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The Most Common Problems With Residential Garage Doors
Owning a garage with a quality garage door system can make life so much more convenient. A garage door system is very complex and includes a lot moving parts. Problems arise from time to time even in high-end doors, which is why it helps to have an understanding of what to look for to determine if its time to call a professional residential garage door repair company like Ole and Lena’s.
The first step to troubleshooting garage door problems is a complete visual inspection, which you can perform yourself. Pay attention to the symptoms of your equipment before deciding how to move forward.
It’s a frustrating situation when your garage door isn’t working as it should. It may mean that you’ll have to call a professional to fix it, however, many garage door problems can be fixed without special equipment, so it’s worth checking these possibilities first.
Here are some potential reasons your garage door won’t close plus solutions you can try that may solve the problem.
1. The Transmitter Battery Is Dead
The transmitter sends the signal to your garage door to tell it to close. If it’s dead, it can’t send the signal, so the door won’t move.
Solution: Test all of the garage door transmitters inside your garage and in your vehicles. If the transmitters in your garage work but the one in your car doesn’t, for example, you need to replace the batteries in your car transmitter. Remove the transmitter door and replace the batteries. Test it again to make sure it works.
2. The Photo Eye Is Blocked or out of Alignment
Photo eyes are installed on the sides of the garage door and send an invisible beam across your garage. If any items or people are in the way of the beam when the door prepares to close, the door will stop in place to prevent injury and damage to property.
Solution: Make sure there are no objects disturbing the beam of the photo eyes. If the door still won’t close, clean the lenses with a soft cloth and streak-free cleaner. If that doesn’t work, make sure the eyes are aligned. If they’re not pointed in the same direction at the same angle, they cannot communicate. Use a leveler to make sure the eyes are the same height off the ground and pointed directly at each other.
3. The Door Track Is Misaligned
If you hear a rubbing noise when the door opens and closes or see gaps between the rollers and the rail or bends in the rails, the door is off its track.
Solution: If the door still moves, you can try realigning the track yourself. Loosen the screws that hold the track to the frame. Use a rubber mallet to move the track to the right place. Then, tighten the screws so the track can’t move again. Repeat these steps on the other side. If the alignment is the issue and the door won’t move at all, you’ll need to call a professional.
4. The Disconnect Switch Is Enabled
If you can hear the garage door motor running but the door isn’t opening or closing, the disconnect switch is likely the issue. This switch is in place so that you can manually move your garage door in case the power goes out.
Solution: If you’re able to do so, open the door manually and reattach the hook to the motor. You may need a stepladder. Afterward, test the door again.
Other common troubleshooting steps includes the following:
- Unreliable or unresponsive garage door opener: Make sure the remote has fresh batteries and that the system has enough silicone-based lubricant for smooth movement. If you have to apply some, remember to wipe off excess. If the opener still doesn’t work, call an expert. In the meantime, you might be able to manually operate the door, but take care and always have help.
- More noise than usual: Excess noise from your garage door during opening and closing can come in several varieties like screeching, grinding or squeaking. A common cause is lack of lubrication on the parts that need it, like rollers and their tracks. Solve the issue by applying lubrication directly to whatever part seems to make the most noise.
- Cracks or gaps in the door or sealant: If your garage door is made of wood and the cracks are in the door itself, caulk them with a waterproof filler or sealant. If the weather sealants are cracked or broken — which happens naturally with age — find a replacement weather sealant at a local home improvement store or ask a reliable professional to remove the old one and install a new one.
- Unsmooth or incomplete movement: If your door has come off its hinges, you should call the experts. Garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds and could seriously injure someone. If your door opens without prompting immediately after closing, you could have a problem with the alignment of your photo-eyes. Make sure the small plastic devices on each side of the door align with one another.
- One loud bang: While this issue could be a broken cable, the most common explanation is a snapped spring. Another symptom is the door slamming shut. Whether it’s a torsion or extension spring, the solution is a little more complicated with this problem. Springs pack tremendous pressure, which means you could cause damage or injury trying to fix or replace them without experience. Again, call a professional at Ole and Lena’s.
How to Fix a Slow Opening Garage Door
If you’ve noticed your garage door isn’t opening as quickly as it once did, there are a few steps you can take before calling a professional.
How Quickly Should a Garage Door Open?
When you’re trying to determine how quickly a garage door should open, you’ll discover there isn’t one fixed answer. That’s because garage doors fall into two broad categories: commercial (or industrial) and residential.
In general, residential garage doors should open at a rate of about seven inches per second, or about 12 to 15 seconds to open all the way. Industrial-grade garage doors can open much faster, which is reflected in their higher price tags.
