you shouldn’t have to stress about whether or not your door will open. Luckily, with a few maintenance steps, you can prevent the cold weather to take its toll on your door and keep it in A-one condition.

Remove any grease or gunk build-up on the door track. When you use your door quite frequently, over time, debris can accumulate on the track and rollers, which interrupts the opening and closing mechanism. Eventually, the tracks may become so clogged that your door won’t be able to open or close at all, which can be very inconvenient when temperatures drop to low levels. Take a cloth, start from inside the garage, and wipe away any grease build-up.

Lubricate all moving parts. After cleaning the tracks, use machine oil to lubricate the track, rollers, hinges and bushings. The cold weather can make these parts to stick and become stalled, and lubricating will help them to operate smoothly again. After you’re done, wipe away the excess oil to prevent build-up. It is important to clean and lubricate your overhead door a few times a year, getting into the practice now can only help you down the lane.

Look for cracks that need repairs. Since you use the door almost everyday, it sees a lot of wear and tear. Weather-stripping tends to crack after extended use, allowing snow and ice inside your garage, causing the door to freeze shut. Use a cloth to wipe your stripping down and look for problem areas, and call garage door repair professionals to make necessary fixes.

These are simple ways to winter-proof your overhead door—if these don’t help, you may need to call professionals. If your door is malfunctioning, do not hesitate to contact the team at "Promaster Garage Doors & Windows", Canada. Our garage door repair professionals will do their best to identify and fix your problem as quickly as possible, so you do not have to stand out in the cold.

Top Reasons Behind a Noisy Garage Door

The contemporary garage door is a complicated piece of machinery that comprised of numerous moving parts. Most of the garage door parts are fabricated with metal. Therefore, when the metal moves against other metal part, they make noise. According to the Canada garage door technicians, there are various potential factors leading to a noisy garage door. A garage door is the biggest moving part of every commercial and residential establishment. People rely on this machinery for the protection of their family members and valuables.

A garage door will provide safety and security only if its pristine condition is maintained. If your door is creating some weird noise while operation, there are chances that any of its moving parts is resisting its smooth functioning.

Here are a few common causes of garage door noise:

Type of Garage Door Opener: There are mainly three types of door openers and each opener has a different level of noise. Chain drive opener is the most cost-effective opener, is robust and reliable but creates a lot of noise. The belt-drive are a bit expensive but creates the least amount of noise.

Worn Parts: The garage doors travel their guide rail with the help of the rollers that are attached on either side. Over time these rollers tend to get damaged and start creating squeaky noise. Hinges that hold the garage door panels together can also be the potential cause of noisy door. They can be easily lubricated or replaced. Also make sure that all the bolts and nuts along the track are firm and have not shaken loose.

Door Balance: An unbalanced door can be the substantial cause of a lot of noise. Homeowners can easily check the balance of the door by raising it manually. You just need to pull the red emergency cord to disconnect the door from the drive unit. Now, raise the door manually and if it shows any resistance or falls down, call reliable technicians to fix your unbalanced door.

Miscellaneous Issues: Other miscellaneous issues that might cause noise include problems with the drive unit, gears, spring coils, roller bearing worn down and more. These parts are quite complex and it is advised to seek professional help in these repairs. Attempting these repairs yourself can be really dangerous.

Garage door repair is a complex task. It requires sound technical knowledge and tools. Some of the critical garage door parts work under a lot of pressure and can cause personal and property harm if not handled properly.

We, at “Promaster Garage Doors and Windows” offer a wide range of garage door repair, installation and maintenance solutions at the most competitive price. Our professional technicians are capable of handling broken springs, frayed cables, faulty garage door openers, worn-out rollers and more..

Top Reason Why Garage Door Torsion Springs Break

Garage door torsion springs play a vital role in the smooth operation of a garage door. If your garage door fails to open, it might be the outcome of damaged or worn-out torsion springs. They work under a lot of pressure and must be handled by experts. When the torsion springs break, most of the homeowners wonder where they went wrong as they aren't aware of the common issues associated with springs.

Some of the common problems of torsion spring that eventually lead to failure of your garage door include:

Rust on the Spring

If you encounter rusted springs, ensure that they are replaced as soon as possible. The rusted springs are the potential sign of any damage or harm. When the spring develops rust, the friction on the coil gets increased. It leads to corrosion of the coil that weakens the spring. Homeowners can try to prevent the rust by spraying some good quality lubricant on the coils once every three months. It is an ideal option to prevent the rust and maintain their condition.

Incorrect Springs

Different garage doors rely on a different spring mechanism to work accurately. The springs are specially engineered to make the door operational. The spring must be of specified length and wire size, otherwise it may lead to some serious personal and property damages.

Wear and Tear

Simple wear and tear in the garage door torsion spring can lead to its failure. Torsion springs work for a stipulated period of time. In general, a set of torsion springs tend to provide a minimum of 10,000 to 15,000 cycles, which is one up and down cycle. Generally, a family goes through two or more cycles a day. If you know that you use your garage door more often, it is advised to inspect your door springs periodically for any damage. This way you can maintain their pristine condition by replacing the damaged torsion springs on time.

Poor Maintenance

The root cause of garage door torsion spring failure is poor maintenance. It is strongly recommended to maintain the condition of the door and its complex moving parts to enhance the lifespan of the springs. Make sure the door is balanced and lubricate the moving parts of the door. Test whether your door is balanced or not, lift it up to a halfway point and release it. The door will be still, if the springs are maintained otherwise you will notice some issues with the balance. Visually inspect the springs to ensure the smooth operation of the door.

We, at Promaster Garage Doors and Windows, provide a wide range of garage door repair and maintenance solutions across Canada. We specialize in broken springs, frayed or spooled cables, off-track doors, faulty openers and apart from these services we also deal in various leading garage door manufacturer brands such as Lynx, Stanley, Wayne Dalton, Genie and more.