Service & Repairs

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A garage door, whether manual or automatic, like any other piece of moving machinery, needs to be checked and serviced at regular intervals. All of the moving parts need to be oiled regularly, the alignment needs to be checked, and the spring tension and its overall movement have to be checked. In the case of an automatic door, the motor, battery and radio control have to be checked.

When to call us

There are a several things that can go wrong with garage doors that necessitate a service. Things to look out for include:

  • A noisy door or motor
  • Door does not sit square
  • The door drops down by itself
  • It is heavy to lift
  • The door sticks
  • The motor runs but doesn’t open the garage door
  • The light on the motor flashes
  • The door doesn’t lock
  • The motor just clicks when you press the remote.

If you should notice any of the above happening, then you should call us. We service and repair all garage doors, whether manual or automatic, all garage door motors and the majority of gate motors. Doors of all types, including roll-up garage doors, sectional garage doors and tip-up garage doors, are serviced. A service should be carried out at least once a year.

 

The types of repairs that can be found necessary include: the replacement of cables, springs, bearing plates, hinges, brackets, roller and pulley wheels, jamb arms, handles, bottom seals and on the roll up door the drum itself. Contact us at any time to arrange for a garage door service.

 

Spring Replacement

Springs should never be adjusted or repaired by individuals who are not properly trained to perform this task and may not have the proper tools. Continuing to operate your door with a broken spring is very dangerous and can cause additional damage to the garage door and electric opener systems.

A spring replacement is one of the most common repairs required on a garage door. These springs come in varying sizes and act as a balance, lifting most of the garage door weight. This allows the door to easily open and close manually or with the assistance of an opener.

Garage door springs have a limited lifespan. This lifespan is measured in cycles, with the door going up and coming back down counting as one cycle. Most common garage door springs come with a 10,000 cycle life expectancy. Your spring replacement frequency will be determined by your garage door usage.

Below you can see the life expectancy of a 10,000 cycle spring determined by daily use:

2 times daily = about 14 years

4 times daily = about 7 years

6 times daily = about 5 years

8 times daily = about 3 years

However, it is important to remember that if the weight of the garage door is increased by adding glass, additional insulation, or even several coats of paint, the life of the spring may be greatly reduced. Other factors like poor garage door maintenance, loose tracks or components will shorten spring life. Owners are advised to avoid applying grease to garage door tracks because that makes the wheels “skate” in the track instead of turning on their bearings, grease also collect grit and dust. Only bearings, hinges, and spring wire require specific lubricant.

Once the springs reached its lifecycle, it may break, effectively releasing all the tension and no longer assisting to balance the door. The spring has the most tension when the garage door is in the closed position, and as a result this is the most likely position for the spring to break. That is not to say the spring could not fail while the door is in an open position, which would result in door crashing down. This is why it is important to never walk under a garage door in motion.

Durban Garage Door’s team of knowledgeable and friendly professionals has the industries best experience replacing broken springs on garage doors. Replacing a garage door spring can be very dangerous, and we highly encourage you to contact us to handle this repair today!

Garage Door Motors

Convenience is pressing the button of your radio control from the comfort of your car and watching the automatic garage door operator open the door and turn on the light. Drive in and press the button again (or the wall switch). The door shuts behind you— and locks. A time-delay switch leaves the operator light on until you’ve had an opportunity to get out of the car and into the house. It turns off automatically in about 1-1/2 or 2 minutes.

Automatic garage door operators give you protection, too—protection from the wind and weather, plus protection from prowlers. They protect the garage contents when you leave because it’s so easy to close the door with a push of the button. Most operators feature a return switch which causes the automatic reversal of the door when it encounters an obstruction during its downward movement. Most residential automatic door  openers will operate with any type of overhead garage door type.

The most common garage door opener repairs are fixed by the realignment of the limit switches and/or the replacement of warn gears and sprockets found within the garage door opener. Other repairs may include replacing the garage door openers motor, P.C board, limit switches, trolleys, drive trains, drive belts and more. Some openers simply need adjustments made to the existing components and require no additional parts.

