Power Can Be Destructive

A garage door opener has lots of power. In fact, if you don't have it adjusted right, it can actually break the top portion of the door. In cold climates garage doors can actually freeze to a slab. When the opener tries to open the door it can actually rip the top rail of the door off in extreme cases. An opener that is not adjusted properly can sometimes deflect the top of the door when it closes.

The point is, be aware of these problems. This doesn't mean that you should buy a low powered opener. It means that you should make sure the top of your garage door is reinforced. Most doors are from the factory. If you are in doubt about the stability of your door, ask a professional door company.

Taking the Fall

Garage door openers often get blamed for things that are not their fault. If your door jerks as it opens or makes noise or rattles, check all door hardware first. Missing hinge bolts, loose or broken rollers, or a loose spring may be the cause of the problem. Inspect the door hardware and look for problems.

Watch the Springs

Garage doors are very heavy. Some larger ones can weigh in excess of 300 pounds. The openers do NOT lift the doors. They simply start the process. The massive springs that you often overlook do 95 percent of the lifting. Before you install an opener you need to make sure the springs are adjusted perfectly. If you have to strain and grunt to lift your door, then the springs are way out of adjustment. If you don't adjust the springs, you will burn up or shorten the life of the opener.

NEVER attempt to adjust the springs yourself. They are highly dangerous. NEVER tamper with hardware that connects the door to the springs. For example, doors equipped with overhead springs often have a thin cable that runs from the spring down to a steel bracket at the base of the door. NEVER take off this bracket or loosen the bolts! The springs can rip the bracket out of the door and cut your head off as it violently retracts up to the ceiling of the garage. Working on springs is a job for a professional. Trust me on this one.

Periodic Maintenance

Most garage door openers require little, if any, maintenance. When you get your new opener, simply look at the owner's manual and see what it says about lubrication. Some moving parts may need periodic attention. The other thing you want to do is to take a zip lock freezer bag and store the owner's manual and all other literature. Secure the bag with twist ties or string to the angle iron that supports the garage door track. Be sure the bag is not close to any moving parts. This paperwork is important and if you store it someplace, it will get lost for sure. Leaving it out in the open is a constant reminder of its location.

The Wall Switch

Openers come with an inside switch. Most instructions say to mount this high on a wall - about 5 feet or more. There is a reason for this. While you are away from the door, your kids or a neighbor child may decide to use your door as a Medieval guillotine. Switches placed high on a wall make them work for this dangerous thrill.

Almost all openers contain microchips and as such they are susceptible to malfunctions caused by power surges. If your opener suddenly malfunctions, it could have been a surge. Keep that in mind. The following garage door opener selection tips are courtesy of the Genie Company. They make swell openers. I know, as I have two 15-year-old models that work just great each and every day.

Drive System

Screw Drive is probably the most popular and reliable. Since it is direct drive, there are fewer moving parts. It is also quieter and smoother.

Chain Drive openers are still available. The old ones had exposed chains and were sometimes guilty of popping off the sprockets. Newer designs have eliminated this problem.

Warranty

Pay attention here. Some openers come with a full lifetime warranty. In fact, some openers come with an In-Home Service clause where the manufacturer sends out a service person to your home! That is ideal.

Door Opening Speed

The common openers open and close at a rate of about 6 to 7 inches per second. If you are a type A personality, then consider getting a model that opens and closes twice as fast. Genie happens to have one that moves at 14 inches per second.

Safety Beam

Federal law mandates that openers be equipped with this device. There are optical sensors that are mounted on the door track that sense when someone walks across the path. Do NOT deviate from the directions with respect to the placement of these sensors!

Contact Reversing System

This is very important. My kids constantly park their bikes in the garage door path. Without this feature, they would be ruined. Be sure to check the adjustment of this feature regularly. If it loses sensitivity, a loved one or pet could be crushed by the door!

Timed Reversing System

Some openers will open the door if the door does not completely shut within 30 seconds. This is a great feature in case you forget to check the sensitivity I just mentioned!

Manual Emergency Release

This is a chord with a handle that detaches the door from the opening system. It allows you to operate the door by hand in case of a power outage, or if the safety features fail and something is trapped under the door.

Transmitter Security Codes

Make sure that the opener is equipped with a remote control that has rolling code technology. This offers the highest degree of security.

Multi Button Transmitters

This allows you to operate multiple garage doors with one transmitter.

Wireless Keypad

This accessory mounts outside the house and allows a person to operate the door if they know the numerical security code. These are great.

Hi-Tech Indoor Wall Control

Get an opener that allows you to turn the opener light on and off separately and one that has a vacation lock switch. These are handy features!

Easy Installation

Some openers are not user friendly. Look at the box and see if you can understand the instructions.

Onboard Diagnostics

Some openers come with sophisticated LED lights that communicate to you. They will tell you what is wrong with the opener. What a cool feature!

Power Cord

Most units come with a short electric cord for safety reasons. Don't be upset when you see the short pigtail chord. Do not use an extension chord to power your unit! Always extend a proper electric outlet to the opener.

Garage Ceiling Headroom

Pay attention to models that are engineered to fit in tight spaces. Not all openers will work in all conditions. Don't buy the wrong one or alter one to fit your space.

Mechanical Monsters

Virtually everyone I know has a misconception about garage doors. They fail to realize how big and heavy these doors really are. This is due to the fact that almost every overhead door is counterbalanced by some form of springs. These springs make the door feel lighter than it actually is.

Overhead garage doors are almost always the largest mechanical device in a residential home. Two car garage doors which usually measure 16 feet wide by seven feet tall can weigh close to 400 pounds! Think of that when you walk beneath the open door as you walk across your garage on your way to get the lawn mower or as you watch your son or daughter run for their bicycle. Garage doors require a healthy respect.

