FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Door Balance

Sectional doors: You should be able to lift up the door smoothly and with little resistance. You should be able to stop the door anywhere in its travel except when it is nearly closed or opened. If the door tends to close or open by itself anywhere in its mid-travel, the door is out of balance. If the door hangs low in the head (doesn’t fully open) the door is out of balance and should be adjusted by a qualified door technician.
One-piece door: From the outside of the garage, open the door half way. You should be able to stop the door anywhere in its travel except when it is nearly closed or opened. If the door tends to close or open by it anywhere in its mid-travel, the door is out of balance and should be adjusted by a qualified door technician.

Door Springs

Extension springs on a sectional door stretch horizontally away from the front of the garage. They run parallel and above the overhead track on each side of the door, or for a one-piece door, they stretch vertically near the sides of the door opening. If these springs break they can cause damage to property, or injury and death. These springs should have safety cables through them to contain the spring if it breaks. If your door does not have these safety cables, call a qualified door technician to install them.
Torsion Springs are used only on sectional doors. These springs run through a steel tube that runs along the header (front wall above the doorway), and at each end of this tube are drums, and lift cables are attached to them, which in turn are attached to the bottom of the door. Tension for this type of spring is gained by winding it on this tube. When a torsion spring breaks, it safely remains on the steel tube.
Spring Life. Garage door springs have a life expectancy of about 10,000 cycles. One cycle is when the door is opened and then closed. So if you open the door once in the morning and close it when you leave, and then open it and close it again when you come home in the evening, that is two cycles a day. At that rate the spring should last about 13.7 years. If the door is double wide, two car garages, with both cars leaving and returning at different times, this would shorten the spring life to about 6.8 years. Also, when people are at home, weekends, holidays, vacations, the doors may be opened and closed more often.

Lubrication

Like any piece of mechanical equipment, garage doors do require regular maintenance and periodic service. All repairs should be performed in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction manual. If you do not have a manual or proper mechanical expertise and tools, call a qualified door repair service.

Preventive maintenance should be done every six months or more often if conditions warrant.

A standard four sectional 9 x 7 door has around 50 oil points. Light oil such as WD-40 is fine and should be used about every 3 months; however, 30 weight oil can last up to a year. NEVER use grease.

If you suspect any worn or broken parts, springs out of adjustment or unsure about lubricating your door, call a qualified door repair service and play it safe.

Painting

Steel Doors Most garage doors installed today are made out of steel. And most door manufacturers buy their steel from the same few steel mills. This steel before it is sent out to the door manufacturers, goes through a process of hot dipped-galvanization, a baked-on primer coat and a good quality polyester top-coat that needs no painting. This should stand up to years of fine service. The colors come in white, almond, sandstone and brown.

If you wish to paint your steel door you may do so by following these instructions:

Close door, wipe down and clean door with mild detergent to remove dirt and oils and rinse with clean water.
When door is dry, paint with two coats of high grade exterior oil or latex based paint. On insulated doors using polyurethane foam, stay away from the darker colors such as brown. Excess heat can be absorbed and delaminating may occur.
Avoid painting at temperatures below 50°F, or in high temperatures in direct sunlight.
Familiarize yourself with the instructions on the paint can.

Wood Doors Recommended by the American Hardboard Association:

Door must be primed before installation
Finished painting of primed door must take place within 7 days after installation.
Follow paint manufacturers specifications.
Be sure wood joints and panel edges are sealed.
Be sure painting surfaces are clean and free of contaminates such as dust, dirt and mildew.
Prime and paint both sides and all edges of every section.
Use two coats of one of the following high quality exterior top coat paints: oil, alkyd or acrylic latex base.
Avoid application of finishes when rain, or dew or low temperatures are expected before finish fully hardens.
Do not paint over warning labels, track, springs, cables, drums, pulleys or hinge pivotal points.

Cleaning

It is a good thing to wash your garage door about once a year to keep it looking new, and to protect it by washing off corrosive chemicals. The best way to clean your garage door is the same way that you would wash your car. Many of the car wash products on the market today are both safe for all automotive finishes and come with a protective coating. Be sure to thoroughly rinse off the door with clean water.

Noisy Doors

A noisy door could be the result of a number of different possibilities:

Loose nuts, bolts or screws

A loose housing cover or lens cover

Loose or broken hardware
Hinges, roller, bearings or pulleys needing lubrication
Warn out rollers or bearings
Top fixture rubbing against horizontal track
The nylon center bearing is a common culprit for squealing
A badly rusted torsion spring
On metal doors with shiplap joints - sections rubbing together as the sections pass by the curve in the track

For openers:

Loose nuts, bolts or screws
A loose drive chain, or chain too tight
Warn drive gear inside motor housing
For a screw driver opener; screw needs lubricating
A loose housing cover or lens cover

Won’t Open

Door won’t open or only opens a short distance:

Check to see that the opener has power.

Check to make sure that the door is not locked. If an opener is installed with a door that has a locking device, that lock should be disabled so that it can’t be locked.

The door may have a broken spring or cable. Call a qualified door technician for replacement.

Won’t Close

Door won’t close:

Check to see that the opener has power.
If the door starts to close and then reverses, check for any obstructions. Check the down force. Also the door may be binding due to worn parts or need of lubrication.
If the door closes as long as the wall button is held down, then there is problem with the safety beam system, a loose or broken wire, or defective safety eye, or something obstructing it’s path. Call a qualified door technician for service.

Won’t Fully Open/Close

Door won’t fully open, or fully close:

The door open and close limits may need to be adjusted. Call a qualified door technician for service.

Transmitter/Remote/Clicker

Transmitter / Remote / Clicker works intermittent or not at all:

The battery may be dead or weak. Replace battery.
Battery contacts may be corroded. Clean with a pencil eraser.
Button may be restricted with dust or dirt.

Opener Runs But Won’t Open/Close

The motor runs but the door will not open or close:

Is the trolley disengaged with the emergency release?

With a screw driver, the trolley may be stripped.

With a chain drive, the internal gears may be stripped.

Call a qualified door technician for repairs.

Contact us today at (931) 215-4213 for an estimate on replacement, maintenance or repair of your existing garage doors or openers. You may also contact us via e-mail at gboyson@columbiadoors.com.