Steps for Fixing a Slow Garage Door
Even if you’re not the handiest person, you can still do a few things to fix a garage door that opens slowly. The first thing you can try is adjusting your garage door’s speed setting. In some cases, you can find the switch for the speed setting on your door’s opening mechanism. To locate the switch, remove the opening unit’s housing. Many new garage door openers are preset to the lowest possible setting. If that’s the case with your opener, you can adjust the setting simply by using a screwdriver.
If adjusting the speed setting doesn’t increase the speed of your garage door, there’s more to do.
Many garage doors open slowly because they need lubrication. The more you use your garage door, the more wear its pulleys experience, which causes them to lose their lubrication. Your springs will lose their tension as well, resulting in your door opening even slower.
The experts at Ole and Lena’s know the exact product to use to lubricate the track, brackets, and hinges on any kind of garage door. And they can diagnose and fix any issue that’s causing your garage door to open slowly.
Need Some Help?
If you’re not exactly sure what’s wrong with your garage door, the solution you try doesn’t work, or you know it’s a problem a professional should look at for your safety, choose Ole and Lena’s. The convenience and safety of our customers is our top priority, which is why we’re available 24/7/365 to solve any issues you have. Contact us today to get your door back up and running.
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The Importance of Calling a Professional for Garage Door Repairs
The Importance of Calling a Professional for Garage Door Repairs
In today’s Do-It-Yourself culture, it’s tempting to think you can handle just about everything around the home without the assistance of a qualified professional. Just dial up a few YouTube videos, make a quick stop at Home Depot and you’re ready to go — right?
Not so fast. Sometimes, DIYing it can be a good way to be self-sufficient and save a few dollars. Other times, this approach can be costly and even dangerous. When it comes to your garage door, professional garage door repair is almost always the way to go. Here’s why.
The Risk of Injury
When trying to fix a residential garage door, safety is always an issue. Consider this:
A typical garage door can weigh upwards of 400 pounds. A torsion spring is a piece of metal with enough coiled-up energy to move that door open and down like it was a feather. Imagine what the force of either of those parts could do to your hand or another limb if it gets in the way. You would obviously take all necessary safety precautions, but without the proper training and the experience of working on hundreds of garage doors, it’s virtually impossible to completely guarantee your safety.
The Risk of Making the Problem Worse
A YouTube video is no substitute for actual garage door repair training. You may think you’re doing everything right, but you can still make one critical mistake. And if you do, you could create a problem much costlier than the one you were trying to fix.
More importantly, trying to fix your garage door yourself could void any garage door warranty you may have, which could be financially disastrous. Better not take any chances. Call a professional right away and get the job done right for a reasonable price.
Risk of Compromising Your Garage Door
You may think you have done an adequate job fixing your garage door, but you could be mistaken. A garage door that almost closes all the way could look all right, but can actually create some problems. If your door doesn’t come all the way down to the weatherstripping, any insulation you have in your garage door is wasted — and you could be looking at increased heating and cooling costs as heat escapes or enters your home through your broken residential garage door.
Safety is also an issue in these situations, since a gap in your garage door is an invitation for thieves to try to break in. For example, it’s possible to slip a wire under the door to try to hook the emergency release or take advantage of the gap to pry the door open. If you don’t have training in professional garage door repair, you might not even notice that you failed to do the job correctly until it’s too late.
What a Do-It-Yourselfer Can Do
If you’re frustrated as a DIY-er without the opportunity to do what you do with your garage door, there are sensible steps you can take. You can do monthly maintenance on your garage door by lubricating all the parts and clearing any debris from the rollers, the tracks and the areas around the door frame.
This is a safe and simple way to take care of your garage door and minimize repair costs. Still, the time may come when you need to take advantage of a professional’s touch.
Call Ole and Lena’s for Professional Garage Door Repair Today
There’s no reason to attempt major garage door repairs yourself, since you have a friendly, qualified and affordable professional garage door repair company readily available to you. Let us take all the risks and responsibilities that come with repairing a garage door. We offer 24 hour emergency service and our experienced staff is waiting to talk to you about your garage door issues.
Plus, our highly-skilled experts can get to you and do the job quickly so you can resume your regular daily activities fast. Our technicians are familiar with all major garage door brands and have seen just about every problem a garage door can have, so you can call us with confidence anytime to take care of the problem. For quick and efficient garage door service now, contact us online or call 952-888-1110.