Automatic Openers

A large majority of overhead garage doors are equipped with automatic garage door openers. I myself have two of these wonderful machines. I believe these machines are responsible for much of the complacency we have about garage door maintenance.

Before automatic openers were popular, you would have to lift the door yourself to open it. If the springs were out of adjustment or the door needed lubrication, you (or your back) would know about it right away. Openers have changed all of that. They have literally put us 'out of touch' with our garage doors.

For this reason, it is important to periodically disengage the automatic opener and open and close the door manually. Overhead garage doors that are functioning properly are easy to open and move along the tracks smoothly. No matter how big your door is, it should take very little effort to lift the door from the closed position. Remember, the springs are the things that should do virtually all of the work in opening the door. They simply need a little help from you to get the job started.

Safety Issues

Automatic openers are very convenient items. However this convenience comes with a very high safety price tag. When automatic openers were first developed, they rarely had any safety features. If something was in the path of a closing door, it would simply get crushed.

It didn't take too long for the manufacturers of these devices to realize that they should equip the doors with an automatic function that reverses the door should it strike an object while closing. However, this safety feature requires periodic adjustment. The sensor, which makes the door reverse, has different levels of sensitivity. Over time, the sensor can get out of adjustment. Small children and animals have been crushed to death, even though the automatic opener was equipped with this safety feature!

Within the past few years, the automatic openers have added another safety feature. Virtually every new automatic opener is now sold with an infrared beam transmitter and receiver. These devices are installed near the floor of your garage. A transmitting unit is attached to the bottom of one of the garage door tracks, while the receiving unit is attached to the bottom of the other track. An invisible infrared beam is projected across the floor between these two units. If anything breaks this beam, even for a moment, while the door is closing, the door will reverse and go back to the open position. These are wonderful devices. However, if you have an automatic opener manufactured prior to 1993, there is a good chance that you can not have these safety devices added to your existing opener. You will have to buy a new opener to get this extra level of protection.

Remember, overhead garage doors and automatic openers are great things to have around the house, but they require periodic inspections and maintenance to keep them in tip-top shape. Failure to maintain a garage door can lead to serious injury or damage to cars and property. Don't hesitate, after reading this Bulletin completely, to check your overhead garage door and automatic opener for safe and smooth operation. Good luck on your next job!

Garage Door Manufacturers

The Wayne-Dalton Corporation offers a free Garage Door Safety Kit. The Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association International publishes a pamphlet titled Automatic Garage Door & Opener Safety & Maintenance Guide.

• Allstar Corporation
• Amarr Garage Doors
• The Chamberlain Group
• Clopay Building Products Corporation
• 1st United Door Technologies
• General American Door Company 
• The Genie Company
• Howell-Dor
• Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors
• Martin Door Manufacturing
• Overhead Door Corporation
• Raynor Garage Doors
• Sections Incorporated
• Summit Door Inc.
• Taylor Door
• Wayne-Dalton Garage Door Systems
• Windsor Door

Associations

• Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association International (www.dasma.com)
• International Door Association (www.doors.org)

Maintenance

If you have just purchased a new home or had a new door installed, take some time and read the owner's manual. You might be surprised at some of the things you learn. For example, if the door is wooden, virtually every manufacturer has strict guidelines as to how soon the door must receive a finish coat of paint or protective stain. Often people will paint the outside of the door and neglect the inside. This is a mistake and often voids the warranty!

Be sure to read your manual to find out just what you are supposed to do. Never remove any hardware when painting the door! If you are a fanatic about painting the entire door, arrange to paint the door sections prior to installation. Some door companies may deliver or let you pick up the sections of the door. You can then easily paint the sections of the door on saw horses. The door would then only require touch up work after it has been installed.

Once installed, you should periodically lubricate all moving parts. Use a silicone spray or lightweight oil on metal parts only. Do not lubricate plastic rollers and plastic idler bearings.

On a monthly basis, simply look at the garage door hardware (hinges, pulley, cables, etc.) Look for loose nuts and bolts. See if the cables are beginning to fray. Check the rollers for signs of wear. Never make any repairs or adjustments yourself, unless you are a trained garage door service person.

Check the door for proper balance. This is very easy to do. If you have an automatic opener, disengage it temporarily. With the door in the closed position, begin to slowly open it. When the bottom of the door is waist high, it should not move in either direction. It should be able to remain suspended in this position without anyone or anything touching it. If the door will not stay still, the springs are out of adjustment. Absolutely do not try to adjust the springs yourself!

If you have an automatic door opener, periodically check its safety mechanisms. The first test is to place a piece of 2x4 under the path of the door. Close the door on top of the 2x4. The door should hit the 2x4 and begin to reverse back to the open position. After this test, perform a second test. As the door is beginning to close the second time, stand in front of the door and hold on to the bottom of the door. You should not have to exert excessive force to stop the door from closing. If you can not stop the door, immediately step away from the door and let it strike the 2x4 again. Perform the necessary adjustments to the opener so that you can stop it from closing by using little force. If you don't know how to make the adjustment, contact a professional!

Safety Tips

Never stand or walk beneath a moving door. Do not set a bad example for your children. Never play "beat the door". A famous movie featuring a daring archaeologist rolling beneath a large stone door has lead to the deaths of children who were trying to mimic this movie stunt. Don't let it happen with your children!

Always try to hide or disguise the remote transmitters so that small children can't find them. They love to play with these devices. The wall-mounted push button which controls the door should always be mounted at least five feet off of the garage floor. Children love to play with garage doors. Please do not tempt them.

Never try to service the door or opener yourself, unless you are a trained person. The springs that open the door have killed people. This is a fact. Don't underestimate the force that these springs exert. Remember, the springs are in their most dangerous state when the door is closed. They are like loaded weapons. Please be careful!