Garage doors and automatic garage door openers provide the ultimate convenience to most home owners until they fail to work properly. Occasionally the problem may only be as simple as the infrared safety sensor which has become misaligned. There are a plethora of other parts of both the garage door and door opener that may be the cause of the problem, but maintaining the system properly will help to keep the units operating smoothly.
Older door openers will not have the same safety and security features that even the most basic of present day models will possess; just as newer garage doors will be more efficient than older models. With each and every door opener unit it is possible for some of the safety features to fail while still allowing normal functionality of the automatic garage door opener to open the door. Newer door openers have additional circuitry to prevent the closing of a door in the event of a malfunctioning safety sensor. Most doors will still open with the activation wall switch even if the close function has been disabled.
Not every component of a door or opener will require involved maintenance, but just a cursory inspection. Some of the serviceable parts which a home owner can maintain on their own is the lubrication of the garage door rollers and chain. Realigning the infrared sensor at the bottom of the door opening is by far the easiest task for the home owner to perform as well. The majority of the other parts are not easily or safely serviced and should by no means be attempted by the untrained and experienced individual.
The garage door will either make use of one or two torsion springs located just above the garage door on the interior header or springs to the sides where the door travels on the tracks. The purpose of these springs is to provide a counter balance system which will allow the home owner to manually open or close the door safely and with little effort. Without these springs being properly adjusted with the correct tension, the door will likely slam upward or come crashing down. A properly adjusted torsion spring should allow the home owner to manually open or close the door to the halfway point and stop with the door showing minimal movement.
Before any automatic door opener is connected to the door or any adjustments are made to the closing force sensor the door needs to be balanced by adjusting the spring. It is even common for a garage door which is only a few years old to need adjustment of the torsion spring. Torsion springs lose tension as the metal fatigues over years of wear and tear.
Adjusting the torsion spring is not considered a user serviceable part and should be adjusted by the experienced garage door service technician. Serious injury is quite possible when adjusting the tension. If the home owner finds it necessary to adjust the force sensor adjustment on the door opener motor to the maximum setting, this indicates that there is a major potential problem with either the sensor or an imbalanced door. Proper safety precautions and adjustment should be done by a trained professional.
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