Troubleshooting a Broken Garage Door Opener This Winter

When it’s cold outside, the frigid temperatures can wreak havoc on some of your outdoor mechanisms. Machinery and gadgets that normally work just fine suddenly stop working for no apparent reason. As a garage door company in Forest Lake, we are often called on in the winter to fix broken garage door openers. So here are a few ways you can troubleshoot the problem and try to fix it on your own before calling us. And if these do not work, do not hesitate to call us for help!

Our first suggestion is the most obvious, but it’s also often overlooked: check the batteries in your garage door opener to make sure they are still working. Old batteries can weaken the garage door opener signal.

If the batteries are fresh and that’s not the problem, you should then take a few minutes to disconnect your garage door opener. Make sure your garage door is down and disconnect the opener. Then try to manually open the door. Take note of any spots where the door might be sticking on its way up. If it’s sticking anywhere, that could be a sign of grease build-up. Cleaning this can be a simple process, but if you are unsure, call a trusted garage door company like us.

If there were no spots where the door got stuck, reconnect the opener. Take a closer look at the garage door springs. If you notice that one is broken, you should call our garage door company as soon as possible. This is not a do-it-yourself fix. Broken garage door springs are a safety hazard, so call us as soon as possible when you notice they are a problem.

You should also inspect the entire garage door and all of its parts. So take a look at the tracks and make sure there are no obstructions. Look at all of the rollers, hinges and other moving parts too. They should all be moving freely. If not, call our garage door company and set up an appointment as soon as possible.

Do you need more information on our garage door company serving Forest Lake and the surrounding areas? Call Premium Garage Door Service at 651-344-0489 or Request Service.

Types of Garage Door Openers

There are several different types of garage door openers on the market these days, and they all have their functions and benefits. As a garage door company serving Hugo and the surrounding areas, we are often asked about the different kinds of openers and which ones are the best. Here are a few tidbits about openers and how to choose the best one for your garage.

                       

Belt-drive

The belt-drive garage door opener system is very popular and is increasing in popularity. This is mostly because it is so quiet and smooth when it operates. If you are worried about the noise of a garage door opening and closing, this is the opener for you. It works on garage doors of all shapes and sizes, even heavy ones. While these are the more expensive ones on the market today, it’s worth it for how quietly this one works!

Screw-drive

This type of garage door opener uses a lifting mechanism that moves along a threaded steel rod. While the rods are very powerful, do not worry! These garage door openers do not require a lot of maintenance or repair work because they have the fewest moving parts, plus they are very easy to install.

Chain-drive

This type of garage door opener uses a metal chain to lift and lower the garage door. They are the most common type of opener and if you have a garage door company install an opener for you, this is what they might be most likely to recommend for you.

If you are worried about the safety of garage door openers, let our garage door company reassure you with a few facts. Since 1993, the law has required that all garage door openers have a safety mechanism that stops and reverses a closing garage door if it senses an object moving underneath of it.

Are you interested in learning more about our garage door company serving Hugo and the surrounding areas? Call Premium Garage Door Service at 651-344-0489 or Request Service.

More Tips on How to Maintain Your Garage Door

Sometimes doing a little bit of extra work now can save you a lot of hassle and money in the long run. Here are a few tips on some garage door maintenance and inspections you can do on your own. And as soon as you need garage door repair in Anoka, give us a call here at Premium Garage Door Service.

Garage Door Cables

Inspect your garage door cables for fraying. You should also inspect the bearings, rivets and cable sheaves. The most important thing to look out for is the fraying. This is a good sign that garage door repair will be a necessity in the near future.

Garage Door Track Rollers

If the track rollers are not moving smoothly, use a silicone spray to lubricate the tracks. Just make sure you use lubricant that is specially made for garage doors. Otherwise, even more garage door repair might be in your future!

Garage Door Track Brackets

You should also look at your garage door’s track brackets. They should not be loose, bent or out of alignment. Cleaning them is a do-it-yourself project, but if there is any damage to the brackets, call us for garage door repair. This type of repair work is best left to the pros like us.

Garage Door Springs

If you spot a broken garage door spring, do not attempt to fix it yourself. This is a dangerous garage door repair if you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s best to leave it to the experts here at Premium Garage Door Service.

Garage Door Opener

Test your garage door opener to make sure it still properly opens and closes your garage doors. If it isn’t working properly, give us a call so we can help!

Do you want more information about garage door repair in Anoka? Call Premium Garage Door Service at 763-607-3402 or you can contact us to Request Service.

Garage Organization Tips

Cleaning out and organizing your garage can be quite an undertaking, especially if you have lived in your home for awhile and have a lot of stuff that has accumulated over the years. We’re a garage door company in Wright County, and we have some advice for you on how to make this chore as painless as possible.

The first thing to do is to set aside some time to take care of this. You will want several uninterrupted hours to ensure you can get through everything. Drive all of your cars out of the garage, and make sure you pull out anything else that is on wheels, like your grill or bikes. This is also a great time to look at your garage door and opener to see if they need any repair work done. If so, give our garage door company a call so we can come to your home and make sure everything is in good working order!

From there, start sorting your boxes and other items into three piles: keep, toss and donate. Go through everything – from your bigger items like gardening tools to your smaller items, like boxes of knick-knacks. Make sure you are honest with yourself too. If you are sure you won’t use an item, it should go in the “donate” or “toss” pile.

After that, take the items you intend to keep and put them away. Make sure to put similar items together. For example, your gardening tools should all go in the same section of your garage. Take the items you want to throw away and put them in your trash pile. Then take the donation items and set them aside to take to your favorite local charity.

To learn more about our garage door company in Wright County, call Premium Garage Door Service at 763-607-3402 or Request Service.

Garage Door Maintenance To Do List

As the saying goes – “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Taking the time to do some routine garage door maintenance can save you a world of hassle (and maybe even some money!) in the long run. As a garage door company in Hennepin County, we have a few suggestions for you on what to add to your garage door maintenance To Do list.

First: look at your garage door. Is it looking a little dirty? Take the time to give it a good scrub down. Use some detergent, sponge and water. Clean the garage door gently and hose off the dirty water when you’re done scrubbing. Repeat this as many times as it needs until the door is totally clean. Air drying is fine!

Then do a visual inspection to see if you need to call a garage door company like ours for repairs or maintenance. Look at the mechanical parts. Do you see any parts that are broken? Do you see any frayed cables or rusty parts?

Also, look for any loose bolts or loose nuts. If you can, tighten them to make sure they do not come out. However, look closely at them. If any parts have a red warning tag on them, do not touch them! Call a professional garage door company like ours for that kind of fix. They require a professional eye like ours.

Take the time to open and close your garage door a few times too. Do you hear any squeaking? If so, you can lubricate your garage doors with a lubricant spray that is silicone based. Do not use WD40 or grease!

For more information on our garage door company in Hennepin County, call Premium Garage Door Service at 612-234-4812 or you can contact us and Request Service.