DOOR REPAIRS
Cold weather
This will often stop the door working but only when the door is in need of a service, if the door stopped when it is cold and works fine the rest of the time you will find the door is right on the limit of being able to work correctly, and a cold morning is enough to stop it.
DO NOT leave this door till it stops working completely as this is putting undue stress on the door opener
Just like having your vehicle serviced - Have your door serviced every 2 to 5 years to avoid breakdowns. This breakdown will often result in your door jamming in the half open position.
If your door wont open or close properly anymore, or has problems opening. In the majority of cases, it is a problem with the door which has cased the failure in the door opener. So all care needs to be taken not to only fix the result of the problem but also addressing the coarse of the problem. The door opener is an appliance that has a limited life (similar to a washing machine)
DANGER - Do not attempt to adjust the spring tension without the correct tools or knowledge I see this time after time where people have seriously injured themselves attempting to adjust the springs
Door repairs for broken, cracked or damaged doors have to be done correctly; not adding too much weight to the door affecting the balance and operation of the door but attempting to make it as strong as it was originally.
Repairing many older tilt doors giving these doors a second life, or broken into doors and where possible doors that have been driven into . These in many cases can be successfully repaired to work correctly but may never look like a new one again.
INSURANCE CLAIMS ARE NOT A PROBLEM
BROKEN SPRINGS
DANGER - Do not attempt to adjust the spring tension without the correct tools or knowledge I see this time after time where people have seriously injured themselves attempting to adjust the springs
This is a reasonably common occurrence (the spring or springs above a sectional door)
There are many different springs for tilt doors and sectional doors I always carry a full range of springs with me at all times - so in most cases I can repair your door with one call. It is imperative that the correct springs are used for the weight and height of your door.
Always replace all springs at time of repair (if there is more than one) All the springs have worked just as hard as each other, and the other one is likely to brake in the near future.(springs are rated to ten thousand cycles)
A symptom of this is your door will only lift a little bit, then go back down. The door is now far too heavy for your door opener to lift If you need to get your vehicle out get someone to help lift the door manually (it could be 80kgs +) and hold it when it is at the top so you can get your vehicle out then two people let it down gently again.
Or assist the opener by lifting the door, remember you might need to lift 20 - 80 kgs worth of weight if one of the springs are broken. The door opener will be able to hold the door safely in the open position while you get your car out but assist it closing again
The spring may snap any time but often during the night with a very loud explosive bang due to the tension wound up in these springs
A simple test to see if your door needs a service
Once a year pull the rope so you can open and close the door by hand. Lift the door till the bottom of the door is at knee height and let it go and the door should stay there. If it falls to the ground, then it is in need of a service. DO NOT ignore this as the door will fail at the worst possible moment and is likely to jam open in the half open position. This will result in the springs not having enough travel to lift he door completely causing the wire lift ropes to come off the cable drums and forcing the door to tip over and jam in its tracks. DANGER - Do not attempt to adjust the spring tension without the correct tools or knowledge. I see this time after time where people have seriously injured themselves attempting to adjust the springs.
Other simple tests:
If your door is squeaks and creaks
If it travels faster in one direction
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I GET MY DOOR SERVICED?
Every two to five years!
Garage doors in general are very reliable units like most household appliances nowadays (yes appliance). The big difference is this is an appliance that has the ability to open up a huge hole in the side of your house, and with them being so reliable owners tend to take them for granted till one day they stop working.
My recommendation is - every two to five years or so, have your door serviced ( or if it has become noisy or changed operating speed)- over time with a little wear and tear things go out of adjustment or just wear out.
Watch and listen to your door from time to time so you know what is normal often the door will let you know something needs servicing long before it becomes a problem or a malfunction. It will start making a lot of noise or not run as smooth - too fast, too slow or jerking.
DOOR OPENERS: REPAIR OR REPLACE?
High Tech Automation Specialising in door repairs
Servicing all door opener brands
Guardian, Boss, Merlin, Chamberlian, ATA, B and D, ADS, Garador, Tiltamatic, Door Mate,Winsor, Parker, Lynx, Steel line,
This is often a close call:
to repair or replace; you need to weigh up all the factors like the age and condition of the unit and the remotes the cost and components replaced in this repair.
Always remember that your garage door opener is an appliance just like a washing machine or a fridge and to do repairs for more than half the value of a new opener into a Ten to fifteen year old machine, just is not good sense (would you do this with your washing machine)
To repair an old opener today only to have something else break down in three months' time can be a false economy with the price of new openers being at very sharp pricing.
Also take into account the condition remotes (Genuine can remotes range in price from $60 $130+) if they are getting tired - Your new opener will come with new remotes.
There are many makes and models on the market today. Nearly all of these in the past have been Australian made and have stood the test of time. Today all door openers even the big name brands are made by someone else and banded with there name.
Unfortunately I am starting to see a few late model (very cheap openers coming to the market) coming to a very premature end. An old saying applies when it comes to Garage door openers "sometimes something that is cheap is just cheap" If you look into it you will find the small amount of money you have saved is not worth it.
The openers I supply all come with a full two year factory warranty
REPLACEMENT DOORS
I will put you in contact with a reliable firm that I think dose the best value doors at the best price and defiantly the best installation by far.
There are many doors available out there but don,t go for the cheapest door as this is exactly what you will get. Also a quality door needs a quality installation I have seen many good doors poorly fitted and this will only tell over time
Sectional Doors
Roller Doors
Tilt Doors
ALL DOOR SPRINGS
THESE SPINGS HAVE HUGE AMOUNTS OF PENT UP ENERGY AND CAN RELEASE OR BREAK AT ANY TIME - DO NOT ATTEMT TO DO ANY WORK ON THEM WITH OUT PROPER KNOWLEDGE AND THE RIGHT TOOLS!
Without the springs to counter balance the weight of the door you would not be able to lift the door.
These springs will lose some of their tension after a while and will need to be reset
IMPORTANT
If one of your springs is broken and you need to use the door your door opener is not designed to lift the door it is only designed to position the door and damage to your door opener will result, Arrange repairs as soon as possible and use your door as little as possible and help it up by lifting the door at the same time as it is going up and holding some of the weight as it is going down
SECTIONAL DOORS
(Should not fall or rise except if the rollers are going around the corner of the track and it will only move to a neutral position)
IMPORTANT
If one of your springs is broken and you need to use the door your door opener is not designed to lift the door it is only designed to position the door and damage to your door opener will result, Arrange repairs as soon as possible and use your door as little as possible and help it up by lifting the door at the same time as it is going up and holding some of the weight as it is going down
TILT DOORS
These springs balance the weight of the door but with all the angle changes as the door goes through its motions the perfect balance throughout its entire movement is rarely possible but still should be easy to raise and lower by hand throughout the motion.
I recommend threading wire ropes through the centre of the springs to catch them when they do brake.
If one of your springs is broken and you need to use the door your door opener is not designed to lift the door it is only designed to position the door and damage to your door opener will result, Arrange repairs as soon as possible and use your door as little as possible and help it up by lifting the door at the same time as it is going up and holding some of the weight as it is going down
ROLLER DOORS
The door should be easy to lift and should stay where it is let go and not fall or rise
If you have an auto opener on the door, the door should only just fall under its own weight this is due to the fact the opener is pushing from the centre of the coil
As roller doors age the slides do wear out and the door slowly gets more resistance to movement and the only way to fix this is a replacement door.
your door opener is not designed to lift a heavy or hard to move door it is only designed to position the door and damage to your door opener will result,Arrange repairs as soon as possible and use your door as little as possible and help it up by lifting the door at the same time as it is going up and holding some of the weight as it is going down.