From the Garage Door Experts: 3 Questions We Get Asked the Most
When it comes to purchasing, repairing, or installing a garage door, what kinds of questions do we get asked the most? Knowing the answers to our most frequently asked questions will certainly benefit our readers in need of some garage door assistance. Read on to hear what our in-house garage door experts here at Larry Myers Garage Doors have to say.
Question #1: What’s Wrong with My Garage Door?
When customers come to us, we often get asked, “What’s wrong? My door goes up fine, but when it goes down, it stops. I have to hold the wall station down to get it to close all the way.”
We definitely get this question a lot. Usually (but not always!), the issue here is with the alignment of your garage door safety sensors. To remedy this, you’ll want to do a little extra troubleshooting with a professional and then plan to align or replace the safety sensors.
Question #2: Is it Better to Repair or Replace My Opener?
Depending on the issues you’re facing, it may be more cost effective to replace your opener. However, that’s not always the case. We’ve written a blog about when it’s time to upgrade your garage door opener. To highlight that blog, some signs that your garage door opener needs to be replaced are:
- Your opener is making a grinding noise
- Your opener has no safety reversal feature
- You must use your emergency release cord to unhook your opener and manually open your door
- Your opener requires frequent repairs
Question #3: How Can I Tell What Kind of Spring I Have?
There are three types of garage door springs: extension springs, torque master tubes, and torsion springs.
Torsion springs are the most common type of spring. These springs slowly twist and coil as they raise the garage doors. Extension springs, on the other hand, extend in order to open the door.
In terms of defining differences:
- Extension springs are smaller, whereas torsion springs are larger.
- Extension springs are generally located on the sides of your garage door, whereas torsion springs are usually located above the garage door opening.
- Torsion springs coil and recoil, unwind and wind, whereas extension springs stretch and extend.
- With torque master tubes, you can’t see the springs.
Troubleshooting Your Issue
If you’re unsure what’s going on with your garage door, we’d be more than happy to take a look. Schedule a consultation with us so we can figure out what needs to be repaired or replaced. As the garage door experts in the Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA areas, we are here to help you in any way we can!