There is no garage door opener that functions smoothly forever without causing any problem, throughout its lifetime. According to reports in Popular Mechanics magazine, a typical garage door in the U.S, opens and closes approximately 1500 times per year. It was also reported that most door openers operate at least 10,000 times, prior to displaying signals of some mechanical failure. The torsion spring of the door opener is considered to be the weakest link in mechanical terms. The long and coiled piece of spring that runs horizontally, right above the door, is called a torsion spring. The heavy lifting job is done by this torsion spring and not by the armature or motor that attaches the door to the mechanical unit. However, it is important to note that since the torsion spring is usually under a large amount of tension, it is not advisable to make an attempt to remove it, unless you are a professional technician. Keep in mind that garage doors easily weigh up to 300 pounds on an average.
The Working Mechanism Of A Door Opener Is Quite Simple
When the remote unit button corresponding to the door opener is pushed, transmission of a radio code occurs. This, in turn, instructs or tells the motor of the door opener to activate. The motor is responsible for starting the drive system and usually comes with very small horsepower unit. The spring tension eventually pulls the door up the tracks or keeps its descent in control. Since the internal parts of a motor are complicated and advanced, it is best to take the services of a trained professional for internal replacement services or repairs or any other advanced jobs related to them.
The drive systems of a garage door differ very slightly and when the torsion spring helps in lifting up the door, it is the drive system that offers the additional power and guidance required for the same. There are mainly three types of drives which include chain, screw and belt drives. The oldest drive system is the chain drive. The movement of the garage door is controlled by metal chains which in turn are guided by overhead tracks that are present in all the systems. Nowadays, these drives are largely replaced with belt drives, due to the noisy factor. Belt drives use rubber belts that help to lift as well as lower the door and the screw drives which make a long rod made of steel to push and pull the door to its original position as it turns.
The most commonly occurring problems with a door, which homeowners face, are the noisy or squeaky sounds, issues with improper functioning of remotes as well as irregularities in door opening. These are fortunately small issues that do not require the mechanical unit to be entered. Troubleshoot the symptoms and if you are still unable to locate or identify the real problem, or fix the door opener, then it is better to call a trained or skilled technician for services or consider replacing the entire unit. Our professionals can be of assistance.