Garage Door Opener Parts

How to avoid paying the $um of its parts.

All garage door openers require installation and repair. Some buyers opt to go with a professional installer, though many garage door openers now on the market need only basic tools and the ability to read an instruction manual. As for garage door repair, whether you want to do it yourself depends on the nature of the problem. Below are a few of the issues that come up with garage door opener parts and how best to deal with them.

Smooth running

Through month after month of opening and closing, your garage door opener's parts are going to loosen. To keep your garage door opener working smoothly, regularly check all garage door parts. Tighten nuts, straighten hinges, and check that the door tracks are securely bolted and properly aligned. Oil all moving parts. If any of your garage door opener parts have rusted, be proactive and replace them.

Worn pulleys are also common. To check them, take tension off the pulleys by opening the door until the springs begin to droop. Put a clamp on the track to hold the door up and unplug the garage door opener. If the pulleys wobble or don't turn smoothly as you inspect them, they're probably needing to be replaced.

Consistent inspection of pulleys and garage door opener parts will help avoid accidents and excessive wear on your garage door opener.

Stops and starts

If your garage door is stopping and starting for no apparent reason, it could be that a few of your garage door opener parts aren't working in unison. Check the electric sensors on either side of the garage door. These garage door opener parts are intended to sense motion that could make closing the garage door dangerous. However, if they're not aligned with each other, your garage door opener could start acting jittery.

If that doesn't resolve the problem, you're likely going to have to unplug your garage door opener and follow its instruction manual to adjust the closing force, opening force, or travel limit.

Lifting and lowering

The garage door opener parts for lifting and lowering will usually require professional attention if they malfunction. If your garage door isn't lifting or lowering properly, try turning off your garage door opener and working it manually. If it works fine, you know it's a garage door opener parts issue.  Check its instruction manual for directions.

If the garage door seems heavier than normal, it's likely due to a spring tension issue. Springs are garage door opener parts that you do not want to mess with. Garage door springs are under extreme tension and if you try to adjust them on your own they could literally kill you. If you suspect a spring adjustment issue is causing your garage door opener to malfunction, call a qualified garage door repair professional.

Moving parts

Garage doors and garage door openers have so many moving parts that troubleshooting can seem daunting. Check the obvious things first. If your remote control isn't working, check the battery. A malfunction in other garage door opener parts can be caused by shorts in the electrical wiring, or the garage door may simply have come disconnected from the opener.

Remember that regular preventative maintenance will cut down on how often you'll need to call a garage door opener repairman.

More information on garage door openers