The Most Frequently Asked Garage Door Questions.
Feel free to call us with any questions not covered here.
1. What are the most common sizes of residential garage doors?
2. What are the most common parts that wear out on a garage door?
3. When do I know these parts are worn out or need to be replaced?
4. How often should my garage door be serviced and am I able to do it myself?
5. Does my garage door opener need to be serviced as well?
6. What kind of lubricant should be used on garage doors and openers?
7. If my garage door opener breaks is it more economical to fix it or replace it?
8. I had a lightning strike and now my garage door opener won’t work. Should I replace it or fix it?
9. One of my springs and rollers have been replaced. What are the average lifespan of those parts?
10. What is the average cost of a garage door repair?
11. Can I change torsion springs myself? If so were can i buy the parts needed?
1. What are the most common sizes of residential garage doors?
Most residential garage doors fall into two categories: Single Car: 8×7 and Double Car: 16×7
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2. What are the most common parts that wear out on a garage door?
Springs, rollers, and cables wear out first because they are the three essential parts that the garage door needs to function. Therefore, they get the most wear and tear.
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3. When do I know these parts are worn out or need to be replaced?
-The spring is the easiest. It will break into two pieces and the door will be unable to operate without spring tension.
-When the cables start to fray, they are at risk of breaking and need to be replaced.
-When the rollers become noisy they start sliding and not rolling, thus leaving gouged, black marks on the track. At this point they need to be replaced so they do not damage the garage door opener.
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4. How often should my garage door be serviced and am I able to do it myself?
The door should be lubricated every four months. This consists of lubricating the hinges, rollers, or any other moving parts on the door. Yes, you are able to do it yourself and this is a good way to prevent costly repairs. Once every two years your garage door springs should be adjusted by a garage door technician.
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5. Does my garage door opener need to be serviced as well?
Yes, it requires lubrication just like the garage door. Once again, look for moving parts and lubricate every four months as well. Once every two years you should have an experienced garage technician adjust the force setting and the limit settings.
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6. What kind of lubricant should be used on garage doors and openers?
For the garage door use a non-silicon based lubricant, such as heavy-duty garage door lubricant and rust preventative, made by National. A low-heat, white grease works well for the opener.
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7. If my garage door opener breaks is it more economical to fix it or replace it?
If the garage door opener is more than 15 years old, it is more economical to replace it. If it is under 15 years old, a garage door company should have parts available to fix your opener.
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8. I had a lightning strike and now my garage door opener doesn’t respond. Should I replace it or fix it?
Lightning strikes generally take out two electrical parts of a garage door opener: the logic board (which is the main circuit board of the opener) and the safety eye sensors. If the opener is under 15 years old, there are replacement parts available to fix the damaged parts.
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9. One of my springs and rollers have been replaced. What is the average lifespan of those parts?
Generally you have to replace the springs and rollers once during a garage door’s lifetime. The average lifetime of a garage door is twenty years, therefore every ten years.
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10. What is the average cost of a garage door repair?
Garage door repairs fix or replace parts such as rollers, springs, and cables. The average repair call price ranges from $150 - $300. When the door is still functioning but operates loudly and roughly, a tune up can be done. The average price for a tune up service call is $29 - $49.
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11. Can I change torsion springs myself? If so were can i buy the parts needed?
We highly recommend having an experienced garage door technician do this job. But if you want to try it yourself this is a great Web site with the detailed steps, so you can learn the work involved and the related safety issues. Even if you choose not to change the torsion springs yourself it’s a great source of information on garage doors, repairs and tips for hiring a professional.
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