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We carry a well-rounded selection of parts
and do repairs on the majority of garage door openers on the market today.
Brands include:
Genie
Chamberlain, Liftmaster
True Value
Sears/Craftsman
Coast to Coast
Blue Max
Lift-A-Door
Alliance
Stanley
Vemco
Stan-O-Matic
Moore-O-Matic
Challenger
Hercules
Wayne Dalton
Lynx pro line
Allstar.
Some parts are common to a variety of manufacturers
such as master links, capacitors, and chain dogs. It is best to call
us to find out if we stock what you need.
Prices and Rates
Cost Effectiveness / Repair vs. Replacement
The length of time an operator will last depends on
a number of things including manufacturer, model, frequency of operation,
how well the operator has been maintained, and how well the door is balanced.
It’s a little like trying to determine how long a car lasts. Some are
lemons that really are never very good while others are 50 year old restored
classics. Sometimes manufactures maintain inventories of parts for many
years while other times parts availability is discontinued after only
a few months. These factors will generally help make the decision as to
when it is better to repair or replace an existing garage door opener.
Pre 1993 Models
Another factor that may help you in deciding to replace
rather than repair your garage door opener are the 1993 safety laws. Prior
to the laws passed in 1993 Garage Door Operators were not required to
have a safety sensor eye or a reversing edge, all models manufactured
since that time must have one or the other of these safety devices. This
does not mean that all Garage Door Openers built before 1993 are unsafe
because many of them already had 2 or 3 safety systems built into them
and some even offered “eye beams”.
The units built since 1993 are designed so the operator will not operate
without the new system in place. It would be unprofessional and illegal
for a garage door company to attempt to override the safety systems. The
new systems are however much more effective in providing safety where
young children and pets are concerned.
Revolving Codes Technology
In the past few years many manufactures have responded
to security concerns by offering a revolving code feature. The concern
stems from the availability of a device called a “code grabber” which
can electronically listen in when someone activates their garage door
opener remote. The activation code can then be memorized and reused later
to gain access into the garage. Revolving code remotes foil this scheme
by changing the code each time the door is activated so that a memorized
code will not work for the next activation. Although these security measures
are available on most new garage door openers including Liftmaster, it
is unlikely and quite rare that anyone would go to the trouble to break
in using this technique.
Homeowner Maintenance
There are several things that a homeowner can do to
maintain a garage door opener. Before making adjustments it is always
advisable to service the door to be sure it is running smoothly. When
a door starts reversing it is a good idea to give the door attention instead
of just adjusting the force. The symptom is the operator reversing while
the cause of the problem is a poorly running door. It is amazing sometimes
what a little oil on the rollers can do, or a little wax on the jambs,
to make a door run smoother.
After servicing the door it is often not necessary to adjust the force
at all. The more you crank up the force the less safe the door will be.
Phantom Operation
Some of the most frustrating garage door opener problems
to diagnose are those that are intermittent. That is when everything seems
to work properly some of the time but not all of the time.
Phantom operation is one of these, it refers to the garage door operating
without you pushing a button. It seems like magic but it is not. The reason
it is hard to diagnose is because it can be caused by so many different
things such as a defective wall button or transmitter (remote), or an
errant signal from a neighbors remote or airline or military transmission.
We’ve heard stories about garage doors mysteriously going up and down
in the flight path of Air Force One or up on the ship canal when a carrier
comes into port because of all their sophisticated electronic equipment.
A staple through a wire may only activate the door when the temperature
is just right or a defective receiver printed circuit board may be defective.
Determining the cause of phantom operation is a process
of eliminating possible causes one at a time and then waiting to see if
the problem persists. It makes it hard to always be able to correct the
problem in a single visit but a plan can be set up to isolate one system
at a time until the cause is found.
Lightbulb Problems
A common complaint for garage door opener owners relates
to the light bulbs constantly burning out. Most garage door openers on
the market have lights that come on when the operator is activated and
time out after 3 to 5 minutes and go off automatically.
Several models have switches to allow use of the lights without running
the garage door while some even have lights that are activated by motions
sensors that automatically turn on the lights when you enter the garage.
Because of the vibration caused by the garage door
opener raising a big door, many times the light bulbs burn out prematurely.
A good solution is a vibration resistant light bulb like the ones mechanics
commonly use on their trouble lights. They are sold as “rough service
bulbs”, “Knock-a-bouts”, or even garage door opener light bulbs. Be sure
to check the manufactures recommendation for wattage. Too high wattage
can create excessive heat that can damage the light covers or even the
chassis itself and cause the bulbs to burn out too soon.
Good Rollers Make a Big Difference
Many of the rollers on garage doors are quite inexpensive
and require a great deal of maintenance to work well. We carry a good
quality 10 bearing roller with a nylon tire. While they still need periodic
maintenance they will run much smoother and much quieter than the 7 bearing
rollers or the plastic rollers with no bearings at all.
Warranty on Opener Repair
Our goal is customer satisfaction. We offer a 30 day
warranty on all repairs to openers. This includes parts and labor. If,
however something has gone wrong because of negligence on our part we
will make it right. We are also members of the Better Business Bureau.
Please click on their website to see their rating of us.
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