Our highly skilled technicians service a wide range of broken garage door opener brands, including Digi Door, Genie, DC Blue, Lift Master, Pro Lift, and many more.

Next time you encounter a broken garage door opener, contact Durban Garage Doors. Our knowledgeable garage door experts will thoroughly examine the problem, eliminate the cause, and have your garage door opener working once again quickly and efficiently.

 

Troubleshooting a door operator.

Here are some common problems that occur with typical automatic operators and their possible solutions.

Operates from push-button but won’t operate from hand transmitter control.

Possible causes:
Weak battery,Transmitter or receiver inoperable.

Solution:
Replace battery

Won’t open or close from radio or push-button.
Possible causes:
Blown house fuse.
Open circuit breaker in the motor.
Defective lamp timer.
Defective capacitor.
Defective relay.
Defective transformer.
Defective motor.
Door binding.

Solution:
Check line fuse.Allow few minutes for motor to cool off and try again.
Replace Unit.
Repair and or adjust.
 

Reduced operating range of radio control.

Possible causes:
Weak battery.
Transmitter or receiver out of adjustment.
Too cold

Solution:
Replace
Return receiver with transmitter for adjustment.
Batteries tend to lose power in extremely cold weather.

Unexpected (phantom) operation (door goes up and down on its own)
Possible cause:
Radio control.
Push-button.
Staple through push-button wire causing short circuit.

Solution:
Repair or replace.
Remove staple.

Light does not work
Possible cause:
Bulb.
Lamp timer.
Light socket.

Solution:
Replace unit

 

Broken Cables

The cable is an important piece of equipment that ensures smooth and efficient operation of your garage door. Most often these cables are attached from the drum located near the top of the door to the bottom section of the door. These cables hold the door’s weight as the door moves up and down. When a cable breaks, your door becomes inoperable and needs to be repaired in order for it to function properly once again.

Garage door cables can be a very dangerous part of the door to replace or repair. The cables are under incredible amounts of tension, and therefore must be handled with care by a trained professional. Generally we advise that if one of your cables break, the other will follow shortly. We therefore recommend the replacement of both cables on the same call out. Our skilled technicians will safely examine and assess the issue, then take the necessary steps to have your door working again. We will do it as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Panel Repairs

Overtime, garage door panels take on normal wear and can begin to warp, crack, bend, or break. Usually it will be the very top panel that sustains damage and this is due to the motor pushing and pulling from its mounting point on this top panel. Damaged panels can lead to bigger problems with your garage door. If you continue to use a door with faulty sections, the door can become misaligned and that may cause damage to all sections and possible lead to the purchase of a new door. Therefore damaged garage door panels often are more than a cosmetic issue and indicate greater structural problems that are occurring. Contact Durban Garage Doors today and have one of our skilled professionals assess the panel damage and offer you the best solution going forward.

Roller or Hinge Replacement

Rollers and hinges can become bent or broken, resulting in the malfunctioning of your garage door. Replacing worn rollers and worn or bent hinges will provide smoother and perhaps quieter operation to your door.

Bent Track

Your garage door’s tracks play an essential role in helping it open and close smoothly. If one of these tracks becomes bent or out of alignment, the problem needs to be addressed before any further damage is caused to the door.

Weather Seal Replacement

Looking to replace the weather stripping under your garage door? The weather seal keeps out the cold weather, rain, leaves, dust, in addition to preventing many insects and other pests from making your garage their home.

Maintenance Plan

Have you considered a garage door Planned Maintenance Program? In most instances, a garage door is the largest and heaviest moving object in your home or business. The door must be properly adjusted and maintained in order to continue functioning safely and efficiently. Durban Garage Doors offers a planned maintenance program to provide and ensure the ongoing safety and proper operation of your home or businesses’ garage door.