This is a great question to try and answer, because it is one that most customers ask us when their garage door is having operating issues. The answer is not an easy one, and there are several factors that do into making the decision that is right for your situation.
In this current state of the world with COVID affecting supply chain issues, combined with lack of workforce, shortages, price increases, and inflation all impact how I am going to advise you in making this decision.
Let's tackle this!
What is the LIFE of a garage door opener??
“They don't build ‘em like they used to!” Is a true statement in most industries and garage door industry is no different. Even though we see garage door operators lasting 15 and 20 years, the actual average of an operator is 8-15 years, depending on how well you took care of your garage door and how often it was serviced.
With proper maintenance a garage door operator could last the full life of 15 years, however most warranties are well gone by then and it might be a good time for an upgrade. When a garage door operator is used, all the parts are getting wear and tear, so if one part fails, most parts are getting ready to fail. Most people now-a-days are using their garages as the main entrance point to the home, so the wear increases dramatically.
Let's dive into what some common issues could be…
My Garage Door Opener Won't Open
This is one of the most frequent calls that Apple Door gets each day, and it might surprise you that in some cases, it's not even the garage door operator that is the issue, it is that the garage door spring that has broken and the operator doesn't have the strength to open the door, and honesty, that is a great thing because that could be dangerous.
If the garage door spring has broken, most likely the operator has been working harder than normal to lift the garage door and that has for sure put strain on the GEAR KIT, which is the part of the door that actually uses the horse power from the motor to turn the gear that operates the chain or belt, which in turn opens the door. The gears are made of a hard plastic and designed to fail under too much strain. If the door is “heavy” it will wear this gear out and it needs to be replaced. The garage door operator will not operate at all until that is repaired, it will just make a humming noise, however, nothing is moving. While the gear kit is being replaced it is probably a great time to go ahead and get the garage door springs replaced also. If the gears are worn, it also means that the TORSION SPRINGS have also worn in most cases, might as well tackle both repairs at once.
The Torsion Springs are designed to take all the heavy lifting of the garage door, and the operator is only there to assist the springs in guiding the door rollers through the tracks. (We will talk about rollers in a later blog). Even sometimes, the gear in the operator might be fine, however the garage door springs are broken and need to be replaced to get the system working like it should again.
This is a common garage door opener repair. However, in some cases when your garage door won't open, it's not the garage door opener at all. Sometimes the issue is with the garage door springs that assist with opening the door. Garage door springs are your counterbalance. The opener is designed to guide the garage door through the tracks. If the springs aren't broken, the next obvious thing to diagnose is the weight of the door. The springs may not be broken but they could have relaxed prior to breaking and that would cause the door to be too heavy for the opener to lift.
Other important things that a professional technician would diagnose are things like confirming the remotes have good batteries, the possibility of a bad circuit board, make sure the door is balanced properly, and even some sort of radio interference (happens more than you think...LOL). Even checking something as simple as a GFI Switch being blown would cause the door not to open. If all of those possible issues are not the reason, it's most likely the stripped gear.
Garage Door Opener Won't Close
Garage door not closing is the second most common call we get about garage doors and if the above problems are not the culprit, it can be other components of the garage door operator starting to fail. First, we would check the safety eyes to make sure they are aligned, could be that the cables are off the drums of the door and the springs have failed to keep proper tension on the cables, or it could be a travel module or the circuit board in the operator itself.
Garage Door Opens Randomly by Itself
If the door happens to open by itself, and at strange times, it can only be a few things. One, your neighbors remote is operating the door by picking up its frequency, or the circuit board if gone bad. We call this “ghosting” and is pretty common.
This is a sure safety and security issue for your family and needs to be addressed right away; it is not a problem that just takes care of itself. In this case. if your manufactures operator is out of warranty, we would suggest replacing the operator.
So, when do you replace your garage door opener vs fixing it?
This is the question and with the facts presented by your professional garage door technician from Apple Door, it is a choice that you will have to make. Sometimes it is better to use this opportunity to spend the extra dollars and upgrade your operator to a nicer one; possibly one with Wi-Fi and Battery Back Up that would come with new manufacturer warranties. If you are looking to sell the home in the next 1-2 years and wanted to make minimal repairs to pass inspection, then the repair would work well for you. Each situation is different, budgets are different, and safety factors are different.
Apple Door Systems is here to help you with getting the right information to make this decision. If you need garage door operator repair in Chesapeake, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or Portsmouth, please consider Apple Door Systems as your garage door company!