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3 Reasons to Get an Insulated Garage Door
3 Reasons to Get an Insulated Garage Door
An insulated garage door delivers a range of benefits to homeowners. However, do you know just how much an insulated garage door can improve your home’s function? It can also help you save money on heating and cooling costs, and achieve a great return on investment.
When you want to make the most out of your home’s garage door, consider choosing an insulated model for these three reasons:
- Efficiency: The main reason to get an insulated garage door is the efficiency it can provide. Your home will remain cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter when you choose an insulated residential garage door. This can make everyone in your home more comfortable, and it makes it much nicer to get in and out of your car on particularly hot or cold days. An insulated garage door will also let you use your garage as a workshop or playroom, no matter the weather outside.
- Quiet: Insulated residential garage doors also make homes much quieter. Perhaps you’ve had a garage door that makes a loud roar each time it opens and closes. A garage door doesn’t have to make so much racket. An insulated garage door tends to rattle less, thereby being quieter than a non-insulated garage door. Say goodbye to noisy garage door operation when you choose to get an insulated garage door replacement for your home.
- Durability: Garage doors with insulation are tougher and more durable than those without. There’s an added substantiality that comes with an insulated garage door. Yes, you’ll pay just a little bit more for the pleasure of getting an insulated garage door model, but you will enjoy a strong return on that investment given the extended lifespan. You often get what you pay for, and a cheap, non-insulated garage door will need replacement much sooner than an insulated option.
When you want to explore your insulated residential garage door options, you need a source for high-quality options and expert customer service. Ole and Lena’s is your go-to garage door product and service provider in the Twin Cities area. Not only do we have a huge selection of insulated residential garage doors for you to choose from, but we also offer a team of highly experienced and deeply knowledgeable technicians who can deliver outstanding installation service.
Your home is a beautiful asset, one that you want to get the best return on. When you choose an insulated garage door, you’re improving your home. When you choose Ole and Lena’s as your garage door product and service provider, you’re ensuring you get the very best in garage door products and services.
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How to Decide When to Repair or Replace Your Garage Door
How to Decide When to Repair or Replace Your Garage Door
No one wants to make an unnecessary investment in their home, such as purchasing a new appliance — not when a good repair is the best alternative over full replacement. Your garage door is no different. While a new garage door holds the power to transform the look and feel of your home and its curb appeal, you can often avoid the investment of a new model with residential garage door repair.
As you make your decision between repairing or replacing, here are a few things to consider:
Wear and tear: Your garage door can completely transform the exterior of your home, enhancing curb appeal and complementing the rest of your home’s architecture. When wear and tear starts to show up on your garage door it takes away from the beauty of your home. Needing a single replacement panel is an example of a time when you should choose home garage door repair over a full replacement. But if multiple panels begin to fade or rust, or if multiple panels need replacing, that may be a good sign you should consider replacing your garage door completely.
If you have a wood model, look for warping and cracking. These are tell-tale signs you should consider a garage door replacement. The age of your garage door should play a part in in your decision to replace. If it’s only five years old, you should be able to go with residential garage door repair. If your garage door is more than 15 years old, it’s time to shop for a replacement.
Damage: Damage is different than wear and tear in that it occurs due to a specific incident, such as a collision with a vehicle or high winds. A garage door includes many different parts that allow it to operate seamlessly, and significant damage to these parts can make your door unsafe — with the cost to repair exceeding the cost to replace.
Be sure to review your insurance options if you experience garage door damage. Homeowner’s or car insurance may cover a portion of the replacement cost, depending on the nature of your damage and how it occurred.
Operation: Has your garage door completely stopped working altogether? This could be any number of issues. If it was working fine yesterday but has stopped operating today, the fix may be straightforward and simple. However, if your garage door has been struggling for some time and its non-operation feels like the culmination of a long-term problem, the issues may be more significant — and one that necessitates a full replacement.
Residential garage door repair is only a phone call away. At Ole and Lena’s, we offer a range of overhead door services, as well as a team of experienced technicians who can make recommendations on home garage door repair or replacement. We’re always open, honest and realistic when making recommendations about what’s best for your home. When you need residential garage door repair or replacement in the Twin Cities area, get in touch with the team at Ole and Lena’s.
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Ole & Lena’s Garage and Entry Door Service provides garage door repair service and garage door replacement throughout the Twin Cities Metro area. We provide new garage doors as well as garage door repair service in Bloomington, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Edina, Richfield, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Plymouth, Savage, Burnsville, Shakopee, Apple Valley, Eagan, Maplewood, Oakdale, Woodbury, White Bear Lake, Lake Elmo, Mahtomedi, and throughout the Twin Cities metro and Minnesota.
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